Motivating medical students using virtual reality based education

Abstract

An exploratory study to compare the effects of immersive virtual reality based training on the learning motivation of final year medical students as compared to video and text-based learning. Different modes of delivery of a training simulation of laparoscopy operation were presented to students and learning motivation corresponding to which were evaluated using the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory. Undergraduate medical students from 8 medical colleges and universities across Pakistan participated in this study. A total of 87 students with a mean age of 22.5 ± 4 years were recruited for the study. Of these, 57.4% (n = 50) were males and 42.6% (n = 37) were females. Paired sampled t-test was chosen for the statistical investigation for the study. The tests were conducted by comparing means of text, video, and virtual reality learning methodologies in medical students. All applied statistical models have significance value p = 0.00 indicating a significant difference. Medical student motivation was observed to be the greatest in Virtual Reality settings as compared to videobased and text-based learning settings. Both theoretical and practical studies have importance in medical studies, whereas practical hand-on-practice can enhance medical students' professional proficiency. Virtual reality was at the top in User experience, perceived competence, usefulness, and motivation for final year medical students. It can play a signficant role in contemporary teaching and learning methodology with medical educationist and students can get benefit from this technology.