. 2024 Dec 18;9:49. doi: 10.1186/s41077-024-00319-x

Table 1.

Summary of the pedagogical, practical, and ethical considerations on the use of VR for transformative learning in HPE

Considerations	Opportunities	Drawbacks
Pedagogical	• Educational approach for transformative learning with unique capabilities in teaching social determinants of health and principles of equity; • Engages learners in unique scenarios (e.g., witnessing social injustices firsthand, experiencing homelessness) to create dissonance and prompt critical reflection.	• Risks of oversimplification and misrepresentation of lived experiences in a single VR scenario, potentially perpetuating misconceptions and biases, while failing to capture the diversity of human experiences; • Potential for adverse events if used without critical reflection and dialogue; • Inadequacy for self-directed learning, as dialogue with peers and facilitator(s) is necessary for transformative learning; • Risk of overlooking potentially more effective educational methods.
Practical	• Portable and scalable approach to transformative education that extends beyond traditional SBE settings; • Range of scenarios and topics can be selected on demand; • Viewing can be done in private, enabling learners to process emotions and reactions before the standard debriefing; • Global initiatives provide low-cost to free VR experiences to enhance education on global challenges.	• High fixed development costs necessitate large-scale adoption to achieve cost savings. Without widespread use, there is a risk of misallocating funds and potentially widening the digital divide; • Prioritizing of novelty over educational value may occur.
Ethical	• Potential to foster critical reflection on issues of equity, diversity, and inclusion; • Promotes perspectives otherwise unattainable; • Promotes recognition of the situatedness and diversity of human experiences; • Can be used to trouble stereotypical interpretations of experiences or the objectification of the ‘Other’ • Fosters critical reflection and dialogue which may inform transformative learning.	• Without careful implementation and a focus on prompting critical reflection and dialogue with skilled facilitators and peers, VR risks becoming ‘‘identity tourism for the privileged’’ with the potential for miseducation and misrepresentation of human suffering in learners.

Considerations

Opportunities

Drawbacks

Pedagogical

• Educational approach for transformative learning with unique capabilities in teaching social determinants of health and principles of equity;

• Engages learners in unique scenarios (e.g., witnessing social injustices firsthand, experiencing homelessness) to create dissonance and prompt critical reflection.

• Risks of oversimplification and misrepresentation of lived experiences in a single VR scenario, potentially perpetuating misconceptions and biases, while failing to capture the diversity of human experiences;

• Potential for adverse events if used without critical reflection and dialogue;

• Inadequacy for self-directed learning, as dialogue with peers and facilitator(s) is necessary for transformative learning;

• Risk of overlooking potentially more effective educational methods.

Practical

• Portable and scalable approach to transformative education that extends beyond traditional SBE settings;

• Range of scenarios and topics can be selected on demand;

• Viewing can be done in private, enabling learners to process emotions and reactions before the standard debriefing;

• Global initiatives provide low-cost to free VR experiences to enhance education on global challenges.

• High fixed development costs necessitate large-scale adoption to achieve cost savings. Without widespread use, there is a risk of misallocating funds and potentially widening the digital divide;

• Prioritizing of novelty over educational value may occur.

Ethical

• Potential to foster critical reflection on issues of equity, diversity, and inclusion;

• Promotes perspectives otherwise unattainable;

• Promotes recognition of the situatedness and diversity of human experiences;

• Can be used to trouble stereotypical interpretations of experiences or the objectification of the ‘Other’

• Fosters critical reflection and dialogue which may inform transformative learning.

• Without careful implementation and a focus on prompting critical reflection and dialogue with skilled facilitators and peers, VR risks becoming ‘‘identity tourism for the privileged’’ with the potential for miseducation and misrepresentation of human suffering in learners.