ERIC Number: EJ1477540
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: EISSN-2458-8350
Available Date: 0000-00-00
Problem-Based Learning in the Metaverse Environment: Evaluation of Virtual Reality Applications in Medical Education
Journal of Learning and Teaching in Digital Age, v10 n2 p109-122 2025
The metaverse is defined as an inevitable evolution of the internet and holds great potential as a new medium for social interaction. Its integration into educational environments has been increasingly recommended. This study aimed to explore a technology-supported solution for the challenges experienced in the problem-based learning (PBL) process used in medical faculties, taking into account the characteristics of the current digitally native generation. Twelve medical students who had previously received face-to-face PBL training participated in the study. They were asked to evaluate both virtual and face-to-face PBL sessions in terms of the educational facilitator, physical infrastructure, educational process, and scenario. Descriptive statistics, the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and the Mann--Whitney U test were used to compare the groups. All participants reported higher satisfaction with virtual PBL across all sub-dimensions. The overall score comparison revealed a statistically significant difference in favor of virtual PBL (p < 0.05). A significant difference was also found among female participants (p < 0.05), whereas no significant difference was observed among male participants (p > 0.05). Gender-based comparisons showed no statistically significant difference in satisfaction (p > 0.05). In conclusion, virtual PBL sessions can effectively enhance medical students' clinical reasoning, problem-solving, and communication skills while providing a flexible and engaging learning environment with high levels of satisfaction. [Note: The page range (109-121) shown on the PDF is incorrect. The correct page range is 109-122.]
Descriptors: Problem Based Learning, Medical Education, Computer Simulation, Computer Uses in Education, Medical Students, Blended Learning, Gender Differences, Student Satisfaction, Clinical Experience, Problem Solving, Communication Skills, Learning Objectives
Journal of Learning and Teaching in Digital Age. Gazi University, Gazi Faculty of Education, Department of Computer and Instructional Technologies Teaching, Bosna Building Room 430, Yenimahalle, Ankara, Turkey 06500. e-mail: joltida.info@gmail.com; Web site: https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/joltida
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A