Academic performance of radiography student cohorts : a comparative study of virtual reality intensity in human anatomy education

Abstract

This study evaluated how different intensities of virtual reality (VR) in human anatomy course affect radiography students’ performance. Three distinct radiography student cohorts were compared: Cohort 1 (n=121) used traditional methods only; Cohort 2 (n=123) integrated 20 minutes of VR activity into four collaborative sessions in addition to traditional methods; and Cohort 3 (n=102) received six dedicated one-hour VR sessions in addition to traditional teaching. All cohorts followed the same curriculum, were taught by the same team, and completed final examinations based on an identical blueprint. Overall performance differed significantly (p=0.025). Only the intensive VR cohort outperformed the traditional cohort (80.35% vs. 77.31%, p=0.013), effectively raising the average grade from B+ to A‑ and increasing the proportion of A grades. These findings indicate that VR improves anatomy learning only when delivered with sufficient intensity, supporting its use as a structured supplementary tool to help students master complex 3D spatial relationships.