Central to this mission is the SMART Hospital, a facility dedicated to experiential learning through simulation. Within this space, the university introduced an Igloo Immersive Room to help transform what was once a simple storage space into a digital tool to help redefine rural nursing education.
The 14x14 foot space (roughly 4.5x4.5m) with wall and floor projection allows for a seamless, shared immersive experience. With four projectors for the walls and two for the floor, the space offers complete immersion, essential when displaying photographed environments as UTA often does.
Four SoundTube Entertainment CM52-BGM-II in-ceiling speakers fit sleekly into the design, allowing for crisp, clear audio to be distributed across the space equally, without compromising on design or viewing angles.
It was also crucial that the space could afford the use of large props to add further validity to student learning. UTA often use hospital beds, mannequins, and other health paraphernalia to enhance the learning experience even further.
“This space has given us the opportunity to meet outcomes that we would have otherwise never been able to.
When we have a 360-video running, the instructors can pause it and talk about the supplies and talk about the equipment and what the students are going to see when they actually go into this space.
We couldn't have done this if we didn't have this space. It's a great opportunity for us to add more feasible objectives for our students to meet before they start their clinical rotation.”
Jill Whitfill, MSN-Ed, RN
Assistant Professor of Practice
The system is used for diverse scenarios - from rural maternal care with limited resources to high-risk trauma crises. Students can engage directly with 360-degree simulations of clinical environments alongside peers and instructors, enhancing realism and group-based learning.
The impact of the Igloo on learning outcomes has been substantial. The immersive experience allows students to process anxiety-inducing clinical situations in a controlled environment, preparing them to recognise and manage complex clinical events in the real world. And, due to the lack of sophisticated medical equipment in more rural hospitals, the space gives familiarity to students who would otherwise have no exposure to it.
Because of the size of the space and the flexibility afforded by Igloo Core Engine, our software platform for immersive spaces, educators at UTA can manage a large footfall of students and cycle through hundreds of immersive scenarios, all stored on the cloud. In one particular case, UTA were able to get 200 students through a scenario in just a few days and with only one teacher and one instructor managing the session.
Additionally, the space afforded allows for the use of large props to add further validity to student learning. UTA often use hospital beds, mannequins, and other health paraphernalia to enhance the learning experience even further, creating a realistic portrayal of various nursing scenarios.
One of the added bonuses of choosing a shared immersive solution over a VR tool like a headset is greater accessibility and much reduced motion sickness. The flexibility of not requiring additional hardware has removed barriers to learning and offers a less intense immersive experience than closed-off solutions, with no nausea typically induced.
UTA use structured learning objectives for every Igloo session and follows up with detailed surveys to ensure these outcomes are met. Results from in-house surveys reveal high student satisfaction and confirmation of learning goals. Notably, students who experienced simulations of clinical sites in the Igloo reported significantly greater comfort and orientation when they visited the real locations the next day.
Digital collaboration is also a key feature, with the faculty maintaining an active network with other Igloo users, sharing ideas, content, and innovations. This community-driven approach has expanded UTA’s in-house capabilities.
The space has also caught the attention of a national audience. During InfoComm 2024, it was recognised with three HETMA awards, Best Collaboration Solution, Best Immersive Experience, and AV Project of the Year. It even earned a spot on state news channels such as the Arlington Report when it opened.
“We work very diligently to make sure that we survey the students, to make sure that we have met those objectives, those outcomes, and if not, how can we improve it? I will say so far, with all the surveys that we've done, which has been close to 200-300 surveys, our students feel like they've really gotten opportunities to meet their objectives when they enter this space because we are very cognizant of the need to make sure that it is purposeful every minute that they're in there.”
Jill Whitfill, MSN-Ed, RN
Assistant Professor of Practice
UTA’s adoption of the Igloo reflects its commitment to adapting to the digital expectations of today’s students and the technological demands of tomorrow’s healthcare systems.
The university will continue to develop new simulations tailored to rural healthcare challenges and is exploring partnerships with local hospitals to create even more immersive, real-world aligned content.
Faculty members also expressed a desire for the space to ignite a passion for other careers in healthcare, not just nursing, as they believe nursing students may be inspired to become immersive content creators or healthcare simulation leaders.
"I think the really cool thing about the Igloo specifically is that oftentimes when you use VR headsets, you get a lot of nausea. Oftentimes the students will say I need to take this off for a second and breathe. The really neat thing about the Igloo is that you can walk into it and there's no nausea typically."
Aspen Drude, MBA
“There are opportunities for students to see things that they wouldn't necessarily see when they're out in a clinical space. For example, we may have students who have a clinical rotation, and they have certain objectives that they must meet. However, they don't always get those objectives met for one reason or another. This space affords us the opportunity to have them have that experience.”
Jill Whitfill, MSN-Ed, RN
Assistant Professor of Practice
“I think students are a little awestruck. The students walk in, they're like, oh my gosh, this is so cool. Let me get my bearings.
At the end of the scenario, they're always super excited, they're like, ‘Wow, that was such a cool experience for me.’ Something that they've never done before, it's really unique.”
Aspen Drude, MBA
