A Qualitative Exploration of Undergraduate Students’ Experiences of Using Virtual Reality for Dementia Inclusive Education

Background Dementia prevalence is expected to exponentially increase over the coming decades. Across society, an increased awareness of dementia inclusive environments is important, to promote inclusivity and foster empathy. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of undergraduate students using virtual reality (VR) for dementia inclusive education. Methods Purposive sampling was employed in one University in Ireland to recruit first year undergraduate students who had completed a VR workshop on dementia inclusive environments. Five semi-structured in-person interviews were conducted during February 2024. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and thematically analysed. Results Three themes were identified. The first theme ‘Food for thought’ represented participants’ greater understanding, as a result of using VR, of the potential for design to impact the dementia experience. Participants felt as though they were able to virtually place themselves in someone else’s shoes, which was described as “eye-opening”. The second theme ‘Impact variation’ revealed that although participants’ showed enhanced levels of awareness, empathy and understanding of this global health issue, the depth of learning depended on the participants’ prior exposure to dementia. The final theme related to ‘The VR experience’ as a whole. Students described the VR experience as positive, engaging, easy to use, and revealed that they were excited to take part in the workshops. Conclusion The student experience of using VR for dementia inclusive education was positive and enlightening. Using VR to introduce universal design concepts could be integrated into a range of undergraduate programmes to foster understanding and has the potential to empower future designers and policymakers to create environments that are accessible and inclusive for everyone. While this is a small-scale study, the difference in impact of this VR initiative on students with prior personal exposure to people with dementia and those without was an interesting finding and requires further research.