From virtual to reality: evaluating student attitudes through VR dissection preparations: a use case.

Area of Science:

• Anatomy and Physiology Education
• Medical Simulation
• Educational Technology

Background:

• Traditional animal dissections face ethical and practical challenges in science education.
• Existing alternatives like computer simulations lack the immersive quality of hands-on experiences.
• Virtual reality (VR) presents an interactive, ethical alternative for simulating dissection with real-time feedback.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess undergraduate physiology students' attitudes toward virtual reality (VR) and live frog dissections.
• To compare student preferences and perceived educational value between VR and live dissection methods.
• To explore the potential of VR as a supplementary tool in anatomy and physiology education.

Main Methods:

• Surveyed 118 undergraduate physiology students before and after participating in both VR and live frog dissections.
• Assessed student attitudes, preferences, and perceived educational value for each dissection method.
• Analyzed survey data to identify trends in student perceptions and preferences.

Main Results:

• 80% of students recognized the educational value of live dissections.
• 28% of students showed increased preference for live dissection post-experiment, citing excitement and value.
• 15% of students preferred VR, noting enhanced comfort and reduced aversion.

Conclusions:

• Virtual reality (VR) serves as a valuable supplementary tool in anatomy education, particularly for students hesitant about live dissection.
• VR can mitigate ethical and emotional concerns while providing hands-on simulation opportunities.
• Integrating VR into educational frameworks can improve learning outcomes and accommodate diverse student needs in STEM fields.