An Interuniversity Competition for Medical Students to Learn Radiology in the Second Life Metaverse.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate an interuniversity competition online to learn radiology held in a 3-D virtual world, the Second Life metaverse, by analyzing the results of the game and students' perceptions. METHODS: Medical students voluntarily participated in teams of four, for 6 weeks, successively covering radiologic anatomy and radiologic semiology of the chest, abdomen, and musculoskeletal. Each week, participants had 4.5 days to study self-learning presentations and 2.5 days to complete an individual multiple-choice test and a team task, the results of which determined the game's ranking. Participants were asked to complete a cognitive-load test, a perception questionnaire, and a postexposure knowledge test. RESULTS: The competition was repeated for 2 years (editions), in 2020 and 2021. Seventy-five of 102 teams (73.5%) registered completed the game; 76% of them included third-year students. The average percentage of correct answers in the individual tests and team tasks was 74.2 ± 15.1 and 71.6 ± 14.7 respectively, without significant differences between both competitions. In general, the experience was valued positively (scores >8 on a 10-point scale). A lower perception score was found in 2021 among students from universities other than the organizing university, showing a positive correlation with the in-game score. CONCLUSIONS: An interuniversity competition in the Second Life metaverse for undergraduate learning radiology is feasible and reproducible. Participating medical students considered it interesting and useful and also identified this activity during the 2 years of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic as a playful learning and social interaction experience.

Improving Oral Presentation Skills for Radiology Residents through Clinical Session Meetings in the Virtual World Second Life.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to conduct a clinical session meeting in the virtual world of Second Life to improve the oral presentation skills of radiology residents and to assess the perception of the attendees. METHODS: A clinical session meeting (10 two-hour sessions over four weeks), where participants presented their own clinical sessions, followed by a turn of interventions by the attendees, was designed and carried out. Attendees were asked to complete an evaluation questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were performed. RESULTS: Twenty-eight radiology residents attended the meeting, and 23 (81.2%) completed the evaluation questionnaire; 95.7-100% of them agreed that the virtual environment was attractive and suitable for holding the meeting and that the content was appropriate for their training as residents. They rated with ≥8.9 points (from 1 to 10) different aspects of the experience, highlighting the role of teachers (9.7 ± 0.6) and the usefulness of their training (9.4 ± 0.9). CONCLUSIONS: Second Life can be used effectively to train oral communication skills in public, in an environment perceived as attractive and suitable for learning, through an experience described by the attendees as interesting and useful, highlighting the advantages of social contact with their peers.

Impact of compulsory participation of medical students in a multiuser online game to learn radiological anatomy and radiological signs within the virtual world Second Life.

Competitive game-based learning within Second Life enables effective teaching of basic radiological anatomy and radiological signs to medical students, with good acceptance and results when students participate voluntarily, but unknown in a compulsory context. The objectives of this study were to reproduce a competitive online game based on self-guided presentations and multiple-choice tests in a mandatory format, to evaluate its development and student perceptions compared to a voluntary edition in 2015 (N = 90). In 2016 and 2017, respectively, 191 and 182 third-year medical students participated in the game as a mandatory course activity. The mean (±SD) score of the game was 74.7% (±19.5%) in 2015, 71.2% (±21.5%) in 2016, and 67.5% (±21.5%) in 2017 (P < 0.01). Participants valued positively the organization and educational contents but found the virtual world less attractive and the game less interesting than in the voluntary edition. The experience globally was rated with 8.2 (±1.5), 7.8 (±1.5), and 7.1 (±1.7) mean points (±SD) in a ten-point scale, in the 2015, 2016, and 2017 editions, respectively (P < 0.05). Competitive learning games within virtual worlds like Second Life have great learning potential in radiology, but the mean score in the game decreased, acceptance of virtual world technology was lower, and opinion about the game was worse with a compulsory participation, and even worse when dropouts were not allowed. Under the conditions in which this study was conducted, learning games in three-dimensional virtual environments should be voluntary to maintain adequate motivation and engagement of medical students.

A team-based competition for undergraduate medical students to learn radiology within the virtual world Second Life.

BACKGROUND: A multi-user competitive game within the virtual world Second Life for undergraduate radiology learning was adapted for team participation. This study aimed to assess student perception, impact on learning, and eventual correlation of game results with post-exposure tests and course grades. METHODS: The game consisted of six weekly stages, dedicated to thoracic, abdominal, and musculoskeletal radiological anatomy and semiology. Participants had several days a week to review self-guided radiology educational content and then complete individual multiple-choice tests and solve team tasks to progress through the game's ranking. Additionally, they completed a cognitive load test, a questionnaire about the experience and a post-exposure knowledge test. RESULTS: Fifty-two students organised into 13 teams participated in the game and assessed different aspects of the experience with a mean score ≥ 7.8 on a 10-point scale, highlighting the participation of the teacher (9.3 ± 1.1), the educational contents (8.8 ± 1.4) and the usefulness for their education (8.7 ± 1.4). Participants obtained better post-exposure test results (p < 0.007) and better course grades (p < 0.021) than non-participants did. CONCLUSION: A multi-user game adapted to team competition to learn radiology in Second Life was very positively perceived by third-year medical students, who highly valued its content, organisation, and usefulness for their training. Most of the participants agreed that they had collaborated as a team and that playing in competitive environments helps them learn better. The best post-exposure and academic results compared to non-participating students indicate the potential impact of the game on learning.

Game-Based Learning in Virtual Worlds: A Multiuser Online Game for Medical Undergraduate Radiology Education within Second Life.

