An Interuniversity Competition for Medical Students to Learn Radiology in the Second Life Metaverse

Abstract

PurposeThe aim of this study was to evaluate an interuniversity competition online to learn radiology held in a 3-D virtual world, the Second Life metaverse, by analyzing the results of the game and students’ perceptions. MethodsMedical students voluntarily participated in teams of four, for 6 weeks, successively covering radiologic anatomy and radiologic semiology of the chest, abdomen, and musculoskeletal. Each week, participants had 4.5 days to study self-learning presentations and 2.5 days to complete an individual multiple-choice test and a team task, the results of which determined the game’s ranking. Participants were asked to complete a cognitive-load test, a perception questionnaire, and a postexposure knowledge test. ResultsThe competition was repeated for 2 years (editions), in 2020 and 2021. Seventy-five of 102 teams (73.5%) registered completed the game; 76% of them included third-year students. The average percentage of correct answers in the individual tests and team tasks was 74.2 ± 15.1 and 71.6 ± 14.7 respectively, without significant differences between both competitions. In general, the experience was valued positively (scores >8 on a 10-point scale). A lower perception score was found in 2021 among students from universities other than the organizing university, showing a positive correlation with the in-game score. ConclusionsAn interuniversity competition in the Second Life metaverse for undergraduate learning radiology is feasible and reproducible. Participating medical students considered it interesting and useful and also identified this activity during the 2 years of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic as a playful learning and social interaction experience.