Experiential Education

Perception in the real world is inherently multisensory, often involving visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory, gustatory, and, on occasion, nociceptive (i.e., painful) stimulation. In fact, the vast majority of life's most enjoyable experiences involve the stimulation of several senses simultaneously. Outside of the entertainment industry, however, the majority of virtual reality (VR) applications thus far have involved the stimulation of only one, or at most two, senses, typically vision, audition, and, on occasion, touch/haptics. That said, the research that has been conducted to date has convincingly shown that increasing the number of senses stimulated in a VR simulator can dramatically enhance a user's 'sense of presence', their enjoyment, and even their memory for the encounter/experience.

 

 

Educational VR 

VR has found fast and deep adoption in the fields of aviation and flight training, healthcare education, law enforcement and military training, and training tomorrow’s engineers.

 

Industry experts forecast that the VR education market will grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of more than 59% for the period through 2022. Such market gain would be envious in any industry.

 

The reasons VR technology is being so well embraced by the educators and trainers are easy to see. Virtual training allows students to experience richer and more engaging learning experiences than can be provided through books, websites, or even videos. VR immerses the user in a 3D interactive experience that allows interactive learning in a controlled and safe environment and does so at a fraction of the cost of real-life training. VR-based training can give soldiers the experience they need to operate anti-tank weapons without having to actually blow tanks up. It also saves in terms of human lives. Mistakes made in surgical training using VR simulations harm no one.

 

 

We touched upon a few examples of how virtual reality can be used to better facilitate education and training, now let us take a closer look and see some other applications for this exciting and powerful technology.

 

An American company, Flame Systems, is tapping the power of VR to make training firefighters safer and, in the long run, more cost-effective. The VR simulator plunges students into a blazing kitchen, on scene at a propane tank leak, and at the sight of an aircraft fire. 

 

VR is poised to transform how grade school students learn about the world they live in. Some schools are using the digital teaching tool Nearpod to educate students in an immersive environment. Rather than reading about WWI, the VR educational tool puts them smack in the middle of a WWI trench, lets them pilot a WWI plane, and gives them a virtual tour of the White House.

 

It is inevitable that the virtual classroom will be the classroom of tomorrow, possibly disrupting the academic book industry.

 

Companies across a wide range of industries are utilizing the power of VR to train employees more effectively and in more cost-effective ways than were previously possible. Better retention, lower cost, risk-reduction, and time savings are all factors the corporate world considers when making business decisions. Increasingly, corporate trainers realize that VR-based training makes good business sense.

 

The most successful educational experiences are ones that capture the attention of those being taught. By engaging with students on a visceral level, VR motivates them to learn, and improves content understanding and retention. (Source: Appreal VR)