Abstract:

The ability to communicate scientific information effectively is crucial for veterinary professionals. Consequently, veterinary students require consistent and proactive training in communication. In parallel, digital transformation has undoubtedly impacted educational institutions. To address these priorities, the TranspaVET project worked towards to design an immersive educational experience through advanced and innovative technology. This study aims to share our experience involving first-year veterinary students in producing scientific posters and how augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) impact their scientific outreach.

The project, developed in the academic year 2022-23, included 35 students and eight mentor professors and resulted in 9 scientific posters. Firstly, the posters were digitised in AR by the Valencian start-up Clon Digital, allowing their access through a link or QR code and overlay onto the real world through mobile devices. Secondly, developing a virtual classroom allowed the visualisation of the posters in an immersive VR educational metaverse. Students and remote visitors could access the metaverse via their smartphones or computers and use VR headsets. Users can view, download, and share the posters in AR and interact with each other inside the virtual environment. By November 6th, 2023, the posters were digitally viewed 1,327 times, and 200 unique users entered the TranspaVET metaverse from different Spanish regions (Valencian Community, Castile and Leon, Andalusia, Madrid, Catalonia, Asturias, and Galicia), as well as from Argentina and Costa Rica.

The TranspaVET project represents a creative connection between educational innovation and scientific research dissemination. It sets an example for the future of immersive, technology-driven learning through a platform that combines AR and VR.

Keywords:

Virtual and Augmented Reality, Science communication, Veterinary medicine.