Transforming Healthcare Education With Augmented Reality Learning: An ASPIH 2024 Retrospective

The close of 2024 marked a transformative year for healthcare education, and nowhere was that spirit of innovation better captured than at ASPIH’s 2024 conference. Back in November, the Association for Simulated Practice in Healthcare brought together an array of like-minded professionals looking to roll up their sleeves and start advancing healthcare education. Over the course of the event, we engaged with educators, simulation experts, students, and innovators, addressing shared challenges and discovering how transformative approaches, including medical simulation technology, can transform teaching and learning in healthcare.  

At its center, the conference was about exploring how technology can create sustainable, future-proofed solutions for teaching and learning. But why did attendees feel the need for these solutions? And what do they look like in practise? 

Read on to find out. 

The Current Landscape: Educational Barriers in Healthcare 

In both the US and the UK, healthcare education is under increasing pressure. The UK’s National Health Service has reported concerns over the capacity of the healthcare education sector, while the American Medical Association paints a similar picture of medical educators whose under-resourced positions lead to burnout. Such challenges were a recurring preoccupation throughout the conference, with its predominantly UK-based attendees citing: 

• Teaching space limitations 

• The need for increased learner engagement 

• Constraints on faculty time 

Since that time, conditions on both sides of the pond have gotten more challenging. In the US, for example, spending cuts brought about by the current administration have stretched educators’ resources even thinner. As noted in Nature, these cost-cutting efforts have resulted in widespread college hiring freezes: far from ideal conditions for easing educators’ workloads. 

While the challenges identified at ASPIH 2024 have only magnified since the event came to a close, its participants highlighted a real commitment among educators to find solutions. The consensus was clear: innovation and technology must play a central role in overcoming barriers around capacity, space, and engagement. Student- and faculty-supporting tools are more valuable than ever in addressing the practical and pedagogical needs of modern healthcare education, and they’re being increasingly adopted by healthcare educators in order to: 

• Offer ‘anytime, anywhere’ availability that extends the practical elements of medical curricula beyond classrooms and labs 

• Provide engaging visual and gamified tools for effective learning and knowledge retention 

• Enrich learning without infringing on stretched faculty resources 

DISCOVER MORE INSIGHTS | ‘Staying Ahead: Trends in EdTech That Deans Need to Watch’ 

Flipping the Classroom: A New Era in Healthcare Education 

A key focus at ASPIH 2024 was flipping the classroom, which, in this instance, describes an approach where foundational theory is taught online. By extension, a flipped classroom frees up in-person sessions for interactive, hands-on learning. 

It’s no surprise that this approach has been gaining traction. Flipped classrooms have been identified as a means of improving learning outcomes and (in a K-12 setting) boosting learner engagement.  

Throughout ASPIH 2024, attendees showed strong interest in digital tools that support this model. The conference’s educators noted that simulation-first platforms like Immersify could help them make better use of their limited in-person time with students, all while enriching the student experience by enabling high-quality independent learning. 

MORE FROM THE BLOG | ‘Immersify Education x Coursera Partnership Announcement’ 

Combining Traditional Medical Simulations With AR Gamification To Meet the Needs of Gen Z Learners 

Adapting education for Gen Z was a key focus of ASPIH 2024. As a recent Frontiers in Education study points out, this digital-first generation demands interactive and personalized learning experiences, and ASPIH’s expert attendees were alive to the expectations and possibilities that this perspective brings to the table.  

Many attendees pointed out that tools like Immersify show promise in sustaining student motivation, offering (through features like augmented reality simulations) what the Frontiers study describes as opportunities for the concrete application of learning. 

KEEP READING | ‘Immersify Nursing: a new academic area we are ready to conquer!’ 

Immersify on Stage: A Shared Vision for Innovation 

One of the highlights of ASPIH was the chance to connect with peers during our presentation. Our expert speakers—a simulation educator and an experienced nurse with a strong foundation in both clinical and simulation education—explored familiar challenges across the field, from managing large cohorts and carving out time for student interaction to maintaining engagement in busy learning environments. 

It was encouraging to see these themes resonating with the audience. The conversation that followed touched on how learner-centric design and thoughtful use of gamification can shift some of the everyday pressures educators face. And, crucially, our audience recognized that rather than replacing human interaction, the right tools can help protect and elevate the value of human connections. 

We also shared some of the ways we’re experimenting with technology to support this shift, bringing together pedagogical best practices and flexible digital learning approaches. The response reinforced what we suspected going in: there’s a real appetite for innovation that starts with educators’ needs and ends with better-prepared students. 

Ready To Rise to the Challenges of Healthcare Education? 

Let’s talk about how simulation and digital learning strategies can support your students and faculty. Contact our team to explore what’s working in the healthcare education landscape.