Virtual Reality in Education

Virtual Reality has taken the world by storm and has intrigued thousands of people worldwide. The release of devices such as the Oculus Rift, Samsung Gear VR and many others have created many opportunities that enabled VR to enter the field of education.

Research shows that children remember 20% of what they hear, 30% of what they see and up to 90% of what they do, which is why VR has been such a success in education. Through VR students interact with the virtual environment and manipulate various objects enabling them to absorb more of the learning material. VR has been proven to increase students’ attention levels by up to 92%. VR provides a platform for students to learn in an innovative and exciting manner while engaging with their teachers and other class mates. 

The most successful use of VR in education is most visible in subjects such as astronomy, architecture, chemistry and biology as it displays complex data in a way that learners can understand. In the past textbooks and encyclopedias were the only teaching tools available. 

Today VR can “transport” students to various 3 dimensional places (such as outer space, the pyramids of Egypt or even the Great Barrier Reef) and significantly enhance their learning experience. VR can be fully immersive and requires the use of VR head gear and a data glove (used for interaction within the virtual environment). 

Through this amazing technology, learning is no longer limited to the classroom and can take place anywhere, it equips students with skills needed for the digital world and encourages learners to be creative. The challenges of implementing this method of learning include the high cost and time consuming nature of lesson preparation. Clearly VR has revolutionised and advanced the learning process.

Author: Tarika Patel

References:

1.   Reede, E. and Bailiff, L. (2016) When virtual reality meets education. (ONLINE)Available at: http://techcrunch.com/2016/01/23/when-virtual-reality-meets-education/ (Accessed: 27 April 2016)

2.   Gaudiosi, J. (2016) Now there’s virtual reality education. (ONLINE)Available at: http://fortune.com/2016/02/25/school-districts-teaching-through-virtual-reality/(Accessed: 1 May 2016).

3.   Reality, V. (2015) Virtual reality in the classroom - virtual reality.Available at: http://www.vrs.org.uk/virtual-reality-education/in-the-classroom.html(Accessed: 27 April 2016).

4.   Unimersiv (2015) Case study: Virtual reality in education. Available at: https://unimersiv.com/case-studies/virtual-reality-in-education.php(Accessed:  27April 2016).

5.   foradian (2015) Virtual reality: The next step to future of education - board.Available at: http://www.edtechboard.com/virtual-reality-the-next-step-to-future-of-education/(Accessed: 27 April 2016).