Abstract
This paper reports on the second iteration prototype design stage of an immersive reality (XR) enhanced simulation project in critical healthcare higher education. While there is no doubt of the positive impact on the development of a variety of clinical skills through the use of XR in health education, a literature review indicates that the level of engagement with learning theory and the wider literature to inform the design of these learning environments is limited. The authors propose that XR can be employed within the learning environment to introduce critical elements of patient and practitioner risk and stress through environmental and socio-cultural influences without putting either students, educators, practitioners or patients at real risk, but create a safe learning environment that more authentically simulates these risk elements. The MESH360 project involves a collaborative transdisciplinary team of educational researchers, designers, practitioners, and working professionals in the design of mobile XR to enhance student and professional paramedic training to prepare practitioners for the environmental stressors and critical care decisions involved in high risk situations. Using Design Based Research (DBR), the project explores the impact of mobile XR enhanced simulation for novice and professional paramedics.
