The Application and Evaluation of Interactive Mixed Reality for Assisting Veterinary Curricula in Training and Assessments

Medical and veterinary students have traditionally relied on 2D resources, such as notes, slides, and videos, for learning. This approach can limit their understanding of 3D biological structures and hinder knowledge acquisition. The problem is further exacerbated by the scarcity of hands-on teaching materials and the challenges posed by the pandemic, which has forced a shift to online classes and assessments. Ensuring effective and innovative teaching and assessment methods are crucial for preparing future medical and veterinary professionals, making this problem highly significant. Addressing these challenges is difficult due to the limitations of traditional resources and assessment methods, as well as the need for ethical considerations and resource constraints in veterinary education. Existing Mixed Reality (MR) techniques have shown promising results in improving learning outcomes, but gaps remain in areas such as assessment methods, active learning experiences, diverse participant populations, and frameworks that combine multiple MR techniques to overcome various challenges. This PhD thesis contributes to the field by exploring the application of MR techniques to veterinary education, focusing on solving the following research questions: (1) What kind of MR system can deliver virtual stereoscopic content for both on-site and remote theoretical teaching scenarios? (2) What type of MR system can provide virtual stereoscopic content and active learning methods that support on-site practical teaching conditions? (3) How do MR simulated examinations affect students' performance and emotional states compared to conventional summative assessments like Multiple Choice Questions? The approach involves designing and developing multiple MR systems and conducting evaluative studies to understand the potential benefits and limitations of these techniques. This thesis aims to gain insights into the effectiveness of MR techniques in veterinary education, offering innovative solutions to teaching and assessment challenges in the field. The research seeks to improve the quality of veterinary education by providing more engaging and effective learning experiences, while addressing ethical and resource constraints in teaching and assessment methods. The findings from this research have the potential to transform veterinary education by integrating MR techniques into traditional curricula, fostering a more comprehensive understanding of complex biological structures, and providing more accurate, ethical, and efficient assessment methods for students. Most of the results have been published in several peer-reviewed conferences and journals.