Enhancing Clinical and Cultural Virtual Encounter in Health Professional Students: 3 Is (Internationalization, Innovation, Interdisciplinary) in Action

This study aims to promote and implement internationalization, innovative and intedisciplinary teaching and learning strategies through the set up of online modules of selected topics of interest. The specific objectives are: :

To enhance the educational outcomes of students from respective health disciplines in interdisciplinary learning via case-based clinical scenarios adopted in the online modules; To develop internationalization experience among students of different countries in terms of intercultural learning through the cultural exchange; To assess level of students' empowerment in active learning via 'student-as-partner' initiatives in the cultural exchange; To evaluate the effectiveness of online learning engagement among students through participating in the online modules.

Based on the Phase of Engagement Framework, two online orthopaedic modules focusing on interprofessional and intercultural educations on low back pain (LBP) and adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) are developed. The students (n=104) are randomized into two groups using SNOSE. In the first module, one group receives a virtual reality (VR)-enhanced LBP education (intervention group), while the other group engages with a case study on LBP (control group). After a 3-week washout period, the groups cross over: the intervention group receives the VR-enhanced education on AIS, and the control group focuses on an AIS case study. Interprofessional learning experience, cultural awareness, and online learning engagement are measured using validated tools at three time points (baseline, after first and second modules).