Escolar Documentos
Profissional Documentos
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Yolande Samuels
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Running head: VR an emerging Trend in Higher Education
Abstract
Virtual Reality has been round for a while but has recently gained popularity in the field of
education. Several factors have influenced the current upsurge of VR in the classroom at every
level. This brief contains information of the history of Virtual reality in the classroom along
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Running head: VR an emerging Trend in Higher Education
The Oxford dictionary defines the word emerge as , Become apparent or prominent
while trend is defined as, A general direction in which something is developing or changing.
According to ETD Survey, An emerging trend is a topic area that is growing in interest and
utility over time. With these definitions in mind a search for emerging trends in Higher
education reveals that there are several different issues/ trends that are poised on becoming
prominent in 2017, one of which is VR- Virtual Reality. Merz (2016) elucidates Virtual Reality
as , the creation of a simulation using 3D images or modelling which can be interacted with special
hardware.
A survey conducted between the year 2000 to last year 2016 discloses that Virtual reality
has been in the News throughout the years but the last three years has shown a rise in the
prominence of this topic especially last year when there was a significant jump in the popularity
of this topic. Figure 1.0 shows a bar graph that documents the fluctuation of this topic in the
media.
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Running head: VR an emerging Trend in Higher Education
Virtual Reality has been around for some time but its application to the field of education
is growing in magnitude and interest. Watter (2016) states that the term the phrase virtual
reality was coined in 1987 by Jaron Lanier. Several companies have introduced VR reality in
various forms into the classroom over the years with the prediction that VR will make a full
immersion into education within a few years. Companies such as Google and Nearpod have
introduced inexpensive hardware along with Lesson plans that give the promise of a Virtual
Reality experience students. Figure 2.0 and 2.1show cases companies that provide some type of
Figure 2.0 companies that offer Virtual Reality hardware or software for Education
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Running head: VR an emerging Trend in Higher Education
companies-grew-40-in-2016-takahashi/
In a recent eLearning Industry report it stated that, according to Forbes, education is one
of the top five industries that will be dramatically changed by Virtual reality in the near future.
There are several reports that indicate that the integration of Virtual Reality into education is
poised to take off during this year. Virtual Reality is normally paired with Augmented Reality
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Running head: VR an emerging Trend in Higher Education
which has also gained traction in Education as more and more teachers are gaining access to
Augmented Reality material. Figure 3.0 presents findings that indicate an increased interest in
virtual reality by both students and teachers alike as Virtual Reality devices have become more
accessible to teachers. The figure shows 10different finds that point to Virtual reality being an
Figure 3.0- Info graphics showing Virtual Reality in Education Survey Details for 2017
In Higher education there is the promise of delivering the atmosphere from and online
course and a real time course all rolled into one. Students will be able to attend virtual labs
anywhere in the world. Organizations such as VR First are enabling this by creating VR lab at
exploring the power and potential of virtual reality development. VR First Labs and Centers are
designed to be the key locations for nurturing new talent in VR/AR development. VR First also
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Running head: VR an emerging Trend in Higher Education
helps developers to convert ideas into business opportunities and brings developers together with
established industry partners. Initiatives such as the one outlined by VR First allows university
students to not only part take in the VR experience but they also get a chance to create Virtual
Reality environments for other students to explore. Students will also have the opportunity to
interact with classmates or other pursuing a similar course. There is promise of greater
interactivity for Higher education students who study via distance education. Students will be
A prominent EdTech Blogger, Mr Richard Byrne in a recent blog outlined the following
use of Virtual reality in the classroom, a storytelling platform that presents the significant
opportunity for students to creatively share their experience and understanding. Virtual Reality
also provides the opportunity for students to experience different place some of which they
would never be able to visit due to the cost and distance. Students also have the opportunity of
feeling as if they are a part of the actual environment. Figure 4.0 outlines 10 reasons to use
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Running head: VR an emerging Trend in Higher Education
As an educator I found this research inspirational. I could not get enough information on
Virtual reality and its Application to the classroom. Figure 5.0 shows an Ad that is currently
running here in The Bahamas the new mobile company ALIV has offered the incentive of a VR
headset and phone to students who earned 7 or more As. While conducting this research and
speaking to other co-workers about what strategies we can implement to increase students
curiosity in the different subject areas the idea of using the VR goggles as a learning tool was
brought to light. I was able to share my research with the co-workers and I am now in the process
of contacting our head office and the powers that be about contacting ALIV in order to seek
sponsorship to carry out our experiment of including Virtual Reality to the Primary classroom.
Our hope is to get at least 30 VR goggles which would be enough to outfit our largest class size
so that any teacher can borrow them and take her class on a journey that is beyond their wildest
dreams. I am looking forward to learning more about Virtual Reality and other emerging trends
in Education.
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Running head: VR an emerging Trend in Higher Education
References
Digital, B. S. (2015, August 06). Virtual Reality and Learning: The
Newest Landscape for Higher Education. Retrieved from
https://www.wired.com/insights/2013/12/virtual-reality-and-learning-
the-newest-landscape-for-higher-education/
Iliff, R. (2016, December 14). 5 VR Trends To Watch. Retrieved from
https://www.inc.com/rebekah-iliff/5-virtual-reality-trends-for-2017-
and-beyond.html
Kapp, K. (2017, January 04). 3 Instructional Design Strategies For Virtual
Reality Learning. Retrieved from https://elearningindustry.com/instructional-
design-strategies-virtual-reality-learning
Zoetanya Sujon, Senior Lecturer in Media Theory Follow. (2016, October 21).
Google Expeditions: Virtual Reality and the classroom. Retrieved from
https://www.slideshare.net/zoesujon/google-expeditions-virtual-reality-and-the-
classroom
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Running head: VR an emerging Trend in Higher Education
Score Sheet
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