The Effect of Metaverse-Based Nursing Skills Laboratory on Teaching Pediatric Nursing Practice Skills

Depending on the education system, the increasing number of students, inadequate practice/skill laboratories, a small number of lecturers, and students with limited time in the clinic have a negative impact on obtaining appropriate clinical experience. In addition, from the perspective of Bloom's taxonomy, learning; reminding, understanding, applying, analysing, evaluating and creating. Due to the limitations in clinical applications, students often cannot progress to advanced stages from the application part of Bloom's taxonomy.

Today, clinical application areas are limited within the structure of the health care system. In addition, considering the developments in technology, it is necessary to include innovative approaches in education in line with the expectations of students coming to higher education. Therefore, simulation-based learning has been one of the effective methods in preparing nursing students for the clinic and profession with knowledge and skills.

Use of virtual reality simulation among nursing students and working nurses: Among the three learning outcomes (skill-based, cognitive, and affective) in a systematic review, virtual worlds are most effective in improving cognitive outcomes such as theoretical knowledge. This situation suggests that virtual worlds can be used as an alternative or complementary method in teaching theoretical knowledge in nursing education and that a learning environment should be designed in accordance with the innovations brought by technology for clinical applications in nursing education. In addition, the prevalence and demand of online/distance education systems in the education system and the necessity of using them in extraordinary situations increase the necessity of a technological learning environment. Virtual reality, augmented reality, artificial intelligence and metaverse-based simulation environment are among the most suitable methods that can be chosen to develop learning, decision making, critical thinking and clinical skills.

Metaverse is Augmented Reality or Cross Reality (XR) based on technologies that enable multi-sensory interactions with virtual environments, digital objects, and people. XR includes Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (MR) (Milgram et all., 1994). The representative accuracy of the XR system is ensured by stereoscopic displays capable of transmitting depth perception. XR systems allow active interaction with virtual items through the use of motion controllers. These are handheld input devices with a handle, buttons, triggers, and thumbsticks. Using controllers, users can touch, hold, manipulate and operate virtual objects. This ability enables them to be active in any educational experience (such as nursing care).

The importance of this study is to provide an evidence-based virtual education environment to the literature and to ensure that it is ready for extraordinary situations in the field of education (such as distance education during the pandemic period). This should be done by designing and developing a virtual learning environment. While aiming to make this environment in the study, was based on evidence. The use of Gordon's Functional Health Patterns in the design of the virtual learning environment is important in terms of meeting the patient and starting the nursing process when the student first enters the clinical environment The virtual learning environment experience will prepare the student for the clinic in the most realistic way and will reduce the risk of errors in clinical care and treatment. In the light of this information, presenting the learning environment of the future to the students will prepare the student both in the clinical practice area and in the professional environment as self-confident and highly equipped.