Exploring Virtual Reality in the Higher Education Classroom: Using VR to Build Knowledge and Understanding

Abstract

irtual reality (VR), as an informative medium, possesses the potential to engage students with immersive, interactive, and informative experiences. When presented in VR, immersive virtual environments (IVEs) can provide three-dimensional visual simulations that can be used to inform students about concepts in specific contexts that would be near impossible to achieve with more traditional teaching methodologies. It is proposed that existing learning frameworks can benefit from exploring the modalities of interaction that are presently afforded via VR from the experiential perspectives of the students. An evaluation is presented that focused on the appraisal of student experiences of immersive technologies as applied in a higher education context, specifically in the use of VR for the exploration of geomorphology theory by physical geography students. This research supports further development of the immersive learning discipline from three different perspectives. First, an empathy mapping method was applied to visualize student experiences and externalize our observed knowledge of student users for creating a shared understanding of their needs and to aid in lesson planning decision making when using VR in the classroom. Second, student experiences were captured using a technology-focused user experience questionnaire to obtain student attitudes immediately post-task. Finally, to assist teachers with the creation of a student-centered lesson plans that incorporate VR in the classroom, eight heuristic guidelines (focus, provocation, stimulation, collaboration, control, digital life, learner skills, multimodal experience) were developed. It is proposed that these findings can be used to provide support for the use of mixed reality and immersive virtual environments in learning that encompass the challenges faced by students and the interdisciplinary education community at large.

Metaverse-Powered Experiential Situational English-Teaching Design: An Emotion-Based Analysis Method

“…In Tang (2021) , the author studied the application of VR technology in college physical education and discussed the role of VR technology in improving the quality of physical education. In Young et al (2020) , the authors evaluated students’ experience of applying immersive technology in a higher education environment, especially in physical geography students’ exploration of geomorphology theory using VR. Based on the VR education platform, in Zhang et al (2020) , the authors clarified the importance and some disadvantages of education under the traditional education mode.…”

Analyzing the Use of Heuristics in a Virtual Reality Learning Context: A Literature Review

“…In two of the reviewed articles [17,28], the focus was to develop new heuristics, as both argued that there was a need for more domain-specific heuristics. While common Nielsen's 10 usability heuristics [23] are used as the de facto standard in the process of heuristic evaluation, ref.…”

“…As mentioned, the authors of [17] were not the only ones to develop a new set of heuristics to evaluate usability. In the study by [28], the authors first evaluated students' experiences with virtual reality learning, and the students expressed an overall positive response to the technology, both regarding the hedonistic and pragmatic effects. Based on the results of the evaluation, literature, and previous research, the authors developed a framework specifically meant for teachers as to how to create student-centered lesson plans that incorporate VR in the classroom.…”

“…Based on the results of the evaluation, literature, and previous research, the authors developed a framework specifically meant for teachers as to how to create student-centered lesson plans that incorporate VR in the classroom. This framework contained eight heuristics: focus, provocation, simulation, collaboration, control, digital life, skills, and multimodal experience [28]. Similarly, the authors of [31] created their own set of heuristics that focused on evaluating the technological and pedagogical knowledge that the teacher implements plus the content knowledge of the material being delivered through the VR experience.…”

Geography Education in a Collaborative Virtual Environment: A Qualitative Study on Geography Teachers

“…However, this technology undoubtedly enables the expansion of educational opportunities [22]. Research of virtual environments in education also specifically focuses on geography and understanding its complex natural phenomena [23][24][25]. The potential benefits of immersive technologies can be found, for example, in the study of Philips et al [26], who examined the usage of immersive 3D geovisualization.…”