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Recent technological advances are radically changing the industrial landscape and driving a digital transformation of industry. This transformation presents several challenges for industrial companies, notably the urgent need to bridge a widening skill gap. In order to address the skill gaps, industrial companies are exploring the potential of the Metaverse as a tool for workforce training.  The Metaverse is a unique, 3D multi-user environment, blending physical and digital elements, thereby facilitating interaction between objects and individuals. Given these features, it possesses the capacity to facilitate immersive learning within industrial firms, offering realistic and interactive training experiences. However, there is a lack of research and understanding regarding the application of the Metaverse for workforce training in these contexts.  Thus, the objective of this study is to explore how the Metaverse can be used by industrial companies and identify the driving factors behind its adoption. To fulfill this purpose, an exploratory qualitative study was conducted, employing semi-structured in-depth interviews that are analyzed thematically.  The study’s primary contribution is a practice-oriented framework detailing the interplay between technology, management, and people; explaining how they combine to support immersive learning. The framework offers unique insights and practical implications for industrial practitioners. Critically, the study emphasizes the importance of effective change management for aligning these three elements, emphasizing that successful implementation goes beyond mere adoption of technology. The study finds that the Metaverse is best viewed as a complement to traditional physical training in industrial companies, identifying specific practical use-cases where the Metaverse can be utilized effectively.

The metaverse has seen increased usages in its capabilities as an educational tool by immersing users in virtual scenarios. This technology is inaccessible for user groups that require higher degrees of accessibility and personalization, as most metaverse implementations do not adjust to the user’s needs. One such group are individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), rendering them unable to use immersive learning to foster skills that enable independent living. To solve this issue, this thesis aims to employ design science to produce an artefact that answers the research question: ”How can machine learning-based adaptations to 3D-environments be integrated into existing virtual reality platforms in order to increase accessibility for users with ASD?”. By the use of literature studies along with personas supplied from a research project, four different user profiles were established to represent users with ASD. Requirements for the artefact to be produced were then established by exploring possible stakeholders affected by the artefact. Employing data generative techniques, a neural network was trained to predict how the virtual environment should be augmented given the user’s specific characteristics. This neural network was then integrated into a virtual environment set up via Unity, by use of participatory modelling. The resulting artefact was then evaluated against the established requirements, via an experiment that mirrors a typical morning routine meant to increase the person’s skills in independent living. The results of this evaluation found that the artefact could handle known user profiles with a high accuracy (87.7%). The artefact also proved effective in approximating what kind of aide should be presented for the unknown user profiles (8/10 cases). The use of modern development tooling also proved satisfactory in aiding developers to use the artefact to create accessible environments with ease. The artefact’s use of neural networks proved an effective way to model complex user groups, though further ethnographic studies and non-synthetic data is needed to validate this capability.

This research study examined the implementation of an extended reality (XR) lab on a community college campus to facilitate student and faculty access to immersive learning resources. The study, conducted during one skills day, involved 46 students and was designed to understand if integrating immersive VR into emergency medical technician (EMT) education could enhance learner confidence and motivation, develop problem-solving and analytical thinking skills, and thus connecting the classroom learning with real-world application. The majority of participants reported increased motivation and engagement, alongside improvements in learning outcomes like knowledge retention and skill development. Applying the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model revealed performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions as key determinants of VR adoption in EMT education. While no significant overall performance enhancement was observed, VR training showed potential to boost motivation, confidence, and specific performance aspects. Furthermore, student perceptions towards VR in EMT education were largely positive, thereby suggesting its utility in immersive scenario training, skill acquisition in a risk-free environment, enhancing learner engagement, and real-world situational preparedness. VR demonstrated promise as a transformative tool in EMT education, necessitating further research to fully exploit its potential in diverse learning environments.

