Initial Qualitative Feedback about VR diabetes trialed with 2^nd Year Nursing Students at BU:

It was trialed in comparison to a paper case study version.  There were many positive comments and also some comments that will help educators plan how to use VR with large cohorts in their teaching sessions.

Positive Comments:

“It gives a lot of context to what I would actually be physically seeing, that is actually very useful.”

“I’m quite a visual interactive learner, … on the ward I could envisage what I was doing on the computer, if that scenario comes up. And I know it’s obviously good in clinical practice however we also have an exam coming up with diabetes, and I will find it a lot easier to think back to what I saw on the computer, rather than what I was trying to learn on the paper version if that makes sense?”

“It was very quick to figure out what you have to do. I am not good with any technological things but I think is very simple enough to get on with no problems.”

“I liked it, it was, visually it was very accurate… I liked it yes, I liked the detail of the blood glucose machine, and the obs machine.”

“It didn’t wait until right at the end to tell you it was wrong, you got immediate feedback on your actions. That is very useful.”

“I think it would help my learning because it would make me think about the options that might be available. And make me work through why I would pick a particular answer.”

“To learn in a different way, rather than just reading a book. It will probably stick in your mind more.”

“That is the beauty of the computer version, because you can make lots of mistakes and you’re not affecting anybody are you? You can keep on going.”

“Can you make one for the heart and the other things we’re expected to know for exam please?…  Can you do all the scenarios?”

Feedback about technical Issues, which can assist staff in planning large cohort VR sessions:

“Loading the program, my computer didn’t like it, it kept kicking me out.”

“For me to use it and download it, I was a little bit like should it be like that? Am I looking in the wrong place? I didn’t know so I think there is a place for using it at home and in the lecture theater. From my own perspective using it in a lecture theater first and then at home would be ideal.”

“If you can make it an app that’s not more attractive it’s easier to download.”

“An app is it attractive option, I am always dubious about downloading more software to my device.”

“Sometimes the Avatar got stuck or there was a dead end. You just have to come out and go back into the program again. And then it seemed to work. But I don’t know whether it was my laptop, whether it was program, I don’t know.”