Virtual Reality teaching

VR teaching is an new learning resources and methods are constantly being sought to improve the transfer of information. Black chalkboards with chalk have given way to digital boards with internet connectivity, and tablets are used by students from primary school.

Although institutionalization generally do not want to use their pupils as guinea pigs, it is important to offer children education that matches their perception. They must be prepared for the future of which they will actively participate.

Now there is a lot of attention for Virtual Reality teaching, and rightly so. Not only is it a medium with a lot of potential for teaching applications, there are certainly also a number of uncertainties about the possibilities and effects on young children. Let us take a closer look at the possibilities per life phase.

Is virtual reality suitable for primary education?

A child in primary school will gain many new impressions every day. On the one hand, the young brain is able to absorb an enormous amount of new information in a very short time, and on the other hand, the brain is still developing. For example, virtual reality lenses are developed at an eye distance for adults, and young children have more difficulty distinguishing reality from fiction. The total immersion of virtual reality can therefore have undesirable side effects.

How you can use VR in primary school:

• Use VR headsets without a headband, then a child can immediately switch off the device.
• Always work in small groups, preferably under the supervision of an adult.
• Limit the time in the virtual world to a few minutes per session.
• With special software it is possible to centrally control multiple VR glasses, so the teacher can keep the presentation in his own hands.
• Work with wireless devices to prevent problems.
• Just turning around (3DoF) is sufficient, a fully spatial experience (6DoF) can be disorienting.

VR in secondary education is exactly in the “sweet spot”

High school students in the middle of puberty are perhaps the most challenging target group to learn something. They are open to new information, provided it is presented in a form that they have an affinity with. Then it is not surprising that virtual reality is hugely popular in high school.

These pupils are also the ideal target group in terms of teaching material; there is room for deepening subjects without the complexity required in higher education. Because this group of students often has a cell phone, it becomes easier than ever to give virtual homework.

How to use VR in high school:

• Match the presentations with the existing teaching material.
• Visualize geographical information or historical facts.
• Provide suggestions for free educational apps that inspire students.
• Stimulate creative thinking with productive VR apps

Higher education offers more options

If you offer lessons at HBO or university level, then the use of virtual reality is actually a must. This time, it is no longer a question of an attractive shell for largely well-known subject material, as is the case with the younger ages.

VR offers new opportunities for students to participate in the curriculum more than ever. Interactivity plays an important role in this, students are challenged to experience the theory in three dimensions. In this way, other “perspectives” can be viewed very literally from a different angle.

How you can use VR in higher education:

• Step away from the microscope and virtually blow up the world.
• Visualize complex matter with 3D models.
• Let students work together in VR with collaborative software.
• Involve students in the development of customized VR content.

VR learning offers different possibilities for each phase of life, when the correct implementation is applied per age category, virtual reality teaching can broaden the perspective of every student.