Mainstreaming VR/AR in Education

"If a given invention contains possibilities for both utility and amusement; it is interesting to note the apparent rule that the amusement possibilities will be developed ?rst. The rationalizing process of passing time reveals the other—and generally richer possibilities” (Green and Clark, 1920).

A colleague shared this quote while we were participating in an online professional development opportunity a few years back, and I've continued to noodle on it off and on. I hadn't read the quote before she shared it with our class, and I was struck by how it spoke—and continues to speak—perfectly to Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality (VR/AR).

The topic of VR/AR came up during small group discussion at D2L's annual FUSION conference in Boston this summer. The individual who brought it to the table is passionate about how VR/AR can have a massive and profound impact on online education, and the conversation started similarly to how I've heard this conversation start for well past 10 years now. In fact, this person might have been me 20 years ago: Meet students where they are. The technology is there for the taking. It's shameful that more educators are not leveraging this technology to engage their students… Throw out the baby with the bathwater, because this is the way of the future.

I myself am particularly interested in how virtual reality can be leveraged as one of the next steps, following asynchronous text and typing, in growing younger students' comfort level with peers as they are developing and honing their communication skills in a safe and inclusive environment. I've also been encouraged greatly over the past several years by the engaging, quality content and learning opportunities that have become available thru VR/AR for students and teachers alike.

The biggest challenges from my perspective are in ensuring equity and safety. I’ve outlined some of the key questions we're considering as VR/AR is being implemented within mainstream education:

• Does it [really] require a headset?
• Does it [really] require high speed internet?
• If so, how do we make this hardware and data access more accessible to ALL students?
• Can the student participate through a web browser as easily as through a mobile app?
• Is the technology accessible (#a11y) to students with other special needs?
• Is the teachers' user experience streamlined and intuitive so they can focus on what they do best and not waste precious time fumbling with a #LearningCurve?
• Is it simple to use for both teachers and students?
• Is it simple to lock down and monitor or review when being used by younger students?
• And too often not considered, is the technology serving primarily as the vehicle for providing good pedagogy and student engagement?

I look forward to a world where we're spending as much money and effort on education as we are on games and other entertainment; the good news is that there are many organizations who are doing just that.