Virtual Reality (VR) technology is becoming more accessible to the masses and with its untold potential as an educational conduit VR makes for a very exciting option for academic staff and students.
Here are a few reasons why VR can enhance classroom learning and change the way we learn.
VR is completely immersive. It takes the student from the classroom to a completely new environment by just putting on a headset or using a computer. This immersion can encourage learning that is more active, blocking out other classroom distractions and forcing students to interact with the environment.
Collaboration, teamwork and problem solving have always been a big focus within a classroom environment no matter what study level you are at. VR is a great tool to develop empathy by allowing students to step in someone else’s shoes with the help of additional content such as sights and sounds of an experience and or setting. This can be particularly beneficial when exposing students to different cultures, helping them understand unique situations across the world.
VR in the classroom allows students from every background and capability the opportunity to explore and engage. Many educational facilities have been taking full advantage of the ability to take students out of the walls of the classroom to places that would be too costly or even dangerous in the real world, by using VR technology. For example, in particular many special needs classes who would otherwise not go on field trips without extensive provisions in place can now enjoy the same educational experience as their mainstream peers by using VR. Popping on a headset and being able to travel to Rome or an archaeological dig site and interact within that environment gives a significantly more enhanced learning experience than watching videos or reading text. You can also “time travel” to key events or places of the past, again being part of the environment rather than just reading about it.
Technologies such as science labs or complicated machinery are great tools to allow students to understand how things work based on practical experience. Unfortunately, these experiences also often come with a high price tag, risk and there is a limit to the number of things that the students can do. A VR device can act as a whole science lab with the ability to reset and make mistakes with no cost or risk involved.
Everyone knows that people learn best by doing. VR is a great way to provide an experience anchor to the instruction. Instead of reading about how you might do something in a hypothetical situation, students can actually test out theories and knowledge learned within a controlled safe environment. Students have the opportunity to learn by doing rather than passively reading copious amounts of text. This is particularly helpful for people who are visual learners and need to see complex functions or mechanics in order to comprehend how it works.
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