Game-based learning can have a positive impact on medical education, and virtual worlds have great potential for supporting immersive online games. It is necessary to reinforce current medical students' knowledge about radiological anatomy and radiological signs. To meet this need, the objectives of this study were: to design a competition-based game in the virtual world, Second Life and to analyze the students' perceptions of Second Life and the game, as well as to analyze the medium-term retention of knowledge and the potential impact on the final grades. Ninety out of 197 (45.6%) third-year medical students voluntarily participated in an online game based on self-guided presentations and multiple-choice tests over six 6-day stages. Participants and non-participants were invited to perform an evaluation questionnaire about the experience and a post-exposure knowledge test. Participants rated the experience with mean scores equal to or higher than 8.1 on a 10-point scale, highlighting the professor (9.5 ± 1.1; mean ± SD) and the virtual environment (8.9 ± 1.1). Participants had better results in the post-exposure test than non-participants (59.0 ± 13.5 versus 45.3 ± 11.5; P < 0.001) and a lower percentage of answers left blank (6.7 ± 8.4 versus 13.1 ± 12.9; P = 0.014). Competitive game-based learning within Second Life is an effective and well-accepted means of teaching core radiological anatomy and radiological signs content to medical students. The higher medium-term outcomes obtained by participants may indicate effective learning with the game. Additionally, valuable positive perceptions about the game, the educational contents, and the potential benefit for their education were discovered among non-participants.

Medical Student Education for Abdominal Radiographs in a 3D Virtual Classroom Versus Traditional Classroom: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this article is to compare the effectiveness of practical radiology learning by medical students in a 3D virtual world versus the real world. SUBJECTS AND METHODS. Two hundred fifteen 3rd-year medical students were randomized into two groups to attend the same workshop on abdominal radiography interpretation in a virtual world classroom (VW group) and in real life (RL group). Pre- and post-training knowledge tests consisting of 12 multiple choice questions were performed at the beginning of the workshop and 2 months later. RESULTS. Fifty-four of 107 and five of 108 students refused to attend their respective group, resulting in the participation of 53 students (VW group) and 103 students (RL group) in this study. No significant differences were found between groups in the tests taken before (VW group, mean [± SD], 4.5 ± 1.8 points; RL group, 4.0 ± 1.3 points) and after (VW group, 6.2 ± 1.2; RL group, 6.0 ± 1.7 points) training. CONCLUSION. Radiology education in a 3D virtual classroom fosters participatory learning and results in similar acquisition of interpretive skills as a traditional face-to-face classroom. Virtual worlds allow the performance of online activities to learn interpretive skills with guaranteed success in learning similar to that of conventional activities. Additionally, the relative lack of identity in the virtual workshops makes students less afraid to speak and more participatory.

Medical Students' and Family Physicians' Attitudes and Perceptions Toward Radiology Learning in the Second Life Virtual World.

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to evaluate 3rd-year medical students' attitudes and perceptions toward a radiographic interpretation course inside the virtual world Second Life during their formal training in radiology and to compare their attitudes and perceptions with those of family physicians exposed to the same course. SUBJECTS AND METHODS. Forty-eight 3rd-year medical students voluntarily participated in a 3-week course held in Second Life during a 4-month course on general radiology. The course consisted of six 2-hour synchronous sessions and four asynchronous tasks. Fourteen family physicians voluntarily participated in a specific version of the same course. Participants completed an evaluation questionnaire about the project. RESULTS. All participants rated the experience positively and found the environment attractive and the initiative, the course, and the intervention of the professor interesting, adequate, and appropriate for their medical training (mean values ≥ 4.2/5). Participants reported little previous knowledge about Second Life but were willing to participate in future similar experiences. Family physicians self-rated their own participation as less active and rated lower interaction with their peers than did the medical students (p = 0.018 and p < 0.001). CONCLUSION. The combination of synchronous sessions and asynchronous tasks to learn radiographic interpretation in Second Life was well received by undergraduate and postgraduate attendees, who had positive opinions and attitudes; the virtual sessions and tasks minimized the costs of travel for learners and teachers, making their use financially effective. Participants perceived Second Life as an interesting and useful online tool for complementary undergraduate radiology learning and postgraduate continuing medical education.

Exploring the Potential of Undergraduate Radiology Education in the Virtual World Second Life with First-cycle and Second-cycle Medical Students.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: Virtual worlds have a remarkable potential for effective teaching and learning, providing immersive, realistic, and engaging online events. Previous studies have explored online education of health professionals in Second Life (SL), the most widely used virtual world, but none of the previous learning experiences were related to radiology. The purpose of this study was to explore the potential use of SL for undergraduate radiology education and the involvement of students in SL learning activities. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We delivered a 4-week voluntary undergraduate radiology education program in SL, based on synchronous sessions and asynchronous tasks, with two modalities: introduction to basic radiology for first-cycle (first- to third-year) students and case-based clinical radiology for second-cycle (fourth- to sixth-year) students. Participants completed an evaluation questionnaire about the experiences after the learning program. RESULTS: Forty-six students (20 first-cycle and 26 second-cycle) participated in this study. They found the contents of the course appropriate (mean ≥ 4.53/5), the initiative interesting, and the environment attractive (mean ≥ 4.32/5), and they were willing to participate in future SL experiences (mean ≥ 4.63/5). All students highly rated the organization, the content, the benefit to their medical education, and the professor (mean ≥ 9.05/10). CONCLUSION: Online radiology education using SL is feasible and well received by medical students of all year groups. The students participated and engaged in this activity very positively and rated the experience highly. The potential of using SL for radiology education includes promising expectations regarding collaborative learning and gamification.