UTAR explores innovative VR applications in pharmacy education

Virtual reality (VR) technology now serves multiple industries, including medical education, engineering training, creative industries, and educational settings. In higher education, VR bridges classroom learning with real-world experience, making it an effective educational tool that enhances student motivation and knowledge retention. 

On 26 August 2025, the Centre for Immersive Technology and Creativity, together with the Faculty of Creative Industries at UTAR, hosted a webinar titled Enhancing Practical Competencies in Pharmacy with Virtual Reality Technology via Microsoft Teams. The event attracted 31 participants, including students, academics, researchers, and members of the public interested in technology. 

The session was presented by Dr Jim Chai from the University of Malaya, an experienced educational innovator and researcher. Dr Chai explained the rationale behind creating a VR platform for pharmacy education, demonstrating how it addresses training gaps between theoretical knowledge and practical application through an immersive learning environment. 

Importantly, he highlighted the challenges encountered during the design and evaluation stages of the VR platform, while offering valuable advice for educational institutions seeking to adopt similar strategies. He emphasised that advanced technologies such as VR should be incorporated into academic programmes as they respond to the evolving demands of healthcare education. The one-hour session concluded with an engaging question-and-answer session, where participants inquired about VR’s educational value, student engagement, assessment methods, and potential programme implementation. The interactive discussion reflected strong academic community interest in advancing educational technology.