Ready Student One: Exploring the predictors of student learning in virtual reality

Abstract

Immersive virtual reality (VR) has enormous potential for education, but classroom resources are limited. Thus, it is important to identify whether and when VR provides sufficient advantages over other modes of learning to justify its deployment. In a between-subjects experiment, we compared three methods of teaching Moon phases (a hands-on activity, VR, and a desktop simulation) and measured student improvement on existing learning and attitudinal measures. While a substantial majority of students preferred the VR experience, we found no significant differences in learning between conditions. However, we found differences between conditions based on gender, which was highly correlated with experience with video games. These differences may indicate certain groups have an advantage in the VR setting.

arXiv comment28 pages, 7 figures, 4 tables. Published in PLOS ONE March 25, 2020

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• Value added or misattributed? A multi-institution study on the educational benefit of labs for reinforcing physics content
• Physics holo.lab learning experience: Using Smartglasses for Augmented Reality labwork to foster the concepts of heat conduction
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Cited by in corpus (3)

• Using Virtual Reality in Electrostatics Instruction: The Impact of Training
• EEG-based Investigation of the Impact of Classroom Design on Cognitive Performance of Students
• Developing Virtual Reality Activities for the Astro 101 Class and Lab