Computer Teaching

Strategies :
Virtual Reality

Submitted by: Demiar Alexis M. Quinto

Submitted to:
Virtual reality is proving to play an important role in the education of nursing staff
both in the UK and overseas. It is used to create simulations of nursing scenarios
where the trainee has to carry out a series of tasks, for example, checking a
patients vital signs. But it is also used to train how to react in an emergency, e.g.
cardiac arrest.

Benefits of virtual reality in nursing education

The advantages of this include:

Interactions with peers, tutors and other related personnel

Controlled environment

Builds upon familiarity with technology

Learn by doing rather than seeing

Pros

Allows for bigger classes

A UBC study in may 2011 showed that students in interactive classes scored
23% higher.
Possibilities for use are almost limitless

Cons

Distraction from others that you can't control

Computers freezing
Students not having compatible computers
Anxiety from attempting to learn new subject and new software at the same
time
This is seen as a new way of learning; a move towards social interaction,
communication and collaboration rather than the conventional chalk and talk
model. This system allows trainee nurses to engage and practise skills in a safe
environment and with continual back up and support.

Plus there is a realisation that todays nurses have grown up with technology and
are avid users of social networking and other similar tools. They spend a great deal
of time online and are comfortable doing so. Technology plays an important part in
their lives and will continue to do so.

All of this has led to the inclusion of virtual reality alongside clinical instruction and
other traditional forms of teaching. The adoption of new forms of technology does
not mean we should dispense with current methods of teaching as these have been
invaluable over the years.

But technologies such as virtual reality can play an important role in teaching
clinical skills to the next generation of nurses and without causing harm to their
patients. Plus it can instruct them in new types of procedures.

There are two ways of using virtual reality in the classroom: the first involves a
traditional desktop set up in which the student explores a virtual environment using
a computer, keyboard and mouse. Or use some other input device, e.g. controller
(similar to the Wii remote controller).

The second set up is fully immersive and requires the student to wear a head
mounted display (HMD) and data glove for interaction within a virtual
environment. This environment may take the form of a series of large screens or a
complete CAVE virtual reality system.

The fully immersive set up will include a tracking system which is included in the
HMD that records and analyses the students movements in a virtual space. This
also has an effect on what they see as any movement of their head will cause a shift
in perception due to the tracking device. They will see images which show the
illusion of depth that only adds to the experience.

Example of VR in the classroom

For example: if you are a history teacher then your students may have the
opportunity to explore a historic building or era in time such as Ancient Greece.
They will be able to walk around a Greek city, e.g. Athens, and explore various
aspects, often by using touch via the data glove. This is a great way of learning
about day to day life in Ancient Greece which brings it to life in a way that books or
online media are unable to.

So what we are saying is that virtual reality can be used in many areas of the
curriculum. This includes maths, English, science, history, geography, languages
and newer subjects such as design technology.

Plus there are students who respond to computer generated learning than
traditional methods of teaching. In these cases virtual reality learning is an ideal
way of engaging these students with a particular subject in a manner they are
comfortable with.

Students can touch and manipulate objects within a virtual environment in order to
generate a greater understanding of them. But this doesnt only apply to objects;
students are able to interact with data sets, complex formulae and abstract
concepts that they may have previously found inaccessible. For some students,
learning by doing is easier than learning by listening.