To explore the integration of XR technologies in physical therapy education at the Universidad del Desarrollo (UDD) through interdisciplinary collaborative work between Physical Therapy school and Realitec (a specialized area of the Teaching Innovation Center), focusing on the application of VR in musculoskeletal rehabilitation and educational interventions. This initiative allows the development of specific tools that could enhance the learning process for students, improve their practical skills, and unlock new opportunities for teachers.
The interdisciplinary work experience began in 2022 as a joint initiative between Physical Therapy and Realitec analyzing the problems teachers were having and could benefit from extended reality. The first opportunity was detected within the subject Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation I (4th year of Physical Therapy), where students needed more experience in clinical scenarios. After an iteration process, Realitec developed a virtual reality intervention using 360º videos that simulate clinical scenarios where the students had to interact and apply clinical reasoning to reach the end satisfactorily. This intervention was applied to the whole cohort of 42 students.
42 students participated in the intervention, and faculties from both areas worked during this period, six from Physical Therapy and four from Realitec. The pilot experience was evaluated through a perception survey and a pre and post-intervention test to measure the learning impact on the students. Meetings with the faculties were performed to register improvement opportunities and lessons learned, where the technical aspects of the recordings and the test content were identified as possible improvements. Nevertheless, students highlighted in the survey the similarity with the clinical environment, with clinical cases simulated by peers, and a high perception of benefit for their learning process.
Integrating XR technologies in physical therapy education and practice could offer significant benefits in teaching and patient rehabilitation. Through this experience, faculty of both areas have the opportunity to visualize the advantages of working interdisciplinarity in the development of XR tools that solve teaching challenges, improving the learning process for students and teachers. There remains the challenge of reviewing the technical approach for the videos and the measurement tool for the impact on learning of the activity.
XR technologies represent a promising innovation in physical therapy education and rehabilitation, with the potential to transform traditional teaching methods and therapeutic approaches. Expanding the use of these tools in educational programs could lead to more skilled practitioners and better patient care.
Educational Innovation
Virtual Reality
