MESH360 Project

The Multiple Environment Simulation Hub (MESH) 360 Project was set up by Auckland University of Technology (AUT) to examine how virtual reality (VR) could be used to improve paramedicine education, by using authentic ‘real-world’ simulated scenarios and exercises.

The project now includes mixed reality and extended reality (XR) scenarios, which are informed by ‘embodied-reports’ data provided by Chilean company Embodied. Embodied reports are people’s emotional and physiological responses to a learning experience, which are captured from self-reported and biometric information. This approach uses new technology to provide an innovative and enhanced solution to measuring a person’s emotional response.

The MESH360 Project was set up in 2016 by Dr Thomas Cochrane (Melbourne Centre for the Study of Higher Education), Dr Claudio Aguayo (AUT App Lab), and Stuart Cook and Stephen Aiello (AUT Paramedicine Department). As the project has evolved, other team members have been involved. In 2017, Claudio invited Embodied CEO Cristobal Dañobeitia to contribute its XR first-person data (self-reports) and third-person (biometrics) data-collection hardware, software and methodology to create paramedicine simulations.

Working together, AUT and Embodied have tested the technology and methodology using a virtual 360-degree critical-care scenario, where paramedic students were asked to explore and identify risks in the virtual environment. Researchers, educational technologists, XR developers and authentic simulation education practitioners from around the world have been following and learning from the design principles emerging from this research collaboration.

The MESH360 Project is a globally recognised collaborative effort that is expected to transform emergency medicine training and simulation education in New Zealand and overseas. Its innovations will help students and professional paramedics practise high-stress scenarios and improve their skills by other means besides mannequin-based training. The project will also have an impact on education and training in other high-risk fields, like mountaineering, policing and firefighting.

The design principles emerging from the MESH360 Project are currently being trialled by other App Lab VR and XR simulation design research projects, such as the Mountain Safety Education Virtual Reality Project.

The MESH360 Project is being funded by AUT.

Published 02 November 2023

Dates

Launched in 2016

Media links

Claudio Aguayo, Cristobal Dañobeitia, Thomas Cochrane, Stephen Aiello, Stuart Cook & Alberto Cuevas. 2018. Embodied Reports in Paramedicine Mixed Reality Learning. Research in Learning Technology, 26.

Claudio Aguayo, Thomas Cochrane, Stephen Aiello & Norm Wilkinson. 2021. Enhancing Immersiveness in Paramedicine Education XR Simulation Design. Pacific Journal of Technology Enhanced Learning, 3(1), 39-40.

Stephen Aiello. 15 February 2018. A Novel Approach to Student Understanding: AUTUNI Virtual Health Hub. Paper presented at the SoTEL: Scholarship of Technology Enhanced Learning 2018, Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand.

Stuart Cook. 15 February 2018. Using Mobile Technology to Study Paramedicine Student’s Response to Environments. Paper presented at the SoTEL: Scholarship of Technology Enhanced Learning 2018, Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand.

Thomas Cochrane, Stuart Cook, Stephen Aiello, Claudio Aguayo, Cristobal Dañobeitia & Gonzalo Nicolas Boncompte. 2018. Designing Immersive Mobile Mixed Reality for Paramedic Education. Paper presented at the 2018 IEEE International Conference on Teaching, Assessment, and Learning for Engineering, University of Wollongong, Australia.

Thomas Cochrane, Stuart Cook, Stephen Aiello, Duncan Christie, Marcos Steagall, David Stinfield & Claudio Aguayo. 2017. A DBR Framework for Designing Mobile Virtual Reality Learning Environments. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 33(6).

Languages of delivery

English

Visit the project site

MESH360 Project website