Virtual reality

The virtuality continuum (Source: M.J. Anderson, Trekk, goo.gl/7gTqk0)

The nature of VR

Virtual reality, or VR, involves a fully digitally simulated experience. This is typically achieved by the user wearing a headset and becoming immersed in a simulated environment, which might range from a 360-degree video to a virtual world or gaming environment. Headsets range from the inexpensive Google Cardboard (no longer sold by Google; see below) to the state-of-the art Apple Vision Pro, HTC Vive XR Elite, Meta Quest 3 or Microsoft Hololens 2, some of which are in fact billed as extended reality (XR) headsets which encompass both VR and augmented reality (AR).

VR is in fact quite distinct from AR, which refers to a layering of digital information onto our perceptions of reality. The continuum from reality (RE) through augmented reality (AR) and augmented virtuality (AV) (which are both examples of mixed reality, or MR) to virtual reality (VR) is shown in the diagram at the top of this page. This reality-virtuality continuum, based originally on the work of Paul Milgram and Fumio Kishino, is shown here as represented by Trekk Insights. It is however important to note that the rise of XR headsets means that VR and AR can effectively be combined on a single device, and this is likely to be the direction of future developments.

Learning with VR

VR can play a useful role in giving students simulated access to places, times, events, models and processes which they would otherwise experience less directly (for example, only seeing a two-dimensional video of a historical location, or a static three-dimensional model of a molecule). Inexpensive Google Cardboard headsets, coupled with Android phones, have been widely used in classrooms to allow students to experience immersive videos of settings outside the classroom; note that Google ceased selling Cardboard viewers in 2021, but they remain available from other manufacturers and can be purchased in online stores. Some schools, colleges and universities have begun to invest in small numbers of more expensive VR headsets or even XR headsets, which can be shared between students.

There is something of a continuum from 360-degree videos (which are immersive but typically based on real-world recordings, and which allow viewers to look around but typically only from the point of view of the camera operator) through to true VR (which is usually fully simulated, and usually allows users to move around and interact with the virtual environment in more complex ways). There is however something of a blurred area between the two ends of the spectrum.

Perhaps unsuprisingly, VR has begun to play a role in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) subjects, but it also has applications in many other subjects from history through to art. To see what is possible, check out the collection of immersive VR education videos at Virtual Reality for Education (originally for Google Cardboard); the Ancient Colosseum and The Body VR (originally for Oculus Rift); Titans of Space PLUS and Amethyst Glow – Virtual Reality Painting (originally for Oculus Quest); or What is the Virtual Plant Cell? and Nanome.

For an up-to-date list of 360-degree videos and VR software, see Penn State’s Experience Catalogue. You may also like to check out Common Sense Education’s more general Virtual Field Trip Apps and Websites; and for an overview of variations on the use of virtual reality in education, from livestreaming to scheduled guided visits, see Common Sense Education’s Virtual Field Trips Full of Learning Potential. With the availability of 360-degree cameras and 360-degree software, it has now also become possible for teachers and students to create simple 360-degree videos for each other to experience; for more details, see the videos page of this website.

For more on VR, see:

• • 10 Benefits of Virtual Reality in Education (Dmytro Dvurechenskyi/Medium, 2019)
  • 10 Best Examples of VR and AR in Education (Bernard Marr/Forbes, 2021)
  • Virtual Reality in Education (FutureLearn, 2021)
  • How to Apply Virtual Reality to Enhance Learning Experiences (Ithai Stern/THE, 2022)
  • Virtual Reality Learning (Practera, 2022)
  • The Rise of Virtual Reality (VR) in Education (Taimur H./LinkedIn, 2023)
  • What is the Future of Virtual Reality in Education? (Computeam, 2023)
  • Virtual Reality and Education Research (Virtual Reality for Education, ongoing)

Last update: August 2024.