Effectiveness of Case-Based Educational Scenarios in the Metaverse on Interpersonal Communication Skills, Academic Engagement, and Mind-Wandering in University Nursing Students

The Effectiveness of Case-Based Educational Scenarios in the Metaverse Environment on Enhancing Interpersonal Communication Skills, Path of Academic Engagement, and Reducing Mind-Wandering in University Nursing Students

This randomized controlled trial will evaluate the effect of case-based educational scenarios delivered in a metaverse environment on interpersonal communication skills, academic engagement, and mind-wandering among undergraduate nursing students. Fourth-level nursing students will be randomly assigned either to metaverse-based case scenarios integrated into their psychiatric nursing education or to usual teaching without metaverse exposure. Outcomes will be measured using validated scales for interpersonal communication, learning engagement, and mind-wandering before and after the intervention.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Communication
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Metaverse Case-Based Educational Scenarios

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 100
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Mohamed Atta; Phone Number: +966 53 066 6982; Email: mohamed-hussein@alexu.edu.eg

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child; Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Registered undergraduate nursing students at the Faculty of XXX University, XXX.

Enrolled in the 4th level of the nursing program in the academic year 2024-2025.

Able and willing to provide informed consent to participate.

Exclusion Criteria:

Students not registered in the 4th level during the study period. Students who previously completed formal metaverse-based psychiatric nursing training (if applicable).

Students unwilling to participate or who withdraw consent.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Metaverse Case-Based Scenario Group; Participants in this arm will receive case-based educational scenarios delivered through a metaverse environment as part of their psychiatric nursing coursework. Students will engage in interactive virtual simulations with virtual patients and healthcare teams to practice interpersonal communication in complex, emotionally charged psychiatric scenarios.	Behavioral: Metaverse Case-Based Educational Scenarios; The intervention consists of structured case-based scenarios delivered via an immersive metaverse platform, where students interact in real time with virtual patients and peers. Sessions will be designed to promote interpersonal communication, empathy, and academic engagement and to reduce mind-wandering during psychiatric nursing education activities. (You may later specify number of sessions, duration per session, and total intervention period when finalized.)
No Intervention: Control; Participants in this arm will receive the usual psychiatric nursing teaching methods without exposure to metaverse-based case scenarios. They will continue to follow the standard curriculum delivered through conventional classroom or existing e-learning formats.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Interpersonal Communication Skills Score	Total score on the Interpersonal Communication Skills tool assessing communication abilities in clinical and academic interactions	Baseline (pre-intervention) and immediately post-intervention (end of teaching period)

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Port Said University

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Schaufeli WB, Martínez IM, Pinto AM, Salanova M, Bakker AB. Burnout and engagement in university students: A cross-national study. J Cross Cult Psychol. 2002;33(5):464-481.
• Li, X.Y.; Huang, R. The Revision report of the University Student Learning Engagement Scale (UWES-S). Psychol. Res. 2010, 3, 84-88

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): December 25, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): March 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): March 30, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 21, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 21, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): January 6, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): January 6, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 21, 2025
• Last Verified: March 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavior; Communication
• Other Study ID Numbers: SCBR-449

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No