Project Information:
Project Reference: 2022-1-IE02-KA220-HED-000087620
Status: Completed
Duration: December 2022 – November 2024
EU Grant: 250,000 EUR
Programme: Erasmus+
Action Type: Cooperation Partnerships in Higher Education
Countries Involved: Ireland, Netherlands, Greece
Background
Physiotherapy education needs new methods to help students better understand pain science and clinical reasoning. Traditional teaching is often not enough to prepare students for real clinical situations. Digital tools, such as virtual reality (VR), can offer safe and realistic learning experiences.
Objectives
The project aimed to improve physiotherapy education by using innovative digital tools. It focused on strengthening clinical reasoning skills and pain science knowledge. Another goal was to identify parts of the physiotherapy curriculum that could benefit from VR-based learning.
Implementation
Project partners worked together to review existing physiotherapy curricula. They analysed where VR could be used effectively and designed learning activities based on user experience principles. A strong cooperation between universities and technology experts supported the project work.
Key Activities
The main activities included curriculum mapping, development of a VR pain education platform, and testing the VR tools in educational settings. Students and educators used the VR content during training sessions. Feedback was collected to improve the tools and learning process.
Results
The project created open and accessible VR educational resources for physiotherapy courses. It developed a VR toolkit that supports learning about pain and clinical reasoning. The results are available as open educational resources for wider use.
Impact
The project improved the quality of physiotherapy education and supported innovation in teaching methods. Students gained better practical understanding and stronger clinical skills. The cooperation between partners also strengthened knowledge sharing and future educational development across Europe.
