Exploring the educational potential of metaverse for medical education

Abstract

Interest in the metaverse is increasing as learners participate in learning with presence, improving learning motivation, and interaction. Currently, the use of metaverse in medical education remains in a test-phase of introduction within some companies, while some medical school professors are beginning to utilize it. Therefore, it is difficult to ascertain whether the metaverse has educational potential when used in medical education. This exploratory study investigates the possibility of the educational use of the metaverse. Both the educational usefulness and the examples of its educational usage in domestic and foreign medical schools are explored. As the metaverse is expected to be introduced and utilized more actively in the future, some of its advantages and limitations in medical education have been identified. In light of the vast potential of the metaverse in medical education, the method of educating and preparing medical students should be developed by preparing a new educational foundation.