Abstract
Today's new technologies have impacted many different areas of education, with nursing education one such area. Nursing education, as a learning process, targets the combination of cognitive, affective, and psychomotor learning domains. However, traditional teaching methods may not meet all of the Y and Z generations' learning needs. Today's learners are accustomed to multimedia learning environments and have come to expect a certain level of technology integrated into their curricula. Virtual Reality (VR) technology enables students to become immersed within a 360-degree view experience of scenes that have been completely digitally created, whilst no longer viewing the real world around them. Virtual simulation has been used to teach communication, disaster relief, teamwork, and interviewing techniques, among other skills; and can also provide immersive personalized learning experiences. This chapter presents some of the many facets of VR in today's nursing education.
TopBackground
VR-based learning provides learners with experiences in contextually rich environments that encourage reflection. Environments that support learning activities designed to authentically replicate clinical practice settings should be seen and treated as clinical environments. Such environments are seen to support and provide a foundation for learning during future clinical experiences (Chen & Teh, 2013; Gore & Loice, 2014). Practitioners engaged in VR are required to integrate knowledge of anatomy and physiology whilst performing and validating clinical competency in specific procedures such as intravenous catheterization, nasogastric tube placement, urinary catheterization, and pain management (Choi, 2017; Guo, Deng & Yang, 2014; İsmailoğlu & Zaybak, 2018; Jöud et al., 2010). In 2017, Wolters Kluwer Health published results of a survey on technology utilization within nursing education. The study showed a significant increase in the use of virtual simulation. Specifically, the “Future of Technology in Nursing Education” report revealed that 65% of nursing education programs employed virtual simulation, with VR utilization predicted to increase from 10% to as much as 45% over the next 5 years in response to a worsening shortage of clinical training sites (Wolters Kluwer, 2017). The VR teaching approach has become recognized as one of the most effective clinical teaching/learning strategies currently available to ensure caregiver competency in terms of clinical knowledge and critical thinking, as well as the technical application of psychomotor skills through the use of technology. Regardless, the VR approach has great potential as a powerful tool in healthcare education of the future. This chapter aims to present some of the many facets of VR in the scope of nursing education.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Virtual Reality Simulation: A type of simulation which incorporates with computerized 3D environment for immersive and engaging learning.
Virtual Reality: An artificial 3D environment in which learner can interact and discover through computer technologies and headsets.
3D: Stands for three dimensions or three-dimensional in which provides perception of depth in computerized environment.
Augmented Reality: Combination of real world and computer-generated information on objects to provide perceptual reality through the digital screens or head mounted devices.
Simulation: A technique that creates a situation or environment to represent similar or exact conditions of reality to provide training and learning experiences for novice learners.
Immersion: A psychological sense of being in a virtual environment.