What Place for VR in Education?

As digital solutions continue to address ever more numerous issues, VR training is garnering much attention. Originally confined to the world of video games, virtual reality is now finding its rightful place in various sectors, including inside the classroom where it allows for a more active approach to teaching. Immersive learning is becoming more widely represented in education and appears as a playful yet effective alternative to lecture courses.

VR Training Challenges the Status Quo in Education

The education sector has been showing its interest in virtual reality and augmented reality for several years now, particularly in the United States. In Europe, VR training is also starting to attract much demand, especially on the part of businesses who use it to train their associates in real-life conditions. What makes this solution so original and effective is the exceptional level or realism that its learning situations offer without implying any of the material, geographical, or security constraints such workshops typically demand. Here, you can see more about what a virtual campus is and find out about its concrete applications. The possibilities are truly endless.

Immersive learning – which is the technique at play in VR training – inscribes learning within a paradigm profoundly different from what traditional teaching methods usually offer. The students are transported into a digital, fully interactive environment where their actions have the exact same consequences as they do in the real world. In other words, it is possible to imagine an infinity of scenarios and simulations to let them discover ancient civilisations or their future workplace, as well as any equipment they will need to know how to operate. Indeed, in a virtual universe, mistakes constitute a learning opportunity rather than a potentially dangerous accident. More specifically, anyone can learn how to use expert tooling without worrying about the consequences of improper handling. Training to master professional acts by reproducing them without stress allows students to retain the information more effectively.

Thanks to VR training, instructors have a chance to move away from theoretical education and to focus on the skills themselves. Yet, they can rest assured that the key notions are introduced following a well-designed educational logic. They even have reliable means at their disposal to measure their students’ progress. The format lends itself to competence assessment quite naturally, since the participants are required to perform actions correctly in order to reach the next level.

Towards Technological Transformation for Teaching Methods?

The process of digitisation, which was initiated some years ago, has progressed exponentially over the course of 2020. VR training inscribes itself within this mindset, since it relies on the very digital tools that allow students to no longer be dependent on any location. Thanks to a VR headset or to a simple computer or tablet, participants can access the learning space from just about anywhere. They can also communicate with other users for a collaborative learning experience.

For training organisations, this solution can be rolled out cheaply, as any environment may be recreated without dedicating physical locations or equipment to it. It also has the merit of being infinitely scalable. Once a module is developed, any student who needs to access it is able to do so regardless of whether they are present on site or on the other side of the planet.

Active pedagogy technologies are perfectly in line with security objectives when it comes to training. Thus, VR learning will contribute to producing young talents who understand the risks associated with their profession. It will therefore reduce the number of accidents in a wide array of sectors.