Qualitative Exploration of Nursing Students’ Experiences in Screen-Based Virtual Simulation and Headset Virtual Reality

• In Event: Immersive Learning: Simulation and Virtual Reality in Education

Abstract

This study qualitatively investigates the user experience of nursing students engaging with virtual simulations (VSs) in both screen-based and headset virtual reality (VR) modalities, extending previous quantitative work. We sought to understand the positive and negative experiences of students when interacting with educational VSs. Through qualitative coding of simulation recordings, themes emerged related to positive experiences (correct medical actions, positive usability, low cognitive load) and negative experiences (software-related restrictions & bugs, confusion/lack of success, negative affect, technical errors, neglect of instruction, and others). The results offer valuable insights to enhance the quality of nursing education through the development and evaluation of VSs, emphasizing the need for VS-specific usability tools and future research in this domain.

Authors

• Sayed Azher, McGill University

• Keerat Kaur Grewal, McGill University

• Amanda Cervantes, McGill University

• Caroline Marchionni, McGill University

• Hugo Marchand, McGill University

• Jason Matthew Harley, McGill University