Virtual Educational Environment Research Articles

Developing virtual collaborative health team educational environments

In this short paper we introduce a conceptual framework that is under development to create virtual educational environments to simulate collaborative health team experiences. Building on our work of developing virtual environments for authentic Paramedicine education scenarios, we are extending the concept across the seven health disciplines at the university, beginning initially with a prototype involving three health discipline teams: Paramedicine, Nursing, and Physiotherapy. Using a design based research methodology we are developing prototypes of immersive simulated environments to simulate the real - world interaction between these three health teams for our students. We leverage a low cost mobile BYOD approach enabling rapid prototyping and development of these scenarios.

The pecking order: a Bourdieusian look at authority in virtual peer crits

AbstractCultural capital having sway in establishing authority in educational fields, including architecture, has been prevalent in scholarly work discussing the traditional studio setup. With the growing use of multi-user virtual environments (MUVEs) in architectural education, some studios, their occupants, and artifacts moved to the new medium. Such change places those studios in a precarious position vis-a-vis traditional architectural pedagogy, problematizing cultural capital and authority. This research examines the relationship between cultural capital and authority, focusing on MUVE-mediated studio peer crits. It adopts a quasi-experimental approach, where twenty-four participants with varying design proficiencies in diverse peer compositions completed a timed design task. The research employs linkography for analysis and Pierre Bourdieu's theoretical framework for interpretation. The findings suggest that MUVEs have a transformative effect on exogenous cultural capital, potentially disrupting previously established norms and hierarchies in architectural pedagogy and creating new hierarchical models, which add nuances to the existing models in the literature. A MUVE-mediated studio has the potential to present the studio as a new exploratory ground not weighed down by pre-established notions of studio culture "habitus."

User experience and interface assessment for metaverse platforms on nurses and nursing students: A cross-sectional study

BackgroundThe metaverse, a rapidly evolving virtual environment, offers new opportunities for healthcare education. The effectiveness of the metaverse as a learning tool depends on user readiness and platform characteristics. AimThis study aimed to examine the current use of metaverse platforms among nurses and nursing students in South Korea and explore the relationship between user characteristics and their metaverse experience, focusing on presence, usability, and user experience. DesignThis was a cross-sectional descriptive study. SettingsRegistered nurses and nursing students from various healthcare settings and educational institutions in South Korea participated in this study. ParticipantsThis study included 428 participants, comprising 188 nurses and 240 nursing students. MethodsBetween September and November 2022, participants provided voluntary informed consent. The participants engaged with one of the following two metaverse platforms: ZEPETO (mobile-based) or Gather (screen-based). After four structured exploration phases, the participants completed online questionnaires. These surveys assessed general characteristics, metaverse self-efficacy, sense of presence, usability, and user experience. ResultsMost participants had previous experience with the metaverse and rated their metaverse self-efficacy at 3.60. Nurses scored higher than nursing students in terms of presence, usability, and user experience in the metaverse. Higher work self-efficacy in nurses and academic self-efficacy in nursing students were associated with more positive experiences in the metaverse. Nurses consistently rated higher across all subdomains of presence, usability, and user experience than nursing students. The type of metaverse platform also significantly influenced user experience. ConclusionsA significant proportion of Korean nurses and nursing students are familiar with the metaverse, reflecting a global trend towards virtual environments in education and healthcare. Although the metaverse holds promise for healthcare education, its effectiveness depends on user readiness, platform characteristics, and the development of a reliable, structured, and user-friendly educational programme.

Estratégias de aprendizagem digital em ambientes educacionais virtuais

Digital education has transformed the teaching-learning processes and mainly the teaching role. Indeed, its mission has evolved from being a builder, selector, and transmitter of knowledge to being a companion, mediator, and motivator in the construction of knowledge. In this sense, the research analyzes the digital learning strategies applied by the teacher in virtual educational environments. For this purpose, a quantitative and qualitative study was carried out on a group of 30 participating teachers who perfected their digital skills and socialized these in their educational field. The results show considerable appreciation of digital educational resources as a fundamental part of their digital strategies, as well as teaching skills and professional training. Finally, the research determined a high adaptation and integration of digital procedures to management and teaching work.

