What is VR in Education?
Virtual Reality (VR) is an incredible tool that educators can use to unlock engaging learning opportunities for students. VR enables users to experience any environment you can imagine without even having to leave the room. From walking the streets of Rome in Google Earth VR to debating government proposals in CivicsVR, there’s an abundance of educational VR experiences that teachers can use to boost learning outcomes.
You may have also heard about Augmented Reality (AR). AR, typically accessed through a smartphone, uses the device’s camera to overlay 3D objects on top of real objects. It’s important to note that VR, which instead involves wearing a headset to block out the real world and enter a simulated environment, is different to AR, although both can provide benefits for education.
Limitations of Traditional Teaching Methods
Although traditional teaching methods are still necessary, they have limitations that many teachers struggle to solve:
Budget and time constraints
Budget and time constraints can make it difficult for teachers to give their students practical learning experiences. Excursions can cost thousands of dollars, and often require heavy logistical planning to execute.
Limited student engagement
A key limitation of traditional teaching methods is that, more often than not, students are passive learners. This means that they are only receiving information rather than being active participants.
Limited technology use
Modern technology such as VR has boundless potential for classroom learning. However, traditional teaching methods often fail to leverage these technologies. In the 21st century, it is essential for students to learn digital skills for their careers.
Doesn’t cater to individual learning
Teaching shouldn’t be viewed as a one-size-fits-all approach. Unfortunately, traditional teaching methods such as textbooks and exams are inadequate for catering to different students’ learning styles.
Difficult to link theory with real-world applications
Students struggle to understand the link between classroom theory and real-world applications. As mentioned previously, traditional methods often utilise passive learning which is insufficient for developing this connection in the minds of students.
Top Benefits of VR in Education
Virtual Reality is the perfect solution for every limitation mentioned above and many more!
Students learn by doing
VR enables experiential learning as students are required to actively participate. Science practicals, exploring space, and interactive excursions are all possible without even having to leave the classroom!
According to Marougkas et al. (2023), VR enables students to actively engage with scenarios that can be difficult or impossible to replicate in a classroom setting. These experiences encourage students to reflect on their experiences, improve understanding of new information, and encourage innovative problem-solving approaches.
For example, with Reality Bytes, students at Riverdale Primary School went on a VR trip to outer space to support their ‘Our Place, Our Planet’ learning module. “It’s really good for the students to be able to link their learning to a positive experience” said their teacher.
Industry-level VR headsets such as the Meta Quest 3S are now available for less than $500 AUD and there’s an abundance of free/cheap educational experiences available for educators to download.
As such, VR is the perfect way for teachers to circumvent budget/time constraints for excursions, and enabling active learning that increases student engagement and helps students to link their learnings with real-world applications.
Educational VR programs such as Headset Heroes teach students how to develop their own VR experiences. This is one of the most exciting applications of VR in education, as it can be applied to any subject area. From developing green cities informed by the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, to displaying their own artworks in VR art galleries, Headset Heroes is the ultimate way to engage students.
Increased engagement and motivation
VR is proven to increase student engagement and motivation when used in the classroom.
According to a study published in the journal of Computers & Education, students’ course performance was significantly better when learning was gamified as opposed to nongamified (Tsay et al., 2018).
As facilitators at South Australia’s largest science education expo, Science Alive, Reality Bytes observed outstanding engagement from hundreds of students eager to jump inside VR headsets to learn about the ecosystem.
“It’s immersive. They can form empathy for things we couldn’t possibly take them on an excursion for because of budget limitations, time, and effort,” said teacher-influencer Rachel Toyer in a Reality Bytes Media interview. “They can have that genuine emotional connection with the world through virtual reality. It’s incredible!”
Furthermore, thanks to recent innovations in AI, VR applications such as CivicsVR provide students and teachers with real-time personalised feedback. This enables learning environments that adapt to each student’s needs.
Accessibility and Inclusivity
According to Chalkiadakis et al. (2024), integrating emerging technologies such as VR and AI in the classroom has the potential to create outstanding benefits for students with disabilities. The study outlines major benefits including:
- Enhanced engagement
- More accessible educational settings
- Facilitation of personalised learning
In an educational VR session run by Reality Bytes in collaboration with the Commissioner for Children and Young People, students learned about Civics & Citizenship through CivicsVR. The results of this session illuminated potential benefits of VR & AI learning for students with disabilities:
“This is better than a test. As someone who suffers from dyslexia, I like that it is similar to a multimodal assignment. It engages my strength in talking, and I don’t have to write.” — Kai, Year 10
Headset Heroes also highlights the potential benefits of educational VR for neurodivergent students. Headset Heroes is a VR workshop series run by Reality Bytes in collaboration with schools, councils, and other organisations to teach students how to develop their own VR experiences.
