VR in Education

By: Elaine Jiang

Outline

During the 1980s, interest in virtual reality shifted from the field of entertainment to the education field. VR technology in education began in the early 1990s, but there were several concerns about integrating VR with education:

  1. Cost of obtaining and maintaining VR devices

  2. Physical and psychological discomforts that users may experience

  3. Time it takes to actually learn in virtual environments

To address these concerns, many studies were conducted to evaluate whether VR truly enhances student learning. Lee (1999) conducted a meta-analysis of 19 studies and found a positive impact of using simulation on learning outcomes. Sitzman (2011) discovered that games and simulations in VR environments improved work-related knowledge and skills.1

Overall, VR technology in instruction is becoming more popular, especially as AR/VR software become more sophisticated as well as more accessible.

Table of Contents

This is a page of descriptions, aims, current projects, and the contact information of academic research labs focusing on the intersection of VR/AR and education.

This page leads to several VR/AR education software that represent the most popular and most well-reviewed software.

Sources

1 Merchant, Z., E.T. Goetz, L. Cifuentes, W. Keeney-Kennicutt, and T.J. Davis. 2014. "Effectiveness of virtual reality-based instruction on students' learning outcomes in K-12 and higher education: A meta-analysis." Computers & Education 70: 29-40. doi: 10.1016/j.compedu.2013.07.033.