Behavioral intention, perception and user assessment in an immersive virtual reality environment with CFD simulations

This study explores technology acceptance, perception and user assessment of an immersive virtual reality environment with computational fluid dynamics simulations in engineering education. 57 participants from three different institutions tested the virtual reality application. Partial least squares structural equation modeling and interferential statistics were performed to predict and assess interrelations among constructs. Results show that the learning value, content value, intrinsic motivation and personal innovativeness are underlying factors behind students’ intention to use virtual reality. Pair-wise analysis indicates that users’ perceptions matter and positively affect their attitudes. In addition, the virtual reality application helps students perform significantly better in the post-knowledge test. Findings also highlight that prior experience and interest can affect students’ attitudes and behavioral intentions to accept the virtual reality application in education. Our study can guide lecturers and developers to achieve on-target immersive virtual reality learning environments in higher education.

Para Medicine Students’ Experiences of Virtual Education: A Qualitative Study

Background: The emergence of the Internet and its development led to the expansion of virtual education. The development of virtual education in recent years has had a tremendous impact on the improvement of education and the establishment of educational justice in different parts of the world. Despite its advantages, virtual education is also associated with some challenges. The present study aimed to investigate para medicine students’ experiences of virtual education. Methods: This qualitative study was conducted using conventional content analysis. The participants were 25 students in various fields of para medicine who were selected using purposive sampling. The study took place at universities in the north of Iran. The data were collected using semi-structured in-depth interviews and focus groups from January to April 2022. The collected data were analyzed using Graneheim and Lundman’s qualitative content analysis method. Results: The core category identified in this study was from helplessness to interaction which was divided into three main categories (challenges and desperation, deprivation of mutual interaction and learning, and resilience and adaptation) and fourteen subcategories. Conclusion: The main theme extracted from the interviews with the participants was from helplessness to interaction. When a person has numerous failures, cannot control environmental conditions, and feels the ineffectiveness of their activity and response, they will experience a sense of vulnerability. Thus, the person has to accept the conditions and interact with them. In other words, interaction is a skill that improves the ability to quickly learn new skills and behaviors in response to the conditions. Thus, identifying challenges and realizing the weaknesses, strengths, opportunities, and threats governing the existing virtual education environment can help to turn many threats into opportunities, promote virtual education, and support teachers and students to improve the quality and quantity of the teaching-learning process in the COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 era.

Learning Management System in the Post-Pandemic Era: Comparative Study

In the post-pandemic era, virtual educational environments are replacing the role of traditional classroom instruction. Due to the technological revolution and the COVID-19 pandemic, learning has evolved considerably in recent decades in educational parties at the higher education levels in Indonesia have offered various new options. LMS is referred to as a program that may optimize the ease of learning while promoting sustainable learning at home, particularly for lecturers who must provide teaching-learning during the challenging periods of the COVID-19 pandemic. Existing previous studies confirmed that acceptance of the LMS in higher education may vary from one country to another. This paper attempted to answer questions dealing with students’ engagement in learning and the usage of LMS in Indonesia compared to other countries. The study surveys online polling and measures their acceptance and preference of LMS in Indonesian higher education. The findings showed that as a sustainability program in higher education, LMS had favourable impacts during the COVID-19 outbreak and was recognized as user-friendly.

Factors motivating the adoption of virtual learning environments in higher education. Is gender relevant?

This study aims to examine the influence of gender on the adoption of a virtual learning environment (VLE) in higher education in Ghana during COVID-19 restrictions. A survey approach was used, with a total sample of 488 responses from the University of Professional Studies, Accra. To reveal gender differences, both male and female respondents were subjected to a multi-group analysis. The factors impacting students’ intention to use VLE were determined using the structural equation modeling approach employing SmartPLS 3.3.3 software. Accordingly, both gender groups show that subjective norm elements significantly influence intention to adopt VLE; however, the male group (β = 0.873, p = 0.000) reports more significant influences than the female group (β = 0.571, p = 0.000). The study establishes that the newly incorporated construct in the theory of planned behavior, attitudes towards social distancing, significantly affects males’ behavioral intention to use VLE more than their female peers. This result demonstrates the robustness of the theory of planned behavior for evaluating technology acceptance research.

