Higher education takes lead in using virtual reality

June 6, 2009

NEW YORK, NY, June 6, 2009/ Troy Media/ — From the outset, most VR learning has been concentrated on the college and university levels. “Higher ed seems to be well ahead of K-12, but that will change as VR becomes more self-contained and manageable,” says Andy Petroski, director of learning technologies at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology  in Harrisburg, Pa. “While most online institutions tout their courses as VR learning, few schools offer a true immersive VR experience,” he says. “Most online courses offer two-dimensional learning with three-dimensional special effects.”

However, there are a number of institutions offering actual VR learning inCanada and the United States, most of which have adopted San Francisco- based Linden Lab’s VR technology platform used in Second Life.

Launched in 2003, Second Life is a complex multipurpose virtual-world environment that is used for wide-ranging applications such as education, entertainment, business, training, professional development, simulation, art and music.

Canadian schools that have developed and adopted this cutting-edge VR technology model include Loyalist College in Ontario and MemorialUniversity in Newfoundland. In the United States, true VR technologies have been adopted at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Vassar College, Princeton, Texas State College and Emerson College, to name a few. (Look for the upcoming feature about Second Life and how it created breakthrough VR technology that is changing the way we learn and work.)

Advantages of VR learning

Beyond the gee-whiz, cool-technology aspects of VR technology, there are irrefutable practical reasons why it continues to evolve as a powerful and pervasive educational tool.

VR learning offers many advantages over traditional brick-and-mortar learning, according to Shiv Rajendran, co-founder of London-based virtual learning institution LanguageLab.com.

LanguageLab.com has been teaching English with VR technology since 2005, boasting a student body from 50-plus countries, says Rajendran. (For a video demonstration of one of Language Lab’s classes, visithttp://www.viddler.com/explore/Languagelab/videos/18).Employing a network of teachers across the world who work from home, LanguageLab students can access courses from home, work or school. The ages of students range between 18 and 60-plus. Europeans tend to be older, Asians younger.

Online teaching methods are far more effective than traditional alternatives, Rajendran asserts. “Retention is up to 50% higher than traditional classroom courses,” he says. Aside from the convenience of studying virtually anywhere, students are not confined to teachers within their area — they could be anywhere, from Kenya to Vermont.

Other advantages of VR learning include:

Efficient training tool for teaching skilled trades. Because of the growing worldwide need for skilled workers, and the dearth of trade (vocational) schools and government and union-sponsored apprenticeship programs, a growing number of training institutions and community colleges are offering VR online courses that can be easily accessed atany time.

Meets needs of unconventional learners. Educators have found that ahybrid model that blends face-to-face learning with digital VR learning is an excellent tool for students with learning problems or disabilities.

Faster learning. LanguageLab’s Rajendran expects a lower-intermediate English speaker to move to the upper-intermediate level in two months. “This typically takes six months in a normal school,” he says. “Beginner-level students achieve in three weeks what would normally take three months.” Students typically attend LanguageLab for four to 10 hours per month. And they are not tied to a fixed timetable or teacher.

Cheaper than conventional learning methods. “At US $40 per month, students have access to up to 200 hours of instruction with a highly qualified teacher,” says Rajendran. “Typical cost in a real classroom is $25 (USD) per hour. Not having to maintain property saves us a lot of money.”

Powerful learning tool. Harrisburg U’s Petroski says, “Immersive VR experiences mimic the real world better than almost any current desktop experience.”

Excellent learning vehicle for computer-smart learners and self-starters. VR learning benefits all learners, but particularly highly motivated self-starters comfortable with computers, adds Petroski. However, learners who need the social elements of face-to-face traditional learning will be disappointed by virtual learning, and won’t fully reap its benefits, he says.

The future

VR learning is still in its developmental phase – its implications for coaching and teaching have yet to be fully explored, says Petroski. ”On another front, learning management systems and Web-conferencing tools in the future will be more about a virtual-world experience than they currently are. They are still essentially flat and text-based.”

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