Could the metaverse be the new radiology education classroom?
Could the metaverse represent a viable alternative to the classroom for radiology student education?
According to new data, the simulated virtual environment may be just as effective of a setting as the classroom for problem-based learning. Experts involved in the analysis suggest their findings not only support use of the metaverse for lessons when in-person sessions are not ideal, but that the virtual environment also has the potential to expand access to valuable problem-based training.
“Immersive virtual worlds, created through online technology, allow interaction in computer-generated spaces. Along with virtual reality, mirror worlds, and augmented reality, these worlds form the metaverse, a digital universe beyond physical reality,” Francisco Sendra-Portero, MD, with the Department of Radiology and Physical Medicine at the University of Malaga, Spain, and colleagues explained. “The MV serves as a learning tool, enabling students to engage with virtual classroom simulations and communicate with peers through avatars, digital representations of users.”
Experts recently compared the effects of physical versus virtual learning environments in a group of nearly 700 sixth-year medical students. Students participated in either in-person or metaverse-based learning for two years and were assigned a clinical case to study, present and debate with classmates during that time. The groups assessed one another’s cases and answered questionnaires related to their perceptions of students’ performance.
The differing groups graded their teachers similarly, with the real-life and metaverse educators being given scores of 8.11 ± 1.15 and 7.97 ± 1.54, respectively. There also were no significant differences between peer evaluations from either learning environment, and students from each group rated their experiences similarly positive.
“MV technology offers several advantages, including remote access, cost-effective implementation, 24/7 availability, and opportunities for active learning and public speaking practice. However, while the MV provides a viable alternative when in-person PBL activities are impractical, it does not fully replace the benefits of real-life interaction,” the group noted, adding that the metaverse is most beneficial as a complementary tool, not a mainstay of education.
Learn more about what the students had to say here.
In addition to her background in journalism, Hannah also has patient-facing experience in clinical settings, having spent more than 12 years working as a registered rad tech. She began covering the medical imaging industry for Innovate Healthcare in 2021.