Achievements in Teaching and Learning

Our project will bring proven and effective technology-driven learning to medical students in the form of virtual reality (VR). Medical students develop a lack of confidence due to the steep learning curve of the direct ophthalmoscope compared to other clinical skills at their level of training. This may reduce the interest in learning a skill, ultimately resulting in young physicians with a low proficiency after medical school. Traditional direct ophthalmoscopy training is difficult without proper contextual feedback where the trainer is unable to visualize what the student is seeing, resulting in the an ineffective transfer of skill. Studies also show that VR training effectively reduces complications in ophthalmic surgeries with new trainees.

The new VR system arrives at an opportune time with the onset of the global pandemic, COVID 19. With VR systems, we can avoid risks from patient contact, discomfort from a prolonged examination, unlimited access to practicing a new skill, access a much larger variation of diseases from virtual images and build student interest with technology. Lastly, the feedback from trainers will be unprecedented now that they can actually visualize and “see” what the students see. This will allow a much more comprehensive teaching experience and eventually translating to a more objective examination process as well.