A virtual heart

The new technology can by a great tool for student and one of the most prominent of them is the immersive Virtual Reality (IVR). But the scientific data about its efficiency in the educational process is controversial. In a new study three randomized groups of students, who did not have biological and medical classes among their courses, studied human heart anatomy using three different learning methods - a paper (text and images); a 3D interactive human heart model presented on a computer display; an IVR human heart model.

Prior and after learning session students performed the test of human heart anatomy with 28 open questions. The IVR group showed the increase of correct answers within the group and compared with other groups. Also, the subjects with lesser baseline knowledge in IVR group showed the greater increase of correct answers following IVR session. The structure and the way how the learning material should be presented in IVR and how it affects the learning outcomes are discussed.

Person's feelings and actions in various virtual environments depend on a number of technological and psychological features, the most important of which are immersion and sense of presence. Immersion is the property of a VR system that replaces or augments the stimuli to the participant's senses. The degree of immersion is determined by the technological characteristics of VR medium, such as HMD resolution, frame rate, field of view, stereoscopy, stereo sound, tracking accuracy and speed etc. For instance, more photorealistic graphics in a virtual environment have a positive effect on immersion. 

Due to described above effects, VR as a teaching method is mostly used in skill training. Manipulating with objects in VR significantly increases the efficiency of skill learning, especially the medical students' performance with surgical tools and execution of technical skills.

The education process is conducted in more efficient and interesting way - the novelty of the VR technology and the realism of recreated VR worlds induce positive emotions and user's interest during the learning session, which may be observed in successful learning task completion using VR. This is especially expressed when using game scenarios. Teenagers are always eager to try and to master something new.

On the contrary to control groups, the use of IVR leads to a significant increase in the number of correct answers in comparison with the baseline. Therefore, 3D models of the heart and vascular system, presented in the IVR environment, have a positive effect on creating of a holistic mental image of this physiological system. These results correspond to meta-analysis data, that points on the positive impact of using IVR in higher education.