Virtual Game Simulation and Virtual Reality-Based Learning

One of the teaching methods that incorporates technology in nursing education is virtual game simulation, a two-dimensional (2D) virtual computer game featuring simulated people that allows students to actively participate in a clinical scenario. Virtual game simulations are a pedagogical method that allows students to practice critical thinking and decision-making skills by using simulated patients in scenarios involving different clinical environments. Studies using virtual game simulations have been conducted with nursing students in the fields of obstetrics, pediatrics, geriatrics, mental health, surgery, respiratory diseases, emergency health, and the nursing process. These studies indicate that virtual game simulations increase students' knowledge, feedback, interaction, participation, self-confidence, self-efficacy, satisfaction, critical thinking, decision-making skills, learning, and psychomotor skills. This study is expected to make significant contributions to the literature by evaluating the effectiveness of providing thoracic and lung examination training to nursing students through virtual game simulation.

Virtual reality is another method that incorporates technology in nursing education. Virtual reality is the user's active interaction with a computer-generated world through realistic scenarios. Virtual reality technology offers students an active learning environment independent of time and space. Virtual reality technology offers students a safe, motivating learning experience, and providing physical assessment training on a virtual patient is seen as an efficient alternative that will make future healthcare professionals more competent and equipped. A limited number of studies teaching physical assessment skills using virtual reality-based learning tools have found that the emphasis is on teaching inspection and auscultation skills. This study is expected to contribute significantly to the literature by evaluating the effectiveness of virtual reality-based thoracic and lung examination training for nursing students. This study is the first to use two different and innovative learning technologies in teaching thoracic and pulmonary examinations to nursing students, a field that has received limited research. No studies have been found in the literature examining the effectiveness of virtual game simulation and virtual reality technology on nursing students' learning. Therefore, the study is unique in its field. Therefore, the results of this study are expected to provide important information regarding teaching thoracic and pulmonary physical examinations to nursing students and to improve student satisfaction with both learning methods.

Inclusion criteria

• The student must be taking the HEM 205 "Health Assessment" course for the first time.
• Students must not have any eye conditions that affect depth perception, such as amblyopia (lazy eye), anisometropia (differences in refraction between the two eyes), or strabismus (crossed eyes).
• Students must have no problems speaking and understanding Turkish.
• They must be willing to participate in the research.

Exclusion criteria

• Having a high school, associate's degree, or bachelor's degree in a health-related field;
• Taking the HEM 205 "Health Assessment" course as a secondary course;
• Not attending the thoracic and lung physical examination theoretical course;
• Not participating in laboratory exercises;
• Not participating in one of the research steps (pre-test, virtual game simulation, virtual reality-based learning tool, post-test);
• Completing and/or incomplete data collection forms;
• Wanting to withdraw from the research.