Efficacy Study
In 2023, Transfr designed and deployed pre- and post-training surveys to accompany a specific Health Sciences simulation (“Measuring and Recording Fluid Intake”). Study participants answered a variety of questions including what they expected to encounter in the simulation as well as demographic information. The study also included knowledge assessments before and after completing the sim to measure VR efficacy.
The key takeaway was that while there were statistically significant knowledge improvements after VR training, there were no significant differences in learning outcomes between men and women, higher income versus lower income, and older versus younger participants.
Participants took a pre-test before trying the simulation and a post-test after completion, in order to measure learning gains. A paired sample t test results showed that the improvement in knowledge assessment scores after completing the simulation was statistically significant: t(29) = 6.53, p ~ 0.00.
While there were some slight differences in learning gains between demographic groups, there was no statistical difference in learning gains among different gender, income, and age groups at the alpha (significance) level of 0.05. This implies that people showed improvement in learning regardless of their demographic backgrounds.
Some participants pointed out that the simulation was repetitive, featuring variations of food objects for measuring practice as they progressed through the simulation. However, they also mentioned that the repetition of hands-on practice was very helpful for solidifying their learning. This was all part of our intentional learning design.
Yun Jin Rho, Ph.D.
Director of Data Science
Transfr
VR produced significant learning gains regardless of demographics and survey respondents also reported high levels of engagement with the content, which could contribute to positive learning outcomes. On a five-point scale, the average engagement score was 4.2.
The target task for this efficacy study, a health science simulation called “Measuring and Recording Liquid Intake” takes 15 minutes to complete, on average. When filling out post-simulation surveys, one notable piece of feedback was that the simulation was long. However, this does not seem to have negatively impacted learning outcomes or overall engagement, pointing once again to VR’s unique efficacy and interactivity.
The findings from this study are consistent with others in showing remarkably high levels of self-reported engagement with a Transfr sim, as well as good learning outcomes. VR is often associated with games and leisure, but, by making learning ‘active,’ it can also turn serious job training into an enjoyable and impactful educational experience.
Keith Lyle, Phd
Director of Learning Sciences,
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