Using Virtual Reality Game Design in Undergraduate Nursing Education

Abstract

Academics and nurse educators have adapted new teaching and learning approaches to accommodate the different learners’ needs. The new ways of learning are using virtual reality (VR) and game-based for undergraduate nursing education. These technologies enable to influence and support student learning across a VR online platform and 3D virtual stimulation environment and virtual objects in which individuals can interact. VR environments are suitable to measure of many variables of interest to nurses, such as; complex cognitive, social and psychomotor variables. These technologies can improve the teaching impact in positive learning experience, and students are able immersive and interactive in their learning process in different models of learning. e.g on-campus, off-campus and different clinical setting in VR environments (Emergency Department, Medical Nursing, Intensive Care Unit, Peri-Operative Theater). These technologies can provide greater flexibility for students which making resources more accessible. Students can increase learning engagement or time-on-task; they can improve test scores or assessment grades finally. Moreover, these technologies can promote reflection in learning, skill acquisition and practice with deeper engagement which can promote richer understanding. It is effective to develop skills for interpersonal interactions with enhancing motor skills or intra-professional (ITP) collaboration with social and communication skills. Researchers have reported that VR tools can offer both opportunities and challenges in next disruptive innovation in nursing education, but additional benefits in teaching and learning is invaluable. Recommendations are made from researcher more experimentation and well-designed researches are needed to demonstrate the effectiveness in VR applications to achieve for educational aims.