Exploring the Limitations and Solutions of Virtual Reality Learning

Over the past few decades, the field of education has undergone considerable change. In the beginning, there were blackboards and chalks. Then whiteboards and dry erase pens. Today, interactive whiteboards on which animated powerpoints are displayed. Sometimes even the traditional classroom has been replaced by a virtual room allowing students access on demand.

From heavy flipcharts that were carried from classroom to classroom to versatile flat screens, the classroom environment has evolved with new technologies. While the traditional model of education has remained largely unchanged since the last century – students are still divided by age and the curriculum is divided into subjects – it has been adapted to incorporate new technologies and respond to economic, social, health and social changes. and policies.

Among the latest innovations, Virtual Reality is a technology that has emerged as a powerful learning tool, providing never-before-seen immersive experiences, making it possible to deliver high-quality training to learners of all levels, from schoolchildren to professionals all the way through. of their career.

By allowing us to immerse ourselves in virtual environments, manipulate 3-dimensional objects and interact with realistic scenarios, virtual reality is radically transforming the way we acquire knowledge.

Better learning for all

To better assimilate them, schoolchildren can relive historical events by immersing themselves in them, like experiences also open to the general public such asKheops Horizonan immersive expedition that immerses us in the heart of ancient Egypt, an experience developed in collaboration with the eminent Egyptologist Peter Der Manuelian, from Harvard University.

For university students, virtual reality opens up new learning perspectives in fields such as medicine, engineering or architecture. Future doctors can perform virtual surgical procedures, allowing them to hone their skills and practice replicating sensitive operations, before moving on to real practice, without taking any risks on a real patient.

Engineering and architecture school students can manipulate complex virtual models to understand design principles. These hands-on experiences improve knowledge retention and prepare students for real-world challenges.

Learning via virtual reality is also proving to be a valuable resource for professionals who wish to train for new trades or acquire new skills. Workers can simulate realistic scenarios related to their field, such as crisis management, sales or customer service situations. This allows them to hone their skills by making decisions in a safe virtual environment without real consequences and reducing the risk of costly mistakes.

Many studies attest to the benefit of using virtual reality or gamification tools to overcome the lack of motivation of some students, the difficulty of capturing attention over time or simply to improve the quality of learning. According to Microsoft, the use of augmented reality improves the effectiveness of training by 60% and reduces the time needed to understand the concepts while reducing the cost of travel and the necessary equipment. In his book ” Teaching Healthcare in virtual space Estelle Codier, associate professor at the University of Hawaii who has trained nursing students there, talks about the advantage of this type of environment in interaction. According to her, students hidden behind their avatars gain confidence and ask more questions than they would in class.

Learning confronted with physical limits

Although virtual reality offers undeniable advantages in learning and training, it also has certain limitations, the first being the impossibility of taking notes in the traditional way during a learning session. When the user wears a helmet essential to the experience, total immersion prevents the learner from using their hands to write or take notes.

However, research published in the journal Psychological Science demonstrates the essential contribution of taking notes to reinforce comprehension and memorization and thus promote the consolidation of knowledge and its application in the real world. A study reinforced by the newspaper Educational Psychology which confirms that this practice also makes it possible to organize ideas in a structured way and to create links between concepts, favoring cognitive structuring, understanding and long-term retention of information.

Another physical limit linked to complete immersion in a virtual environment is the impossibility of consulting in real time additional reference resources such as books, articles or other traditional learning materials. This may limit their ability to deepen their knowledge, verify facts, or consult information that may be needed for a more in-depth immediate understanding of the subject.

Access comfort can also be a barrier. Although virtual reality headsets have evolved considerably (and will continue to improve, as evidenced by the Apple Vision Pro announced by the Apple brand, which promises unprecedented user comfort), they can still cause physical fatigue. and discomfort when worn for long periods of time which can impair the learning experience and make sessions shorter and less productive.

Read alsoThe Apple Vision Pro augmented reality headset will revolutionize our daily lives

Alternative solutions to develop

To overcome these limitations and allow the development of new educational methods, the development of alternative solutions, integrating other technologies such as augmented reality or mixed reality, will be crucial.

Eventually, we should have access to applications including drawing tools in virtual reality, the possibility of dictating notes which will then be transcribed, or the use of voice commands to record ideas and observations.

To overcome the lack of access to reference materials during learning in virtual reality, it is possible to provide users with additional resources outside the virtual environment. This may include the provision of digital documents, links to relevant websites, or even the possibility of temporarily leaving the virtual environment to consult physical media.

Finally, to compensate for the lack of note-taking, it can be beneficial to encourage users to participate in discussions, debriefings or brainstorming sessions, allowing learners to recap and synthesize their learnings on the fly and share their impressions, ask questions and consolidate their knowledge by exchanging with other learners or trainers.

By taking these limitations into account and looking for suitable solutions, we will be able to take full advantage of the potential of virtual reality learning, whatever our need, at any time in our life course.