Expectations, experiences and challenges of nursing students using the virtual learning medium during the COVID-19 pandemic: A descriptive phenomenological study.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused several higher educational institutions to switch from traditional face-to-face to virtual learning medium. This abrupt shift came with new expectations, experiences and challenges to nursing/ midwifery students, particularly new users, and even more so when preparation, orientation, and support were lacking or ineffective. The present study therefore aimed at exploring the expectations, experiences and challenges of nursing students using the virtual learning medium during the COVID-19 pandemic. This was a descriptive phenomenological design using 12 purposively sampled nursing and midwifery students from a public university in Ghana. With the aid of a semi-structured guide, individual face-to-face interviews were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim at a later time and deductively analyzed into themes using the customer experience execution model. Participants were aged 22-36 years and involved equal number of males and females (n = 6), with majority being Christians (n = 11). Six themes were generated from the study: (1) "Initial thoughts and emotions" described participants initial reactions to the virtual educational medium during the pandemic; (2) "Expectations with the virtual medium" referred to the participants' anticipations regarding the convenience offered by the virtual medium; (3) "Experiences with the virtual medium" depicted the participants' recognition of both positive and negative encounters while using the virtual learning platform; (4) "Evaluation and recommendation" described participants' reports of meeting expectations and recommendations they made to enhance virtual learning; (5) "Challenges and limitations of the virtual medium" typically represented the obstacles encountered by nursing/ midwifery students when they embraced the virtual medium; (6) "Prospects of the virtual medium" referred to participants' views on the future of the virtual medium. The study has brought to light that the virtual education environment comes with its own expectations, experiences and challenges to students. Provision of adequate support such as orientation and simulation laboratories by higher education institutions to satisfy students' needs is necessary to enhance nursing education.

Interactive Teaching in Virtual Environments: Integrating Hardware in the Loop in a Brewing Process

The teaching–learning process developed was based on the effective integration of the Hardware in the Loop (HIL) technique to control a brewing process. This required programming the autonomous control of the system and uploading it to a physical controller consisting of a PLC S7-1200, which communicates in real time with a virtual brewing environment, in addition to a SCADA system, providing engineering students with a unique practical experience. The system allows the emission of input signals from sensors and the reception of output signals in actuators, which is reflected accurately and in real time in the virtual environment. Students cannot only observe but also control and manipulate the system using specifically developed programs. This methodology enriched the understanding of industrial processes and fostered the acquisition of control skills. This research work reveals that the combination of the physical and the virtual through the HIL technique offers an effective approach for the training of engineers, improving their understanding of industrial control processes and their ability to intervene practically in real industrial situations.

Effects of team-building on group cohesion, group efficacy, and individual academic performance in virtual learning environment

This study is based on the hypothesis that group cohesion and efficacy have significant effects on the academic performance of individuals in online (virtual) education environments no less than in-person education environments. To that end, this study explores the effectiveness of group activities in a virtual classroom environment using VC (Virtual Conferencing). It is based on a hypothesis that strong group cohesion and efficacy of a learning group influence the individual academic performance. The findings are as follows. First, team-building activities conducted in an online environment can further improve the level of group efficacy. Second, group cohesion formed in the online educational environment has a positive effect on the individual academic performance. Third, group efficacy amplified through online team-building activities mediate the relationship between group cohesion and individual academic performance. The results of the study support the hypothesis that psychological group variables can also affect the individual academic performance even in online educational environments. These findings will be helpful for researchers who are interested in designing educational collaborative activities and system development for computer-supported cooperative learning (CSCL).

ADAPTATION OF TECHNOLOGIES FOR THE FORMATION OF MOTOR ACTIVITY IN THE CONDITIONS OF DISTANCE LEARNING

The article considers the issue of technology adaptation for the purpose of effective formation of motor activity in students in the conditions of distance learning. In the context of modern educational challenges related to the pandemic and the spread of distance learning, the authors explore methods and tools aimed at supporting the physical development of students in a remote environment. Examples of successful practices are considered, including the use of virtual workouts, interactive applications for physical activity and innovative approaches to creating electronic physical education lessons. The results of the study emphasize the importance of integrating technology into the learning process in order to maintain an optimal level of motor activity and take care of the physical health of students in distance learning. The authors emphasize the need to develop effective strategies to promote an active lifestyle in a virtual educational environment.

