Dive Brief:
- A growing number of medical schools are using virtual reality to train students on vital surgical procedures, a new wave of teaching and learning that could reshape the way medical schools operate and the expenses it creates for students.
- Ed Tech: Focus on Higher Ed profiles the University of Illinois at Chicago, which uses Oculus VR technology to teach students in its geriatrics course to help students build empathy for elderly patients and needs.
- Some observers believe that virtual reality will be a necessity in all medical courses, but for most institutions, the question of how to afford and to maintain the technology will be a pressing issue.
Dive Insight:
Most elite and high research institutions can afford virtual reality and artificial intelligence as a supplement to STEM learning and development, but for low-resource institutions, the issue of affordability is a major obstacle to competing for high-achieving students and postgraduate outcomes for these top graduates.
Leaders at smaller institutions should consider partnerships and agreements with elite colleges to help expose their top students to innovations in science and new tools of building proficiency. While some traditionalists may question if digital learning is as effective as traditional teaching methods in health sciences, there is no question that the technology can afford students a broader view of treatment and procedures, and it should be available to as many institutions as possible, through as many avenues as possible.