The dynamics of everyday life are changing – constantly. And increasingly rapidly. Political and ecological changes, crises and scandals as well as technological quantum leaps are bombarding us day after day. Many people are therefore afraid of being left behind, of not being able to keep up. One approach to compensating for the increasing speed of current events is to adapt education policy – but is this really happening?
The digitalization of learning is a central issue in global education policy. Or so you would think. At least in Germany, however, one gets the impression that this essential issue is being treated rather poorly. Yet the toolbox for inclusive, fair and demonstrably more effective education has long been available.
For example, virtual reality has the potential to not only intelligently supplement lessons, but also to make the way we learn more playful and therefore sustainable. Learners are being prepared for a highly digitalized future and are being made co-creators of it. AI is also increasingly being incorporated into everyday learning all over the world. But what is the global situation regarding the integration of digital teaching materials into everyday learning – and where does Germany fit in this race?
Cheating welcome: A look at South Korea is worthwhile
Countries around the world are at different stages of progress when it comes to integrating digital technologies into everyday education. According to a 2020 OECD study, investment and implementation of digital educational technologies vary greatly from country to country. Countries such as South Korea, Finland and Singapore are among the frontrunners when it comes to the active use and integration of digital tools in teaching. These countries have developed comprehensive strategies to integrate digital media, including virtual learning environments, into their education systems.
The result: significant gains in the quality of education. Countries whose education sector is highly digitalized are in the top third of the PISA study across all competencies.
It is particularly worth looking to the Far East – because in South Korea the use of high tech in schools has long been part of everyday life. Not only virtual learning environments are used, but almost exclusively digital textbooks. From 2025 onwards there will even be AI integration in order to be able to address the individual strengths and weaknesses of the students. What is striking is that our understanding of digitalization, which is essentially fed by WLAN infrastructures and smartboards, is being mercilessly overtaken here.
In Finland, more than 30 percent of schools are already using VR technologies in their lessons, while pilot projects are increasing rapidly in the USA. In Singapore, the government has invested significant resources in digital education, which has led to widespread technology acceptance and use in classrooms.
Rethinking the teacher role
With all the use of technology, the question is raised as to the extent to which not only the system must and will change, but also the profession of teaching. It is reasonable to assume that the actual role of imparting knowledge will be pushed into the background by the added value of VR, AI and the like, and that the empathetic, emotional and pedagogical flank will become equally relevant.
Germany’s position in international comparison
Unlike South Korea and Finland, Germany is highlighted in numerous reports as a laggard in the digitalization of education. The Bertelsmann Digitalization Index shows that Germany is lagging significantly behind in international comparison. The OECD underlines this and emphasizes that German schools are often inadequately equipped with digital infrastructure and teachers are not sufficiently prepared to use digital technologies.
Specifically with regard to virtual reality as a learning tool, Germany contrasts with the pioneers of the PISA study and reveals a great need to catch up – the technology is actually used by far less than 10 percent of schools.
Causes and challenges
There are many reasons for the slow approach to innovation in education. A major challenge is the inadequate digital infrastructure. Many schools are not adequately equipped with fast internet and modern computers. A survey by the Federal Association for Information Technology, Telecommunications and New Media (Bitkom) from 2023 shows that only 25 percent of German schools have the comprehensive WiFi equipment necessary for the use of VR.
Another factor is the lack of training and further education for teachers. According to a study by the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW), many teachers do not feel sufficiently prepared for the use of digital technologies. This leads to low acceptance and use of digital aids such as virtual reality in teaching.
Last but not least, the integration of new technologies is always accompanied by the question of financing and the associated bureaucratic effort. It is not uncommon for the instruments to be acquired to become outdated by the time the process from application to approval of targeted funds takes place.
Potentials and solutions
Despite many challenges, VR offers enormous potential for teaching – which should not be left unused. VR can make learning content clear, make complex processes tangible and combine learning with a playful component for more motivation and learning success.
Virtual excursions to historical sites, time travel to historical events or chemistry and physics experiments that can be reproduced as often as you like are just a few of the advantages that come with using VR.
However, comprehensive measures are required to tap the potential of VR in German schools. First of all, the digital infrastructure needs to be significantly improved. The DigitalPakt School aims to achieve exactly this, but the implementation of this measure needs to be drastically accelerated and expanded.
Furthermore, when we talk about the risk of being left behind when things are too dynamic, as mentioned at the beginning, everyone involved must be taken by the hand. This also includes the appropriate training and further education of teachers – not only to teach how to deal with technological innovations, but also to make adjustments to the didactic embedding of these in lessons.
Programs such as “Digital School NRW” offer promising approaches to prepare teachers for the challenges of digital education.
Conclusion
The integration of virtual reality into school lessons offers enormous opportunities to enrich the way students learn and to make lessons more effective. A global comparison shows that many countries have already made significant progress in the digitalization of their education systems. Germany, on the other hand, still has a lot of catching up to do.
In order not to lose touch with the frontrunners, extensive investments in digital infrastructure, increased training and further education for teachers and a strategic implementation of digital technologies in the classroom are necessary. This is the only way Germany can fully exploit the potential of VR and other digital technologies and enable its students to help shape a highly digitalized, dynamic future.