The advance of digitization influences medical sciences in various areas, increasingly including medical education. Therefore the Teaching Department of the Medical Faculty of the University of Leipzig constantly considers new technical developments and their possibilities for use in medical teaching. The focus is on the fact that teaching should be supplemented and explicitly not replaced by digital media. Virtual reality (hereinafter referred to as 'VR') represents a technology that can be expected to offer promising potential. In order to determine to what extent VR represents an added value for the study of human medicine and which hardware and software is suitable, the project VRmed – Virtual Reality in Medical Teaching was initiated in the Media section of the Teaching Department of the MF. This was funded as part of the Digital Fellowship Program by the University Didactic Center Saxony and the Working Group E-Learning of the LRK Saxony. The present report represents the final report of the project, which was created on its own initiative. In order to investigate the question of implementation possibilities for medical studies, four VR glasses (three different models) and four VR applications were purchased. Two simulation applications and two anatomy applications were selected as applications. The former are i:medtasim and StepVR applications. In addition, the anatomy applications 3D Organon VR Anatomy and Medicalholodeck were purchased. The initially extensive multi-stage evaluation with lecturers and students could not be implemented in 2020/2021 due to the pandemic-related restrictions and was therefore only applied in limited extent. Thus, hardware and software were evaluated qualitatively and in depth in the context of three presentation events by lecturers and media didactics. In particular, the simulation applications are considered to be helpful and useful extensions for teaching. The anatomy application 3D Organon VR Anatomy could also be used profitably in medical studies, especially in the early semesters. With regard to i:medtasim, there are initial considerations to include this in the curriculum as part of a medical elective. Another perspective is the establishment of a VR lab in which students and lecturers can freely use the technology. It should also be noted that VR is associated with many technical challenges and both the setup and the first use require expertise. In addition, the purchase is cost-intensive and hardware and software develop very quickly. Nevertheless, the potentials and the added value predominate. VR can be used to meet a wide range of learning types, practice scenarios bridge the gap between theory and practice, and students and lecturers can connect to technical developments.:1. Einleitung 2. Theoretische Hinführung 3. VR an Medizinischen Fakultäten und Universitäten außerhalb des Standorts Leipzig 4. Projektbeschreibung VRmed – Virtual Reality in der medizinischen Lehre Leipzig 5. VR Hardware und Software für den medizinischen Einsatz 6. Evaluation 7. Fazit und Ausblick 8. Literaturverzeichnis 9. Online-Quellen Anhang A) Projektstrukturplan B) Zeitplan C) Poster D) Evaluationsprotokolle / Das Voranschreiten der Digitalisierung beeinflusst die Medizin in verschiedenen Bereichen, weshalb deren Relevanz auch im Medizinstudium zunimmt. Daher werden im Referat Lehre der Medizinischen Fakultät der Universität Leipzig stetig neue technische Entwicklungen und deren Möglichkeiten für den Einsatz in der medizinischen Lehre betrachtet. Im Fokus steht, dass die Lehre ergänzt und explizit nicht durch digitale Medien ersetzt werden soll. Virtual Reality (im Folgenden „VR“) stellt dabei eine Technologie dar, die in der ersten Auseinandersetzung vielversprechende Potentiale erwarten lässt. Um festzustellen, inwiefern VR einen Mehrwert für das Humanmedizinstudium darstellt und welche Hard- und Software dabei in Frage kommt, wurde im Bereich Medien des Referats Lehre der MF das Projekt VRmed – Virtual Reality in der medizinischen Lehre initiiert. Dies wurde im Rahmen des Digital Fellowship-Programms vom Hochschuldidaktischen Zentrum Sachsen und dem Arbeitskreis E-Learning der LRK Sachsen gefördert. Der hier vorliegende Bericht stellt den Abschlussbericht des Projektes dar, welcher aus Eigenantrieb erstellt wurde. Um der Frage nach Implementierungsmöglichkeiten für das Medizinstudium nachzugehen, wurden vier VR-Brillen (drei verschiedene Modelle) und vier VR-Anwendungen angeschafft. Als Anwendungen wurden zwei Simulationsanwendungen und zwei Anatomieanwendungen ausgewählt. Bei ersterem handelt es sich um die Anwendungen i:medtasim und StepVR. Zudem wurden die Anatomieanwendungen 3D Organon VR Anatomy und Medicalholodeck eingekauft. Die zunächst umfangreich angelegte mehrstufige Evaluation mit Dozierenden und Studierenden konnte aufgrund der pandemiebedingten Einschränkungen in den Jahren 2020/2021 nicht umgesetzt werden und wurde eingegrenzt. Somit wurde Hard- und Software im Rahmen von drei Präsentationsveranstaltungen von Dozierenden und Mediendidaktiker:innen qualitativ und tiefgehend evaluiert. Insbesondere die Simulationsanwendungen werden als hilfreiche und sinnvolle Erweiterungen für die Lehre eingeschätzt. Auch die Anatomieanwendung 3D Organon VR Anatomy könnte im Medizinstudium, insbesondere in die frühen Semester, gewinnbringend eingesetzt werden. Bezüglich i:medtasim existieren erste Überlegungen, dies im Rahmen eines humanmedizinischen Wahlfachs in das Curriculum einzubinden. Eine weitere Perspektive ist die Etablierung eines VR-Labs, in dem Studierende und Dozierende die Technik frei nutzen können. Es bleibt auch festzuhalten, dass VR mit vielen technischen Herausforderungen verbunden ist und sowohl das Einrichten als auch die erste Nutzung Expertise bedürfen. Zudem ist die Anschaffung kostenintensiv und Hard- und Software entwickeln sich sehr schnell. Dennoch überwiegen die Potentiale und der Mehrwert. Durch VR kann vielfältigen Lerntypen begegnet werden, durch Übungsszenarien wird eine Brücke zwischen Theorie und Praxis geschlagen und Studierende wie auch Dozierende können an technische Entwicklungen anschließen.:1. Einleitung 2. Theoretische Hinführung 3. VR an Medizinischen Fakultäten und Universitäten außerhalb des Standorts Leipzig 4. Projektbeschreibung VRmed – Virtual Reality in der medizinischen Lehre Leipzig 5. VR Hardware und Software für den medizinischen Einsatz 6. Evaluation 7. Fazit und Ausblick 8. Literaturverzeichnis 9. Online-Quellen Anhang A) Projektstrukturplan B) Zeitplan C) Poster D) Evaluationsprotokolle