Abstract:

Objective To explore the application effect of blended teaching integrated with virtual simulation technology in the Fundamentals Gerontological Nursing course. Methods Students majoring in Nursing（gerontology-oriented） from Grade 2022 and Grade 2023 at an undergraduate-level vocational college were selected as participants. Forty-two students from Grade 2023 were assigned to the experimental group and received blended teaching integrated with virtual simulation technology（including virtual reality and augmented reality）. Forty-five students from Grade 2022 were assigned to the control group and received traditional teaching. Teaching effectiveness was evaluated by analyzing changes in theoretical knowledge and practical skill assessments score at the end of the course and 8 weeks after course completion，comparing the scores of clinical reasoning and reflective ability as well as self-directed learning ability between the two groups before the course，at the end of the course and 8 weeks after course completion，and assessing teaching satisfaction of the two groups at the end of the course. Results At the end of the course and 8 weeks after course completion，the experimental group obtained higher scores in theoretical knowledge and practical skill assessments than the control group（P<0.001）. The interaction effect of time and group on the scores of clinical reasoning and reflective ability as well as self-directed learning ability was statistically significant in both groups before the course，at the end of the course，and 8 weeks after course completion（P<0.001）；the experimental group achieved higher scores for all the abovementioned evaluation indicators than the control group at the end of the course and 8 weeks after course completion（P<0.001）. The experimental group reported higher teaching satisfaction than the control group（P<0.05）. Conclusion The blended teaching integrated with virtual simulation technology can improve students’ theoretical knowledge，practical skills，clinical reasoning and reflective abilities，and self-directed learning ability，with high satisfaction. This study provides empirical evidence for the teaching optimization of gerontological nursing-related courses.

Key words: Virtual Simulation, Blended Teaching, Fundamentals Gerontological Nursing, Education, Nursing, Undergraduate-level Vocational College