VR Platform in Healthcare

Duration: January 2026 – December 2026
Status: Ongoing
Educational Level: Tertiary Level
Topic: Digital Skills & Literacy, Digital Tools
Keywords: Virtual Reality, Platform, Healthcare Education and Training, Tertiary Level

Initial Situation

Virtual reality (VR) is an innovative and beneficial technology in healthcare education and training. Nevertheless, this technology is rarely used in Swiss healthcare education and training, and best practice examples of pedagogical and technical implementations are hardly visible. Furthermore, there is no overview of which VR-based training tools are available, which education institutions are using them, and which potential collaboration partners exist. This project attempts to close this gap by providing an information and networking platform focusing on VR in healthcare education and training. The platform contains best practice examples of pedagogical VR implementation, a collection of links to VR-based training tools, a basic toolbox and practical tips for developing new VR tools and the opportunity to network and collaborate to the platform’s target groups.

The following research questions will be answered:

How are VR-based training tools currently being used by Swiss healthcare education institutions, and what obstacles and organizational challenges do they perceive in implementing VR?
What are best practice examples of pedagogical VR implementation, and how can these be classified in terms of their complexity level and regarding the learning activities of students?
What are best practice examples of technical VR implementation?
Which VR-based training tools are currently available (beyond the tools used in the educational institutions surveyed)?

Objectives

This project aims to investigate the current use of VR-based training tools and related obstacles and organizational challenges in Swiss healthcare education institutions and to empower education institutions, teachers, and developers to implement own VR solutions in healthcare education and training. To this end, a platform will be developed that promotes networking and collaboration between the target groups and provides concrete tools that facilitate the implementation of VR in healthcare education and training.

Method

We will use a mixed method approach consisting of a) an online survey of healthcare education institutions about their current use of VR-based training tools as well as obstacles and organizational challenges they perceive in the implementation of VR b) qualitative interviews with representatives of these institutions and VR specialists on best practice examples of pedagogical VR implementation as well as VR development and use for educational purposes Internet research will be used to collect links to existing VR-based training tools.

Planned Translation

Overall, the project itself can be considered a translation into educational practice as we will develop a platform that promotes networking and collaboration between education institutions, teachers and developers and provides concrete tools that facilitate the implementation of VR in healthcare education and training. By contacting the healthcare educational institutions for the quantitative online survey, it is ensured that the target group is informed about the project. Once the platform is up and running, the target group will be actively informed again. Ideally, the platform will be directly connected to BeLEARN Connect to ensure rapid and sustainable translation into educational practice. The developed platform promotes networking and collaboration between education institutions, teachers and developers and provides concrete tools that facilitate the implementation of VR in healthcare education and training. The project is also of scientific relevance as it investigates obstacles and organizational challenges in the implementation of VR and analyzes best practices.