With the support from the Courseware Development Grant, an interactive virtual reality (VR) courseware that covered an important topic “Pediatric intravenous infusion” in a third-year nursing course was developed and tested. The objectives of this project were to (1) maximize students’ learning by allowing them to learn at their own pace with the use of the developed courseware; (2) support flipped classroom implementation in the course; and (3) engage students in an active learning environment.

This topic was chosen because it contained a mix of knowledge and concepts, and was more appropriate to learn by engagement in problem-solving scenarios and interactive activities. On the other hand, the “presence” offered in the VR courseware provided students with an opportunity to actively participate in a simulated hospital environment. These experiences were difficult to present and describe in the lectures.

To date, the project has been evaluated through student surveys and qualitative interviews. The surveys indicated that 90.6% of the students agreed that the courseware helped them to gain a better understanding of nursing knowledge and skills on the topic. Most of them (80.1%) agreed that the courseware helped them to learn at their own pace. Findings of the qualitative interviews showed that majority of students liked the developed courseware because the VR scenarios make learning more engaging and interesting. Most importantly, these courseware helped them enhance their skills in administrating pediatric intravenous infusion.

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