Nursing students pilot virtual reality training at Cyprus University of Technology

In March 2026, sixth-semester nursing students from the Cyprus University of Technology (CUT) participated in a pilot program for the PeDXR (Extended Reality Learning Framework for Pediatric Nursing Students) project. The initiative was led by Principal Investigator Dr. Christiana Nicolaou, an Assistant Professor at the Department of Nursing. Alongside research associate Ioanna Pieri, Dr. Nicolaou presented the theoretical framework behind the project's virtual reality scenarios. The training featured two scenarios focused on family-centered care for children with diabetes mellitus: one regarding communication skills for gathering medical histories and another on educating parents about capillary blood glucose monitoring. IT supervisor Christos Aristotelous from CUTing Edge provided a practical demonstration on platform navigation and simulation exercises. Following the demonstration, students engaged in hands-on testing of the virtual reality environment. The project is supported by the Erasmus+ program.