Students’ Perceptions on Online Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

Virtual environments allow teachers to approach the teaching process inclusively and creatively, to facilitate the effective transfer of learning and to support student learning with new technologies regardless of various barriers. The hereby study evaluates the students’ views concerning the virtual delivery of courses during their learning process taking into consideration their former face-to-face teaching-learning experience. It was based on the theoretical part which included typical aspects of online teaching and learning are presented and the most recent studies in this area are reviewed. Following previous research, we aim to develop an innovative model of successful online teaching and learning in higher education. A questionnaire-based research methodology was designed for 355 students at a university in the North-Eastern region of Romania. The questionnaire with closed-ended items was used for assessing students’ attitudes on the online teaching activity. The results indicate students’ preference for online courses, as well as a number of significant differences, depending on the study specialisation or form of education. Any future changes to online teaching and learning in universities should also take into account students’ and teachers’ views on this particular issue. Such an approach should allow us to see whether and how effective the use of virtual teaching environments can be for both students and teachers in higher education (HE).

THE STRUCTURE OF INFORMATION AND EDUCATION ENVIRONMENT OF A MEDICAL UNIVERSITY

The authors examine the process of transformation of the educational infrastructure of medical universities during the transition to a mixed form of studying while COVID – 19 quarantine. Analysis of scientific publications on the digital transformation of the higher education system has shown the effectiveness of a hybrid model for organizing a virtual learning environment, which combines the ground-based infrastructure of the university and can include private and public cloud services. Hybrid model allows providing appropriate technological conditions for quality organization of teachers' work in online mode of distance learning system. Cloud services allow organizing a virtual group educational environment - a virtual classroom and a personal environment for students. The authors analyzed the changes in the infrastructure of Zaporizhzhia State Medical University in the process of digital transformation of the educational process during the period of COVID-19 quarantine, which became the ground for the development of a structural model of the information and educational environment of the university. The work focuses on the fact that one of the features of the educational process in medical universities is the usage of special learning tools: software and hardware systems for examination of a patient's condition, technical means of telemedicine, classroom self-training sessions for Licensing Integrated Exams “KROK” 1,2,3 on the basis of licensed software, etc. The authors conducted a systematic analysis and identified the technological components of the unified information educational environment of medical HEIs, namely: corporate computer network; workplaces of participants in the development of online courses (designer, lecturer of videoconferencing, moderator of video lectures or webinars, designer of video processing; specialized modeling systems; simulation complexes; software and hardware complexes for processing biological signals; specialized classrooms: computer room of the library, lecture halls for remote video lectures with interactive communication, lecture halls for interactive lectures, media centers for webinars and telemedicine consultations; cloud services . The proposed structure of information and educational environment of a medical university was implemented in the educational process of Zaporizhzhia State Medical University which made possible the creation of a cloud-oriented educational environment. The usage of hybrid cloud model allowed to solve the issue of integration of virtual environments of departments, in particular, territorially remote ones, and the ground infrastructure of the university.

Implementation of virtual reality in foreign language teaching

The article highlights the main features of the virtual educational environment, the advantages and formats of using virtual reality in learning a foreign language. The purpose of the article is to study the role and possibilities of virtual reality as a necessary component in learning a foreign language. The methodological concept is aimed at shaping the role and capabilities of virtual reality as a necessary component in foreign language learning. The results of the study show the importance of the main modules of the multimedia virtual environment for learning cultures and languages in institutions of higher education; the technology of writing a pedagogical script for a computerized course is proposed for the design of distance courses for learning a foreign language, the construction of a high-quality virtual language environment, and the methods of using virtual reality tools are presented. The experimental work was devoted to the study of the role and possibilities of virtual reality as a necessary component in learning a foreign language; the degree of change in the memory of students of higher education, operational characteristics of thinking, perception in the process of using virtual reality educational programs. The change of attention, which is closely related to the functioning of cognitive processes, was also studied.

