Effects of early clinical exposure using virtual reality on learning: A text-mining analysis study

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Educational Technology
• Occupational Therapy

Background:

• The increasing integration of educational technology, particularly virtual reality (VR), is transforming medical and nursing education.
• VR offers innovative approaches to supplement traditional learning methods in healthcare fields.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and implement a 360-degree video of medical facilities within an occupational therapy curriculum.
• To evaluate the impact of this VR-enhanced learning experience on student understanding and motivation.

Main Methods:

• Sixty-two first-year occupational therapy students participated in the study.
• Students viewed 360-degree videos of psychiatric and general hospitals via smartphones.
• Data was collected through questionnaires and text mining of free-comment responses.

Main Results:

• Virtual reality facilitated early clinical exposure, improving students' comprehension of rehabilitation facility environments.
• Students reported increased learning motivation and satisfaction with the virtual facility tours.
• A notable excitement for future 360-degree video-based learning experiences was observed.

Conclusions:

• Early experiential learning utilizing virtual reality effectively motivates occupational therapy students.
• VR-based 360-degree videos enhance students' understanding of clinical environments, preparing them for practice.