The learning innovation I decided to explore is virtual reality (VR) in education. I have become fascinated by VR and hope to find ways to incorporate the technology into my own practice in the future. Virtual reality is a technology that immerses users in a virtual environment, making them feel as though they are there (Wohlgenannt et al., 2020). It involves using a head-mounted display (HMD), enabling users to block out the real world and submerge into a virtual world. Although VR technology has been popular in video games recently, it has also become a growing educational trend. Further, Vesisenaho et al. (2019) state that VR provides a platform that allows users to engage in activities without putting themselves, others, or the environment in danger and enables them to engage in phenomena to which there is typically little to no access. This can provide students with an experiential learning experience and bring them closer to their learning content (Radianti et al., 2020). Researchers have identified potential issues with VR that may affect its use in schools, including its high costs. However, Luo et al. (2021) claim that many past concerns and restrictions can now be resolved due to technological advancements and decreased costs. This could increase the likelihood and appeal of VR being used in classroom settings in the future. However, there are still some concerns about incorporating VR into schools. Some challenges that transpire due to VR are “motion sickness, rendering speed and underestimated depth feel caused by hardware, software and human physical or perceptual limitations” (Chong et al., 2021, p. 15). These limitations must be addressed to accommodate the needs of all learners. Unfortunately, little research has been done to determine what is needed to use and incorporate complicated technologies, like VR, into classrooms (Vesisenaho et al., 2019). Overall, VR seems to be a promising learning innovation, but more research must be done on how it can be properly implemented into a teaching curriculum.
References
Chong, H. T., Lim, C. K., Ahmed, M. F., Tan, K. L., & Mokhtar, M. B. (2021). Virtual reality usability and accessibility for cultural heritage practices: Challenges mapping and recommendations. Electronics, 10(12). https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics10121430
Luo, H., Li, G., Feng, Q., Yang, Y., & Zuo, M. (2021). Virtual reality in k-12 and higher education: a systematic review of the literature from 2000 to 2019. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 37(3), 887–901. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12538
Radianti, J., Majchrzak, T. A., Fromm, J., & Wohlgenannt, I. (2020). A systematic review of immersive virtual reality applications for higher education: Design elements, lessons learned, and research agenda. Computers & Education, 147. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2019.103778
Wohlgenannt, I., Simons, A., & Stieglitz, S. (2020). Virtual reality. Business & Information Systems Engineering, 62(5), 455–461. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12599-020-00658-9
Vesisenaho, M., Juntunen, M., Häkkinen Päivi, Pöysä-Tarhonen Johanna, Fagerlund, J., Miakush, I., & Parviainen, T. (2019). Virtual reality in education: focus on the role of emotions and physiological reactivity. Journal for Virtual Worlds Research, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.4101/jvwr.v12i1.7329
December 30, 2022 at 6:40 pm
Great post Giulia. I also explored virtual reality (VR) but from a medical education perspective. One of the biggest risks I found was in regard to the ability of outsiders to potentially hack the system and connect with users in the VR space. This was a bit frightening at first thought, but after thinking more about it, I suppose it is no different than the possibility of people tapping into an online chat room or even a zoom session. What are your thoughts about that potential risk for your students? And perhaps how would you present mitigation of this risk to your organization?
December 31, 2022 at 7:18 am
Thank you Rebecca. I found that majority of the literature I was seeing when exploring virtual reality (VR) was surprisingly in a medical context. I can certainly see how the risk of hacking in a VR learning environment can be a concern. I think the only risk it can pose in my post-secondary, broadcast context would the distraction it may cause for the students in their learning. However, I can see how this may pose greater risks in a medical educational context.
January 2, 2023 at 2:51 pm
This post feels unsituated to me, when you see classrooms do you mean of any age, K!2 /PSI? Some examples would enhance this piece where you say “Vesisenaho et al. (2019) state that VR provides a platform that allows users to engage in activities without putting themselves, others, or the environment in danger and enables them to engage in phenomena to which there is typically little to no access.” The challenges and limitations should be their own paragragh and could be clearer with limiting them to a particular context. You are certainly on the right track, this is a valuable education innovation.