Communications Engineering Department, Higher Technical School of Computer Engineering, University of Malaga, 29071 Malaga, Spain.
Department of Radiology and Physical Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Malaga, 29071 Malaga, Spain.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Jan 17;20(3):1697. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20031697.
Second Life is a multi-user virtual world platform which enables online learning through immersive activities. This study evaluates the perception of third-year biomedical engineering students about learning activities complementary to a biomedical imaging course carried out within Second Life and focused on training in the public presentation of scientific content to their peers. Between 2015 and 2017, students gave oral presentations on medical imaging topics selected from the proposals of their classmates. Participants were invited to complete an evaluation questionnaire. In the three years of the study, 133 students enrolled in the course (48, 46, and 39 consecutively), and 97 of them delivered the questionnaire (48%, 83%, and 92%, consecutively). Attendance at the sessions ranged between 88% and 44%. The students positively value the experiences, especially the teacher, the educational content, and the virtual island environment, with mean scores greater than or equal to 8.4, 7.7, and 7.7, respectively, on a 1-10-point scale. Overall, they valued Second Life as an attractive and suitable environment for their training in science communication skills, in which they gain self-confidence and are less afraid of speaking in public. Second Life enables students to present scientific content effectively to their peers, receiving hands-on training in the tasks of collecting, organizing, and presenting data, with the benefits of remote access, collaborative work, and social interaction.
第二人生是一个多用户虚拟世界平台，通过沉浸式活动实现在线学习。本研究评估了生物医学工程专业三年级学生对在第二人生中开展的生物医学成像课程补充学习活动的看法，这些活动侧重于培训学生向同龄人公开介绍科学内容。在 2015 年至 2017 年间，学生们就从同学的提案中选择的医学成像主题进行了口头报告。参与者被邀请完成评估问卷。在研究的三年中，有 133 名学生注册了该课程（分别为 48、46 和 39 名），其中 97 名学生完成了问卷（分别为 48%、83%和 92%）。出席率在 88%至 44%之间。学生们对这些经历给予了积极的评价，尤其是对教师、教育内容和虚拟岛屿环境的评价，在 1-10 分制中，分别得到了 8.4、7.7 和 7.7 分以上的平均分。总的来说，他们认为第二人生是一个有吸引力和适合他们科学交流技能培训的环境，在这个环境中，他们获得了自信，减少了对公开演讲的恐惧。第二人生使学生能够有效地向同龄人展示科学内容，在收集、组织和呈现数据方面接受实践培训，具有远程访问、协作工作和社交互动的优势。
