SACM - United Kingdom
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://drepo.sdl.edu.sa/handle/20.500.14154/9667
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Item Restricted Implementation of the Metaverse for Tourism Education and Training in Saudi Arabia(Bournemouth University, 2024-07-10) Aldawsari, Rawabi; Buhalis, DimitriosBackground: The rapid advancement of virtual reality technologies, particularly the Metaverse, offers transformative potentials for various sectors. In Saudi Arabia, aligning with Vision 2030’s emphasis on technological innovation, there is a growing interest in leveraging these technologies to enhance the education and training in tourism sector. This study investigates the adoption of Metaverse technologies in these areas, focusing on their potential to revolutionise traditional practices and contribute to economic diversification. Aims: The primary aim of this research is to analyse the perceptions and experiences associated with implementing Metaverse technologies in Saudi Arabia’s tourism and education sectors. It seeks to identify the benefits and challenges of Metaverse adoption and propose a framework that facilitates its integration into tourism training and educational practices. Methods: Employing a qualitative research methodology, this study involved conducting semi-structured interviews with 45 participants, including faculty members and students from Saudi universities. The interviews were designed to gather in-depth insights into the participants' views on the Metaverse, its applicability in education and tourism, and the factors influencing its adoption. Data were analysed through thematic analysis, allowing for the extraction of significant themes related to the main understanding of this technology, its benefits, its challenges, and the strategic applications of Metaverse technologies. Results: This study's findings show that the participants in Saudi Arabia have a huge understanding of the concept. However, their understanding is associated strongly with their interest and experience as the students are more knowledgeable about gaming while the instructors know the function of such technologies with the training and the education. The other finding is associated mainly with the practical implications for the adoption of Metaverse technologies. Several advantages of Metaverse integration have been found to include having a sufficient cost to be implemented, connecting the participants globally, allowing for cultural exchange, enhancing engagement and interactivity in learning environments, personalizing educational experiences, developing career opportunities, engaging with technology-savvy generations, developing individual learning skills, and having broader accessibility for remote learners. On the other hand, there are other challenges associated with using the Metaverse, including the high costs associated with technology setup, the complexity of the technological infrastructure required, ethical and societal considerations and resistance to change among traditional educational and tourism institutions. These presented challenges have been opposed with different strategies to be solved, which has resulted in the development of a framework. This framework could be adopted to ensure the positive outcome from implementing the Metaverse in the tourism and education sectors. Conclusions: The study underscores the potential of Metaverse technologies to significantly impact Saudi Arabia's educational and tourism sectors positively. However, successful implementation requires overcoming considerable barriers. The proposed adoption framework aims to guide stakeholders, including policymakers and educational leaders, in navigating these challenges, fostering an environment conducive to technological integration, and ultimately supporting the nation's strategic goals under Vision 2030.45 0Item Restricted Knowledge, perceptions and views of Occupational Therapists towards the use of Virtual Reality for the management of Musculoskeletal conditions: a cross sectional survey(Saudi Digital Library, 2023-12-01) Bin Shalhoub, Sara; Snow, Peter; Tehrany, RokhsanehBackground Musculoskeletal (MSK) disorders are the leading cause of disability around the world. Occupational therapists (OTs) are part of the multidisciplinary team and have a vital role in the management of these conditions. Virtual reality (VR) is an emerging technology that demonstrated positive outcomes for managing pain and other different medical conditions. With its growing interest towards the intervention, the use of VR as a treatment intervention for musculoskeletal conditions is increasing. Since OTs might play a role in the delivery of VR interventions for the management of MSK conditions in the future, research is required to understand the current level of knowledge, experience and views of occupational therapy workforce about using the technology in MSK settings. Aims The aim of the study was to explore the knowledge, perception and views of OTs towards using VR interventions for the management of MSK conditions. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study that involved the collection data through an online survey questionnaire via Microsoft Forms, which was disseminated through social media platforms. Participants were eligible to participate if they were OTs, support workers or students from any clinical, research or leadership background, as the study was interested in obtaining all views. The questionnaire included up to 26 questions which collected data on demographics, and asked participants to rate their perceived views, knowledge and experience according to a 5-point Likert scale. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics. Results: In total, (65) responses were received from participants from Saudi Arabia (n= 46). United States (n= 10), Poland (n= 6), United Kingdom (n= 3) The majority of participants were clinicians (n= 37, 43%), where just under a third worked in a Higher Education Institute (n= 20, 31%). Overall, OTs reported having limited knowledge on the use of VR interventions for the management of MSK conditions, although there was a greater awareness about their use for managing neurological conditions. Arthritis was the most anticipated MSK condition by OTs to benefit from VR in rehabilitation (n=10) followed by upper limbs injury (n= 8). Only (29%) of participants reported using VR as an intervention. The majority of respondents expressed their willingness to engage with VR training (91%) and deliver VR for pain and MSK management (87%). The cost of purchase was viewed as the most important barrier (49%) to implementing VR to MSK settings followed by patient’s acceptability (48%). Summary and Conclusions: Despite the limited knowledge OTs have surrounding VR interventions for the management of MSK conditions, the majority of OTs were open to developing their skills and knowledge, and being involved in their delivery in the future. Multiple barriers to implanting VR interventions within the MSK setting also exist, they need to be taken into consideration when designing/evaluating interventions in the future. It is recommended that future research focus on the roles and experiences of OTs in delivering VR interventions for MSK conditions management as there is a lack of well-designed trials on the topic.34 0Item Restricted Development of Immersive Virtual Reality Intervention for Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain: Mixed-Methods Study(Saudi Digital Library, 2023-10-05) Astek, Anfal; Sheeran, Liba; Sparkes, ValerieBackground: Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is a leading cause of disability worldwide. Immersive virtual reality (IVR) enables interaction with virtual environments (VE) via a head-mounted display (HMD) and is widely used for chronic pain (CP) management, however with little pre-development investigation, and its effectiveness for CP/CLBP management is inconclusive. Therefore, this thesis aims to adopt the Medical Research Council Framework to inform IVR development and implementation for CLBP management. Methods: Three parts were conducted, using mixed-methods design: Part 1: a scoping review to map underpinning theories of IVR mechanisms of action in CP management and key features including software and dose. Part 2 engaged global stakeholders (healthcare practitioners and technology developers) to understand the use of IVR in CP management, adopting a sequential-explanatory study of two phases, Phase 1: an online survey, which informed Phase 2, online interviews with a subset of surveyed stakeholders. Part 3: online focus groups explored physiotherapists’ opinions regarding IVR for CLBP management. Results: Part 1: several IVR mechanisms were noted, with little theoretical basis. Customised software was frequently used, with diverse HMDs, and no optimal dose consensus. Implementation in a clinical setting was common, with adverse effects of motion sickness and HMD discomfort being noted. Part 2: the perceived IVR benefits for CP included combatting fear of movement, with VE personalisation to patient needs and culture being critical. To avoid risks, pre-screening, the initial session being a supervised clinic session, and gradual dose build-up were recommended. Part 3: IVR was viewed as suitable for CLBP patients with low motivation to exercise, however, skills’ transferability to the real world and fall risk were concerns. Part 2 and 3 found cost, practitioner acceptance, and training critical to IVR adoption. Conclusion and future implications: IVR might be a valuable alternative treatment for CLBP patients. Future work is needed to establish an effective working mechanism reflecting on CLBP heterogeneity. Personalisation, safety, workforce training, financial resources, and collaboration between practitioners, technology developers, and patients are key considerations.28 0