Virtual reality (VR) is increasingly used in learning and can be experienced with a head-mounted display as a 3D immersive version (immersive virtual reality [IVR]) or with a PC (or another computer) as a 2D desktop-based version (desktop virtual reality [DVR]). A research gap is the effect of IVR and DVR on learners’ skill retention. To address this gap, we designed an experiment in which learners were trained and tested for the assembly of a procedural industrial task. We found nonsignificant differences in the number of errors, the time to completion, satisfaction, self-efficacy, and motivation. The results support the view that DVR and IVR are similarly useful for learning retention. These insights may help researchers and practitioners to decide which form of VR they should use.

Digital psychiatry has become increasingly important and understanding of certain aspects is essential for practising clinicians. This article discusses electronic patient records (EPRs), from their origins to current and future use, the growth and embedding of outcome measurements, the use of social media, and learning and research in virtual arenas.

The education sector got severely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. In the beginning, remote learning posed challenges to teachers and students. However, many new pedagogical experiments demonstrated the potential to continue even in the post-Covid world. This study explains the pedagogical change in product design education from a traditional studio-based model to a virtual environment, without compromising the learning outcomes. The paper also describes the learning experiences of the students and measures the effectiveness of virtual education through qualitative and quantitative studies.

MRCPsych courses play a key role in helping trainees prepare for Membership examinations and specialist training. Historically, their social aspect, although arguably as important, has perhaps not been sufficiently prioritised. During a pandemic, when teaching is largely delivered virtually, the social benefit of meeting peers is highlighted by its absence. Given the future likelihood of increased virtual teaching, it is of paramount importance to explore ways of enhancing the sociability of teaching courses. In addition to the social needs of trainees, there is a recognised need to increase and integrate the neuroscience component of the curriculum to better meet the needs of modern day mental health research, treatment and practice. This article describes how the Birmingham MRCPsych course successfully addressed both these issues with a 2-day ‘residential’ in October 2019, and considers whether future residentials could be delivered virtually.

COVID-19 is a respiratory disease that can spread from one person to person. This virus is a novel coronavirus that was first identified during an investigation into an outbreak in Wuhan, China. Iran’s novel coronavirus cases reached 17,361 on 17 March, while death toll reached approximately 1,135. Its first death was officially announced on 20 February 2020 in Qom. The 2019 coronavirus pandemic has affected educational systems around the world, Also in Iran, and led to the closure of face to face courses in schools and universities. Therefore, virtual education can be seen as a turning point in education of these days in Iran.

The present investigation analyses the potential of a pedagogical dynamic assessment (DA) approach to foster second language (L2) development through the use of a mobile instant messaging application. Students’ zone of actual and proximal development is observed through the use of a grammar and vocabulary level test and the use of the WhatsApp application respectively. Sixty students taking a B1 English course at the language centre of a Spanish university were studied. A mixed methods methodology was used to analyse the differences between two pre-existing groups (control and experimental), each consisting of 30 participants. Both groups received the same tuition and content, and students in the experimental group participated in a daily conversation in the application during a five-month period where negative feedback was provided by the teacher through the use of an inventory of prompts, from most implicit to most explicit. Throughout the research, pedagogical mobile-mediated DA became a central part of the students’ learning process, extending learning beyond the in-class time and becoming a constant source of L2 input and feedback. Moreover, results indicated that DA and dialogic mediation helped students reflect on their language performance, gradually requiring less explicit feedback and metalinguistic explanations.