Abstract
Editorial on the Research Topic Redefining the pedagogy in virtual and augmented reality in medical science education. The modern advancement and interdisciplinary use of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) immersive technologies has rapidly evolved and in parallel has also advanced the way medical education is being taught in the 21st century. However, the development of careful, evidence-based reports evaluating which VR and AR technologies, pedagogical methods, and instructional designs are most effective has not kept pace with the rapid increase in reports on educational use of immersive technologies. As a result, there are currently several gaps within the field regarding which immersive technologies and teaching methods have been proven to be effective for instructional learning. The questions that arise from these gaps in the literature seek to address the following: what are the best contexts for integrating immersive technologies into the pedagogical curriculum; what instructional designs work best and why; and how does such VR and AR pedagogy influence the learner's cognitive load when compared to the traditional lecture. These questions are important for the field to address as it moves forward, in order to provide evidence-based teaching and research. Such corroborating evidence will guide the future development of immersive technology pedagogy in medical science education. As technology and the curriculum for medical science education continues to evolve, it is important to continue to gather papers that serve to "Redefine The Pedagogy in Virtual And Augmented Reality in Medical Science Education" to track both the history, the advancements, and to evaluate what has been deemed both effective and ineffective pedagogical developments. These VR and AR advancements have been increasingly sought after since the coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) as a means to keep learning immersive, relevant, and timely. Additionally, the need to create such immersive learning with first-person point-of-view (FP-POV) technology has become increasingly sought after. The first two papers in this Research Topic highlight some of these advancements. A thorough evaluation comparing VR platforms to enhance.