“I wanted to be able to give our neurodivergent kids a chance to hone in their skills and interests. They were so keen to go, they were so creative. They were interested in the software being used, and the impacts of seeing their creation on the VR afterwards gave them a real sense of purpose and accomplishment.” — Paula Kirk-Clarke, Director of Welcome All Families
Real-World Examples of VR in Education
There are many impactful examples of VR integration in the classroom.
Headset Heroes
As mentioned previously, Headset Heroes is an immersive workshop series run by Reality Bytes Media and a example of how VR can be seamlessly integrated in the classroom.
For instance, a Headset Heroes session run in collaboration with Valley View Secondary School taught year 9-11 art students how to develop their own VR art galleries. Students exhibited their own artworks such as sculptures, paintings, and photographs in these virtual art galleries to be assessed.
Another immersive tech program run for year 7 students from Mawson Lakes School, Parafield Gardens High School, and Riverdale Primary School combined VR development with 360 photography. To create a sense of purpose, students also learned about career pathways in immersive tech.
Google Earth VR
Google Earth VR takes excursions to new heights enabling students to fly anywhere in the world and walk around. Drawing upon data from Google Earth and Google Street View, Google Earth VR is the perfect immersive tool for teachers who want to take their students on an international excursion.
CivicsVR
CivicsVR is a cutting-edge VR application that combines VR with AI to transform civics education into an immersive, participatory activity. Students enter a virtual chamber where they speak aloud to debate proposals and respond to AI opponents, who generate their own arguments and challenge student reasoning.
AI councillors vote on motions based on the debate, while a virtual AI moderator guides the discussion and provides tailored feedback to help students refine their speaking and reasoning skills.
Inspired by the Civics & Citizenship curriculum and competitive debating, CivicsVR bridges classroom learning with practical, experiential engagement.
To date, students have engaged with CivicsVR through workshops delivered in partnership with the South Australian Commissioner for Children and Young People and Hills Christian Community School.
There is increasing interest from schools in incorporating CivicsVR into their humanities, civics & citizenship classes, as well as debating programs.
CivicsVR is still in early development, but educators can get in touch with the developers to learn more about how they can integrate it in their classrooms.
Challenges and Limitations
Costs and Infrastructure
Costs are a common barrier faced by educators trying to integrate VR in the classroom. Many schools have been required to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars to build VR spaces, which is simply inaccessible for most institutions.
However, thanks to recent advancements in VR technology, industry-level headsets such as the Meta Quest 3S are now available for less than $500 AUD each. When equipped with appropriate lesson plans, teachers may only need 1-5 headsets to achieve successful VR integration in the classroom.
For educators looking to completely avoid investing in and setting up VR headsets, VR companies such as Reality Bytes can be hired to bring ready-to-go VR to your classroom. As part of their packages, experienced facilitators run sessions that seamlessly integrate with teachers’ existing learning goals.
Content Availability
Another concern faced by teachers is whether there are enough existing VR applications to use.
There is also a lack of standardised educational VR content, and teachers often need to be upskilled for successful integration of VR in education.
We highly recommend getting in touch with educational VR companies such as Reality Bytes who have experience guiding schools through successful VR adoption. They even offer custom VR app development to fill existing content gaps.
Furthermore, for educators with Meta Quest headsets, the Meta Quest Store has thousands of educational VR apps available and a continuous stream of new experiences being released.
AI Ethical Concerns
For VR experiences that incorporate AI, there are concerns regarding data privacy. VR + AI apps such as CivicsVR address these concerns through ensuring no personal student data is collected. Through collaborating with experts in AI education, the app is designed to comply with AI ethics regulations
Getting Started with VR in Education
How educators can pilot VR
Partnering with an educational VR company is a cost-effective and low-risk way for educators to pilot VR in their classrooms.
Companies such as Reality Bytes work directly with educators to design VR programs that can seamlessly integrate and support existing learning modules. As part of these programs, they facilitate incursions, bringing their own VR headsets to classrooms.
If you’re interested to pilot VR in this way, get in touch with the Reality Bytes team to discuss your goals.
Recommended VR hardware and tools
If you’re ready to invest in VR headsets, we recommend the Meta Quest 3S as the way to go. You can purchase these for $500AUD per unit.
The Meta Quest store has thousands of experiences to browse. Need help finding the right app? Get in touch with Reality Bytes for assistance.
References
Chalkiadakis, A., Seremetaki, A., Kanellou, A., Kallishi, M., Morfopoulou, A., Moraitaki, M. and Mastrokoukou, S., 2024. Impact of artificial intelligence and virtual reality on educational inclusion: A systematic review of technologies supporting students with disabilities. Education Sciences, 14(11), p.1223.
Marougkas, A., Troussas, C., Krouska, A. and Sgouropoulou, C., 2023. Virtual reality in education: a review of learning theories, approaches and methodologies for the last decade. Electronics, 12(13), p.2832.
Tsay, C.H.H., Kofinas, A. and Luo, J., 2018. Enhancing student learning experience with technology-mediated gamification: An empirical study. Computers & Education, 121, pp.1-17.
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