Research Team of the Faculty of Nursing, University of Indonesia (FoN UI) led by Ns. La Ode Abdur Rahman, S. Kep., MBA developed a virtual laboratory based on Virtual Reality Simulation (VRS) for nursing students. This VRS-based nursing laboratory is a laboratory that provides nursing practicum material content that can be accessed by nursing students throughout Indonesia without time and space limitations. This virtual laboratory development is expected to be a practical solution during the pandemic, which implements distance education. “Hopefully it can be a solution for 318 nursing education institutions throughout Indonesia to replace conventional laboratories, so that the psychomotor abilities of nursing students can still be fulfilled during this pandemic period,” said La Ode, regarding the VRS he developed in early March 2020.
He explained that initially the development of a virtual laboratory was intended to make it easier for Faculty of Nursing UI students to learn about post appendictomy wound care in the laboratory. “This was planned before the Covid-19 pandemic occurred in Indonesia,” he said. The pandemic has caused many changes in various life systems, one of which is in the field of education. Health science students need effective learning methods to improve students’ abilities and skills in practicing in the laboratory. VRS is a method that can be used as an option for learning methods during a pandemic.
The team’s research results showed that the practicum learning method using VRS increased student motivation in laboratory practicum activities during the Covid-19 pandemic. “There were 73.3% of students who expressed positive reactions and felt enthusiastic after trying practicum using VRS,” said La Ode. The virtual nursing laboratory based on VRS is expected to be an alternative to hone nursing students’ psychomotor abilities and become virtual role models of nursing laboratories in nursing. throughout Indonesia.
