Abstract

With support from the Micro-module Courseware Development Grant, four micro-modules that covered two major topics in a first-year nursing course were developed. The two topics were “Meeting safety needs” and “Ensuring a safe and comfortable environment for care”. Contents of the micro-modules were presented as animations or scenarios in the virtual reality application.

The micro-modules aimed at facilitating students to gain preliminary concepts in the topics before class and support flipped classroom implementation. Besides, the VR application provided students with the opportunity to be an active participant in the simulated home and hospital environment. These experiences were difficult to be presented and described in the lectures. With the developed micro-modules, the course teachers could make use of the class time to revisit the important concepts described in the micro-modules. At the same time, students were expected to participate in various in-class activities to consolidate what they learned in the micro-modules.

To date, the project has been evaluated by student surveys and qualitative interviews. The surveys indicated that 88.6% of the students agreed that the micro-modules helped them to gain a better understanding of nursing knowledge and skills on the designated topics. Majority of students agreed that more micro-modules should be produced in the future. The qualitative interviews indicated that many students liked the developed micro-modules because these micro-modules made learning more engaging and interesting. The evaluation revealed the project has achieved its objectives effectively and completely.