VR training simulations (VRS) are on the verge of becoming an absolutely mass product. It is becoming a new way to develop skills in many areas. Previously, people could not fully immerse themselves in the event until they were involved in it. With VRS, we can immerse people in a virtual environment so that they can gain practical experience in their profession before they begin to put their knowledge into practice. Especially in healthcare education VR is a new technology that allows researchers and teachers to simulate different learning scenarios in a less costly and elaborate way. Compared to traditional methods, virtual reality makes it easier to change the smallest parameters of nursing and caretaking training. It also allows the lecturer to use more accurate methods of assessment and result analysis that were previously unavailable. It is crucial for them to be able to practice their nursing skills in a reliable and safe way. VR training gives us the opportunity to safely immerse the students into the process as much as possible so that they are as ready as possible to treat real patients. Problem: Although the new technology has definitely arrived for some time in different areas of healthcare and medical training on the high-end level, its practical implementation in nursing and caretaking educational programs or even the curriculum itself in the European countries is very low, especially comparing to some Asian countries and North America, where it has become a part of many training programs in hospitals, colleges and universities. Most of the technological trials are currently at the level of experimentation and prototype development. A more time-efficient integration of VR applications in the teaching and training practice is partly slowed down by the lack of efficient and convenient testing and optimization environments. The mechanisms of cross-discipline collaboration of subject teachers, media didactics specialists, software developers etc. in the process of VRS design and production has also not been fully worked out in most of the nursing and care education institutions. Main goal: Adoption of advanced digital technology, such as immersive virtual reality, in nursing education and training in Europe. This should be achieved through development of a standardized procedure, including technology, testing protocol, organizational structure, operation mechanism and digital tool set for efficient multidisciplinary collaboration throughout the development and implementation of the modern Virtual Reality Simulators into nursing education and training. Based on the experiences and findings of the project a demonstration and learning courseware on VR applications opportunities in Nursing Tertiary Education will be developed. This shall enhance an effective collaboration between the educational institutions and software developers and close the current gap between the needs of nursing education and training and the great potential of the VR technology. Objectives: 1. Mapping the contents of nursing curricula suitable for transfer to current state-of-the-art consumer-grade VR applications to identify digitization potentials. 2. Development of the customized collaboration procedure for trainers, teachers and media didactics specialists facilitating co-operative elaboration of concepts and scenarios for instructional design and implementation of VRS in nursing education skills training. 3. Development of testing and demonstration toolkit for: - experiencing and understanding of the technology; - bringing up basic operational skills to the teaching and training staff of the nursing education institutions; - selection and adoption of functions and settings provided by VR simulation technology corresponding to the specific requirements of training programs suitable to train particular professional skills in nursing and caretaking. 4. Development of a mixed technology VR Simulator, based on 3D graphics (CGI) and 360-degree videos for practical application of haptically tangible learning scenarios in nursing and caretaking based on the elaborated procedure. 5. Pilot implementation of the VR-supported application into curriculum and/or teaching and learning practice and empirical study on their impact on skills learning success. 6. Development of the up-to-date extensive training course on design, development, adjustment and integration of VR training modules into teaching & learning. Results and impact: Through collaborative project activities of researchers, lecturers, trainers and software developers, joint learning and teaching a Pan European expert network to share skills and experiences of VR applications development and integration in education will be built. Use of synergy effects of the 6 partners with diverse backgrounds from 5 EU countries shall facilitate faster and deeper integration of VR technology in European higher education in the healthcare field in general and nursing training,
1. Identifying digitisation potentials by mapping the contents of nursing curricula suitable for transfer to current state-of-the-art, consumer-grade VR applications. 2. Developing a customised collaboration procedure for trainers, teachers, and media didactics specialists to facilitate the co-operative development of concepts and scenarios for instructional design and implementation of VRS in nursing E&T. 3. Development of testing and demonstration toolkit for: - Gaining first experience and understanding of VR; - Equipping the teaching and training staff of nursing HEIs with basic operational skills; - Selecting and adopting functions and settings provided by VR simulation technology. 4. Enhancing the consortium's own know-how in developing a VRS for the practical application of haptically tangible learning scenarios based on the elaborated procedure. 5. Piloting the implementation of the VR-supported application into the curriculum and/or teaching and learning practice, and conducting an empirical study on their impact on skills acquisition. 6. Sharing the gained experience with other educational institutions interested on the topic through the development of an up-to-date, extensive learning course on th
The DTNET project was implemented against a backdrop of significant challenges in nursing education and training within the EU, particularly in efforts to further improve the quality of teaching and learning for healthcare professionals. One of the primary reasons for the project's inception was the inherent limitation of traditional education methods. Conventional training can’t immerse students and simulate real-life medical scenarios and conditions in a controlled, risk-free environment. The increasing complexity of patient care and the rapid evolution of medical technologies also spurred the need for DTNET. Virtual realty (VR) presents a unique opportunity to create such simulations, offering a level of realism and interactivity not always achievable through conventional tools. However, the integration of VR in nursing education in Europe was lagging compared to North America and Asia, where VR in healthcare training was becoming more commonplace. This discrepancy highlighted the need for a concerted effort to bring European nursing education up to cope with new global standards. The inception was driven by a pressing need for broader use of the breakthrough opportunities offered by immersive VR digital technology.