The use of digital technologies in the development of the spiritual culture of primary school teachers

Relevance. The relevance of this article is conditioned by the flexible development of the educational possibilities of the virtual environment at the present time. From an early age, every student has free access to any information on the Internet, considering this fact, a priority area in the training of teachers is formed, assigning the role of virtual communication in the development of personality since elementary school. The article actualises the content of the development of spiritual culture among modern primary school teachers at the personal and professional levels. The study considers the value bases of the professional activity of primary school teachers.Purpose. The purpose of this research is in the theoretical substantiation and development of methodological theses for the use of a virtual educational environment in the practice of primary school teachers. This article is devoted to the issue of preparing primary school teachers to use a virtual educational environment in their practice for the development of their spiritual culture by means of a virtual educational environment.Methodology. To achieve this purpose, the corresponding tasks were determined, including methods for solving them (namely analysis and modelling methods).Results. As a result of this study, the main problems of using the virtual educational environment were identified, the positions of the selection of material for the development of spiritual culture using the virtual educational environment in the practice of primary school teachers were characterised.Conclusions. Reasoned theoretical provisions and conclusions of the study "The use of the virtual educational environment in the development of the spiritual culture of primary school teachers" base the prerequisites for their practical introduction in the educational process of higher educational institutions in the Republic of Kazakhstan, which will allow solving the issue of selecting conditions, methods, and opportunities for teaching primary school teachers using a virtual educational environment to develop spiritual aspects.

Professional Competencies of a Financial and Economic Specialist in the Conditions Continuous Form of Education

The article was prepared on the basis of studying the professional competence of students required for a graduate of the financial and economic field. The purpose of the study is to form conclusions based on the results of studying the professional competence of students required for a graduate of the financial and economic direction in the conditions of a continuous form of education. Great interest in the development of professional competence of students in a continuous form of education allows us to conclude that this topic is in demand. An important condition for the effective functioning of the continuous education system is the preparation of students to work in a virtual educational environment. Therefore, the issues of professional competence of students of financial and economic direction in the conditions of a continuous form of education should be considered as a multilateral, multifunctional phenomenon in solving educational and cognitive tasks, the essence of which is the formation of professional competence of students. The main function of the educational conditions identified by the authors is the selection and implementation of teaching methods and means that provide an effective solution to educational problems for the development of professional competencies of future specialists. Consequently, we can conclude that during their studies at a university, students must develop a holistic system of universal knowledge, abilities, skills, as well as experience in independent cognitive activity, that is, professional competencies applicable in the conditions of a continuous form of education. Students’ mastery of methods of cognitive activity is due to the fact that during the period of study at a university the foundations of professionalism and competence are laid, and the skills of independent professional activity are formed. In this regard, it is especially important that students, mastering knowledge and methods of obtaining it, realize that independent work on writing scientific papers is intended to complete the tasks of all other types of academic work, because no knowledge that has not become the object of their own activity can be considered a true asset of professionalism and competence.

Reluctance of Students to Utilize Virtual Educational Environments in Public Schools: Real World Experiences

This study aimed to explore the perspectives of public-school students who were hesitant to use the Darsak Educational Platform (DEP) during the COVID-19 pandemic in order to understand their real-life experiences. To achieve the aim of the study, the researchers employed a qualitative approach in its phenomenological form. The study sample consisted of 12 male and female students from various public schools in Jordan. The participants were chosen using an intentional method. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect the data. The study’s findings revealed a variety of causes that contributed to students’ resistance to using DEP. These causes include the students’ lack of readiness to learn through DEP, the DEP’s failure to comply with international design standards, the inadequate physical and technical teaching environment, and the limited digital competencies of teachers needed in the virtual learning environment. Given the findings of this research, the researchers advise that additional consideration should be given to the design of DEP. They also advise providing students with appropriate guidance in the usage of educational platforms.

Virtual Educational Environments: An Investigation into Interactive Immersive Learning in Higher Education

Virtual Educational Environments: An Investigation into Interactive Immersive Learning in Higher Education

Interactive Design With Gesture and Voice Recognition in Virtual Teaching Environments

Interactive Design With Gesture and Voice Recognition in Virtual Teaching Environments