Providing health sciences education through virtual reality experiences.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Health Sciences Librarianship
• Virtual Reality Technology

Background:

• Academic libraries are increasingly exploring innovative technologies to enhance student learning.
• Virtual Reality (VR) offers unique potential for immersive and experiential educational approaches.
• The Robert B. Greenblatt, M.D. Library at Augusta University initiated VR projects to support health sciences education.

Purpose of the Study:

• To implement and evaluate two distinct virtual reality (VR) projects for health sciences students.
• To identify common factors contributing to the successful adoption of VR in an academic library setting.
• To provide insights for other institutions considering VR implementation.

Main Methods:

• Two separate VR projects were developed and deployed between 2020-2021.
• Projects focused on providing immersive experiential learning opportunities.
• Common successful elements across differing objectives were analyzed.

Main Results:

• Both VR projects successfully provided immersive learning experiences.
• Shared underlying principles and commonalities were identified as key success factors.
• The projects demonstrated the value of VR in health sciences education.

Conclusions:

• Collaborative and adaptable implementation strategies are crucial for VR project success in libraries.
• The identified commonalities offer a transferable framework for other institutions.
• Virtual reality holds significant promise for the future of health sciences experiential learning.