Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Serious Games
Date Submitted: Mar 22, 2024
Date Accepted: Jul 6, 2024
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
Comparing Learning Outcomes of Machine Guided VR-based Training with Educator Guided Training in Metaverse Environment: A Randomized Controlled Study
ABSTRACT
Background:
Due to the immersive effect and enhanced student engagement, Virtual Reality (VR) and/or mixed reality modules are currently favored for healthcare trainings, such as adult Advanced Life Support (ACLS) training. The metaverse offers shared social connections thus differing it from existing VR-based serious gaming modules, which primarily focus on presenting virtual content and environments without fostering communal interaction. The educators' presence in metaverse fosters communication and collaboration during training sessions.
Objective:
The objective of this study is to compare the learning outcomes of VR-based machine guided training with educator guided VR-based training in metaverse environment.
Methods:
The participants consisting of volunteered students from Acibadem Mehmet Ali Aydinlar University Vocational School for Anesthesiology (N=62) were randomly divided into two groups with 31 (VR-based Training with Machine Guidance) and 31(VR-based Training with educator guidance in Metaverse) participants each. The group trained with VR-based Training with machine guidance is referred as MG group and the group trained with VR-based Training with educator guidance in metaverse is referred as EG group. The members of both groups undertook a VR-based basic training for ACLS. Afterwards MG group were trained with VR-based advanced training module, which provides training with full machine guidance, whereas EG group attended at VR-based educator guided training in metaverse. The primary outcome of the study was determined by the total score obtained through the exam mode of the VR-based training module. Descriptive statistics determined continuous variables (mean, standard deviation, minimum, median, maximum) and categorical variables (frequency, percentage). Spearman’s rho correlation coefficient assessed correlations between non-normally distributed continuous variables. The Mann-Whitney U test compared independent variables with non-normal distributions. Statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. Analyses were performed using MedCalc Statistical Software version 12.7.7.
Results:
When comparing the VR test scores, no significant difference was found between MG and EG group. While the VR test scores for EG group were 68±35, with a median of 86, minimum of 11, and maximum of 100, MG group's scores were 53±33, with a median of 66, minimum of 13, and maximum of 100 (P=0.084). Regarding the correlation between duration of machine guided or educator guided training and VR-based exam scores, for MG group, r=0.569 and p=0.005 were obtained. For EG group, this correlation was found to be r=0.298 and p=0.103. While this correlation is statistically significant for MG group, it is not significant for EG group.
Conclusions:
The study results revealed no statistically significant difference between the scores of the MG and EG groups. Based on these findings, a properly designed VR-based serious gaming module with machine guidance could potentially offer similar learning outcomes to VR-based training in the metaverse with educator guidance for adult ACLS training. Future research could reveal whether the effect of social interaction with educators in metaverse environment may provide additional benefits for learners. Clinical Trial: ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT06288087
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