The Department of Nursing of the Cyprus University of Technology (CUT), together with the academic institutions Thomas More Kempen (Belgium), Medical University Sofia (Bulgaria), the IT services company Theofanis Alexandridis Kai Sia EE (Greece) and the Hellenic Pediatric Nursing Association (Greece), participates as a collaborating institution in the Erasmus+ research program "Extended Reality Learning Framework For Pediatric Nursing Students – PeDXR" with the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (Greece) as coordinator.

This project aims to develop, implement and validate a learning framework that incorporates Extended Reality (XR) technologies, for pediatric nursing students in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), both nationally and internationally. The development of the Extended Reality Learning Framework (PeDXR Learning Framework) will offer a structured approach to organizing and delivering pediatric nursing education. By utilizing pioneering XR technologies, this framework will enhance educational practices and contribute to improving the quality of care provided.

The PeDXR learning framework will combine good practices and educational programs in pediatric nursing from Higher Educational Institutes (HEIs), with XR tools. It will integrate, comprehensive educational programs, learning objectives, teaching methods, assessments, and a dedicated Extended Reality Application (XRA) to enhance the education of pediatric nursing students using XR technology.

Pediatric nursing care is a challenge, due to the characteristics and needs of pediatric patients and their families, and therefore the training of pediatric nursing students in a real clinical environment presents difficulties. Using the XRA, pediatric nursing students will be able to step into virtual hospital rooms, where they will interact with virtual patients and medical equipment. They will be able to experience scenarios that mirror reality, in various child healthcare situations, before entering the professional field. This will allow them to develop a deeper understanding of the needs of the children and families. The simulations within the XRA will additionally allow students to develop their skills in a safe and controlled environment and build confidence in handling consultations. They can also practice critical cases such as dealing with an emergency in a child, without putting real patients at risk.

The XRA will serve as a comprehensive space where pediatric nursing students can access a wide range of resources and tools to enhance their learning experience. Additionally, XRA will facilitate collaborative learning, as students will be able to collaborate in a virtual environment to solve problems and develop skills.

The developed PeDXR learning framework will further enable transnational collaboration and knowledge exchange in paediatric nursing education among the participating European HEI, and additionally provide opportunity to other interested European HEIs to adopt the PeDXR learning framework in their educational programs, to expand their knowledge and expertise in the field of pediatric nursing.

Project ID

Project number: 2023-1-EL01-KA220-HED-000161808

Duration of the project: 01.12.2023 – 30.11.2026

Source of funding: Erasmus+ Cooperation Partnerships

Total project funding: €250,000

Project research team at the Cyprus University of Technology:

Christiana Nicolaou (Partner Scientific Coordinator - CUT)

Ourania Kolokotroni, Ioanna Pieri, Koralia Michael, Nicos Middleton, Marianna Moore

Project website: https://pedxr.com/