Does Familiarization with Virtual Reality Improve Anatomy Learning in a Virtual Reality Environment?

Abstract

Despite a scarcity in substantive evidence, virtual reality (VR) is heralded as the future of anatomy education. Recent research in our lab suggests that VR headsets are substantially inferior to traditional plastic models as educational tools. This effect appears to be mediated by the VR headsets' inability to create convincing stereopsis. Our study aims to investigate if familiarization with the VR environment improves performance. When presented with a new learning environment (e.g., a room in VR), one may encounter a “novelty effect” where the new environment demands focus and distracts from learning. An introduction to the VR environment prior to learning could minimize this effect. Therefore, we hypothesize that familiarization will improve test scores. Undergraduate university students with no prior formal anatomy education (n=50) will be randomized to a familiarization or non‐familiarization group. The former group is allowed to orient themselves with a VR car engine model, ad libitum. Then, both groups will undergo a learning phase with a VR pelvis model for 10 minutes. Participants will be tested using a 15‐item evaluation, consisting of an equal amount of nominal, spatial, and functional questions, immediately and 48 hours after learning. Preliminary data (n=8) suggest that there are currently no statistically significant differences in short‐ or long‐term evaluation scores (p=0.109, p=0.254, respectively) between the familiarization and non‐familizarization groups. If this trend persists through completion of the study, it would suggest that a familiarization phase does not improve test scores. Data collection and analysis are anticipated to be completed in January 2019. Gaining an understanding of which factors influence VR learning allows it to become a more effective, evidence‐based tool for anatomy education.Support or Funding InformationSelf‐funded.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.