{"id":103580,"date":"2019-10-21T13:30:00","date_gmt":"2019-10-21T17:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/?p=103580"},"modified":"2025-06-17T14:41:25","modified_gmt":"2025-06-17T18:41:25","slug":"virtual-reality-improves-social-work-education","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/virtual-reality-improves-social-work-education\/","title":{"rendered":"Virtual Reality Improves Social Work Education"},"content":{"rendered":"

Social work students at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ in the future may find a new tool incorporated into the curriculum \u2013 virtual reality simulation<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Jasmine Haynes, a graduate student in the social work track who is pursuing a doctorate in public affairs, and social work faculty members\u00a0Denise Gammonley,\u00a0Shawn Lawrence<\/a> and\u00a0Reshawna Chapple<\/a>\u00a0conducted research this summer on the benefits of virtual reality in the classroom.<\/p>\n

Their goals were to see if virtual reality could improve students\u2019 feeling of preparedness in working with Alzheimer\u2019s patients, as well as foster empathy for the patients and family members affected by the disease.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s different than having students engage in role-playing or watch videos because one of the challenges with role-playing is that it is only as good as the actor,\u201d Gammonley says. \u201cWe needed a better way of exposing students to these situations before we send them out into the field. With virtual reality, students get this experience in a way that feels more real to them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melody Bowdon, interim vice provost of the division of teaching and learning and interim dean of the College of Undergraduate Studies, said the research has helped to convince her of the benefits of virtual reality in the classroom.<\/p>\n

“There are some things that can\u2019t be explained or described but that can be experienced through virtual reality.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cI could see the value of VR for recreational and entertainment purposes before I became aware of the Embodied Labs virtual reality tool, but I didn\u2019t see how it fit into the teaching world,\u201d Bowdon says. \u201cNow, I\u2019m an advocate for it. There are some things that can\u2019t be explained or described but that can be experienced through virtual reality.\u201d<\/p>\n

Researchers in the\u00a0School of Social Work<\/a>\u00a0are continuing to explore the use of virtual reality simulation training to enhance students\u2019 preparedness in helping patients with other conditions. This kind of exposure helps standardize the learning experience because students are not exposed to individuals with every condition in their clinical training.<\/p>\n

\u201cClinical training is so important to preparing students for their future as social workers,\u201d Gammonley says. \u201cBut we have very little control over what they will be exposed to during that training. Virtual reality allows us to best prepare our students by exposing them to an array of conditions they are likely to see in their careers.\u201d<\/p>\n

The subject of Alzheimer\u2019s is personal for Haynes; her grandfather, who suffered from Alzheimer\u2019s and Parkinson\u2019s disease, passed away in 2008.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy grandfather was a pretty quiet individual,\u201d she says, \u201cbut as his Alzheimer\u2019s symptoms became more severe, he became more withdrawn and detached.\u201d<\/p>\n

That detachment is often an obstacle in treating someone with Alzheimer\u2019s. It\u2019s an uncomfortable territory for the patient, the family and the social worker.<\/p>\n

After experiencing life vignettes through the perspective of a virtual Alzheimer\u2019s patient, students feel more comfortable and prepared to work with these patients.<\/p>\n

\u201cLearning by experience can help students to connect with the concepts and tools we are teaching them,\u201d Bowdon says. \u201cWhen we can\u2019t provide the exact experience we are looking to expose our students to in real life, virtual reality can bridge the gap and ignite another dimension of learning.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Research shows that VR can improve students\u2019 feeling of preparedness in working with Alzheimer\u2019s patients and foster empathy for patients and family members.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"lazy_load_responsive_images_disabled":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":"","_wp_rev_ctl_limit":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[6601,10577,10509,4292,4329],"tu_author":[],"class_list":["post-103580","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-colleges","tag-denise-gammonley","tag-melody-bowdon","tag-school-of-social-work","tag-simulation","tag-social-work"],"yoast_head":"\nVirtual Reality Improves Social Work Education | Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Research shows that VR can improve students\u2019 feeling of preparedness in working with Alzheimer\u2019s 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