McNeese Student Studies Integrating VR into the Classroom 

McNeese State University’s Medical Laboratory Science program is integrating virtual reality (VR) into the classroom. 

“Through an application to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention OneLab, we received three Meta Quest 3 headsets at no cost. Since fall 2024, three of our Medical Laboratory Science (MLS) students have been researching the potential use of VR in both training and practice,” explained Whitnee Brame, assistant professor. 

They focused their research on assessing the effectiveness and user experience of VR content that is designed to simulate real-world laboratory scenarios. The OneLab VR platform includes 12 different laboratory settings with a total of 50,000 square feet of virtual laboratories. 

“Utilizing VR technology in MLS enriches the student experience,” said Brame. “It also strengthens program recruitment and supports distance-learning initiatives.” 

One of the student researchers working with Brame, Sujata Rai Shrestha, a junior MLS student from Nepal, explained that most academic laboratories lack expensive instruments and equipment. Additionally, handling biohazardous specimens poses a risk to students and faculty.  

“In a virtual laboratory, users can work with all the instruments required in a real-world laboratory and biohazardous specimens can be handled with zero risk of getting infected,” Shrestha said. “So, working in a simulated real-world laboratory and gaining experience without actually being there were extremely interesting for me.” 

“The study concluded that VR could enhance the realism and accessibility of laboratory learning,” Shrestha said. “Ultimately, VR holds promise as a valuable complement to traditional methods in medical laboratory education.” 

Shrestha plans to build a career as a medical laboratory scientist and aspires to leadership roles where she can help future generations of medical laboratory scientists.  

When searching for a college, she was looking for an MLS program and found McNeese’s nationally accredited program, academic excellence and 100% job placement rate appealing.  

“McNeese’s diverse and inclusive environment and supportive community were additional reasons,” she said. “All of these things were perfectly aligning with my needs as an international student, so McNeese became my first choice.” 

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