#NallasOnVR: How Virtual Reality will Transform Education

The second post in our series that explores the wide-ranging potential of virtual reality.

Gone are the days when learning was limited to textbooks and blackboards. Education has been taking giant strides over the past decade, and the pandemic-prompted focus on virtual learning was a boost towards expanding its scope through digital technologies. While the push from in-person learning to online classes was a big shift in itself, the next big change in education may come from virtual reality. It’s poised to open up the doors to transform learning experiences.

Here are some ways in which it’s already being put to use.

Taking Students On Virtual Field Trips

Removing students from their home base and bringing them into different environments where they can experience nature, technology and culture has long been an important teaching method, albeit one with its own restrictions. Think logistics, permission slips, and most of all – geographical proximity. With VR, students can visit places they may not have the opportunity to see in person – from famous historical sites and landmarks around the world to different time periods in history, and even the reaches of outer space.

Here is an example:
The Anne Frank House in Amsterdam has built an app that lets users explore the home where Anne, her family, and seven other Jews hid during World War II. Modeled and built to be an exact replica of the home as it was in the 1940s, the VR tour can give students an up-close look at this historical story in multiple languages.

Creating Immersive Learning Experiences

Virtual reality can be used to teach complex subjects in a more engaging and hands-on manner. This is especially true for highly theoretical areas in STEM, giving students a new way to visualize what they’re learning and immerse themselves in the concepts.

Here is an example:
Nanome is an app that gives students and chemists a novel way to visualize and interact with atoms and molecules. It’s quite diverse, helping teach basic molecular design and even aiding in decision-making when it comes to new drug development.

Aiding In Language Learning

Anyone who’s tried to learn a new language will know that it takes constant practice and engagement with others to reach a level of fluency in it. VR can simulate real-world scenarios that allow students to practice their speaking and listening skills in a controlled interactive environment. By placing them in simulated situations, they can quickly pick up the language skills they need instead of what the textbooks say they should learn.

Here is an example:
Mondly VR is an app focused on foreign languages, where it places the learner in conversations with different characters in situations they are likely to find themselves in IRL.

Training People In Soft Skills

VR can be a valuable tool in upskilling people and developing their soft skills such as teamwork, leadership, and communication. Through these techniques, participants can practice their skills through multiple simulated scenarios, resulting in accelerated learning. In fact, the PwC 2022 US Metaverse Survey found that 34% of companies foresee the biggest metaverse benefit being a more effective way to train employees. The report showed that employees learned 4 times faster than through traditional means, were three times as confident in applying what they learned, and were more focused and engaged!

Coming back to young learners, VR can similarly be a great tool to help people on the spectrum with social and emotional learning.

Here is an example:
Floreo is a tool helping autistic students to practice social skills at their own pace, making them more comfortable in the real world.

Providing Accessible Learning Environments

VR can be invaluable to students with disabilities, giving them a platform to learn and have experiences they may not be able to access otherwise. Through VR, these students can be immersed in a safe, controlled environment where they can learn on the same level as other students.

Here is an example:
The SeeingVR app was developed by Microsoft in partnership with Cornell University to give VR access to the visually impaired. They even created a haptic controller working as a cane and integrating with the VR ecosystem.

Education is evolving quickly and it’s beyond any doubt that VR will create some exciting developments in this space. At the end of the day, students of any age will stand to benefit and be immersed in whatever they’re learning.

We will be writing more about the potential applications of VR for several other industries – keep an eye out for the #NallasOnVR series.

You can explore Brahmarsive, Nallas’ no-code VR platform and its benefits here.

#NallasOnVR: How Virtual Reality will Transform Education

Taking Students On Virtual Field Trips

Creating Immersive Learning Experiences

Aiding In Language Learning

Training People In Soft Skills

Providing Accessible Learning Environments

Author

Deivanai Durairaj

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