VR Neuro Game: a Virtual Reality Game to Support Neuroanatomy Teaching and Learning

Vinícius Souza; Anderson Maciel; Luciana Nedel; Regis Kopper; Klaus Loges; Eliane Schlemmer

doi:10.5753/jis.2021.2090

Authors

Vinícius Souza Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0100-767X
Anderson Maciel Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0780-6555
Luciana Nedel Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul
Regis Kopper University of North Carolina at Greensboro https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2081-7061
Klaus Loges Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos
Eliane Schlemmer Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8264-3234

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5753/jis.2021.2090

Keywords:

Virtual Reality, Presence, User Evaluation

Abstract

Using virtual environments (VEs) is a safer and cost-effective alternative to training people in different contexts. Immersive Virtual Reality (VR), combined with game aspects, have the potential to improve the user experience in the VE by increasing realism, engagement, and motivation. In education, there is a consensus about its contribution in the teaching and learning processes. However, in Brazil, only a few research groups have developed projects that involve the development of VR for education, due to technical difficulties and high costs. This manuscript presents the development and evaluation of an VR serious game to support the learning of neuroanatomy, an extended version of our previously published paper at the SVR 2020. In this version, we present the results of four different user studies, involving 57 participants, which suggest that the VR Neuro Game is easy to use, even by inexperienced subjects in VR, and is potentially useful for teaching and learning processes, both by individual students and groups of students and also in remote learning. In addition, the game was considered fun and did not cause discomfort. When comparing the knowledge test performance before and immediately after the experiments, we found significant difference only for the virtual condition. The same could be observed for retention results.

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