The Use of Virtual Reality Technologies in Education

Immersive technologies (ImT) are becoming more and more widespread in the R&D sector and more often in the academic agenda of higher education. The paper provides a systematic overview of the educational practices of Russian universities in the use of ImT in teaching. The study focuses on the institutional and didactic aspects of the ImT in Russian higher education. We interviewed representatives of Russian universities (N=16). The study presents the role of immersive educational technologies in the structure of an academic course and outlines the prospects for their further application. The cases of Russian universities evidence that immersive educational technologies are slowly finding their niche in higher and postgraduate education as a learning tool. Providing immersion of students in the real conditions of professional skills application, immersive educational products are designed to practice the algorithms of operations in standard and non-standard situations of their (future) occupations individually. Without changing the didactic structure of the academic course, immersive educational products occupy a place between the theoretical part and training practice. The authors conclude that immersive educational products have a great potential for development in terms of the visualization quality of educational material, integration of multimodal mode for group work, improvement of assessment scales and соnsideration of learning analytics. Given a range of positive effects (motivational, psychological, topological, developmental), the future of ImT in higher education depends on the legal regulation of their use in education, their availability to higher education institutions and the motivation of university teachers.

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Immersive learning platforms: analyzing virtual reality contribution to competence development in higher education—a systematic literature review

Cabrera-Duffaut,

Pinto-Llorente,

Iglesias-Rodríguez

2024

Front. Educ.

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BackgroundThis study evaluates the effectiveness and pedagogical integration of Virtual Reality (VR), exploring its application in various educational contexts. In this systematic literature review, the role of virtual reality in enhancing competency development within higher education is examined.MethodsThe search was conducted in two databases (Scopus and Web of Science) following the PRISMA method guidelines. Inclusion criteria were limited to studies that used virtual reality as a tool within the classroom, analyzing the competencies developed through its application.ResultsOut of the 1,671 articles retrieved, 61 full texts were selected for review, resulting in 27 academic articles published in the last five years. The findings highlight the capacity of virtual reality to foster interpersonal skills while simultaneously addressing the challenges of its integration.DiscussionThe adoption of Virtual Reality (VR) in higher education is notable for its immersive learning experiences. Despite VR’s significant contribution to education, its widespread integration faces challenges, including the high costs of VR technology and the lack of specialized educational software, which limits its accessibility across various academic disciplines.ConclusionThe advent of global technological advancements has unveiled numerous opportunities within the educational sector, with VR emerging as a transformative technology that offers immersive learning experiences, propelling educational methodologies beyond traditional boundaries. Through this SLR, it becomes evident that the application of VR in education transcends mere knowledge transfer, facilitating the development of critical competencies.Systematic review registrationhttp://bit.ly/3SyKPhv.

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The Use of Virtual Reality Technologies in Education

Cited by 3 publications

References 12 publications

Exploring Virtual Collaboration Platforms for Product Design Courses: A Preliminary Evaluation Study

Exploring Virtual Collaboration Platforms for Product Design Courses: A Preliminary Evaluation Study

Immersive Technologies in the Educational Practice of Russian Universities

Immersive learning platforms: analyzing virtual reality contribution to competence development in higher education—a systematic literature review

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