Technology has taken a stronghold and is governing almost every aspect of a person’s daily life. Today, technology plays an important role in Education as well. Virtual reality in educational space has emerged, as an integral part of classrooms all over the world. Virtual reality, haptic feedback, augmented reality, mixed reality; there is a very thin line between technological realities which is now becoming blurred, as they are being grouped under one term: artificial reality.
Although, something that needs to be addressed first is the implementation of this new technology to its ideal learning potential as a multi-sensory educational tool. VR can offer countless opportunities and can have a great- effect on knowledge. The full potential of VR can be attained by adding it to the lesson plan of traditional classroom; it is not intended to be a replacement. VR is not only an amalgamation of the real world and artificial reality together but also giving students the prospect to create a simulated digital world.
Paybacks of VR to Education
For centuries now learning a subject involved merely going through books but VR allows students to feel the content they are studying. This in turn permits the students to explore, experience and to be involved in the subject, as if they are actually present in that environment or place. It also provided the professional educator another possibility to explore with their students.
Virtual Reality lets the educator to engage students from a variety of learning styles. Students, who can’t understand traditional educational methods, have a boon in the form of VR which provides them an enriching experience. At times it is easier to see and hear something than have it explained to us. Being immersed into a virtual world occasionally will allow student to step out of the classroom environment. VR gives a three-dimensional view of educational content, in turn significantly improving the learning experience. This naturally increases the grades and permits a better application of the content in real life.
Development of this new technology has presented a new avenue for students to develop apps and software which cater to this technology. It has huge possibilities in product design, electronics, coding, and design. A combination of this VR with AR is a promising method to help autistic students. VR is the interest notion that can make impossible a reality. These mixed reality technologies eliminate the time and place constraint.
VR allows ‘Hands-On’ Knowledge of Anatomy
Virtual reality provides the students of various streams the increased personal engagement and interactivity. It allows the student to have a virtual hands-on approach, which a traditional learning set up lacks. Medical students have benefitted greatly with VR technology, as it lets them comprehend the layers of the body with a more thorough understanding and gives them the ability to mimic real-life trauma situations.
With VR the prospects available are much greater than what a typical cadaver lab would deliver, with an exception only of the actual living criteria involved with human anatomy. Virtual reality lets an anatomy student to interact with a virtual patient that is standing erect, much as they would with an actual patient in a clinic. The risk factor involved while performing life-saving operations is eliminated. Dissecting a body by each layer down to viewing the inside of a single cell, has enhanced the capabilities of medical students and opened new accessibilities for the students. Furthermore, it allows students to handle internal organs without having to share the limited resources; this enhances the overall capabilities and knowledge of students. In essence, it allows the students a highly interactive, detailed, and customized 3D human anatomy experience.
VR an Outlook towards Vocational Skill Improvement
In the same way students in skill development programs can experience of a real-life incidence in their desired career field without getting their hands dirty, such as learning how take apart and repair a vehicle engine or experiencing the life of a petroleum technician in the middle of an oil rig. This will have a large impact on imparting vocational training in the coming years. It will enhance the ability of engineering students to see insides of the machines in while they are in motion or how they function in real world.
VR technology is set to have a huge impact on the arts and media studies, as well. It will allow student to load self-created content onto headsets through a simple web portal. It will give students the chance to experience unfamiliar working environments, this is the key to success in vocational training – but often hard and costly to attain. It will give film students a chance to portray the world from a diverse and immersive perspective. VR will give them the tools to make multi-perceptive movies and short films. Revisiting famous speeches and historical events can be achieved using an amalgamation of AR and VR.
VR has also come into the world of architecture. With the development of this new tech, various tools have been introduced into the market to help architectural students. They allow them to have a more immersive experience of the heritage sites and architectural marvels. It is not always possible for students to visit these structures due to lack of financial resources. With VR a student can travel the seven wonders without spending a penny. VR has solved their concerns and provided them with a powerful designing tool.
Teaching in the military, including flight and battlefield simulations, medical training under battlefield conditions, virtual boot camp and much more can be made easily available to soldiers who are in training.
VR is changing the World as We Know It
Without doubt VR is on the threshold of education, and will make 21st-century classrooms technologically advanced places of learning. With VR technology students’ engagement and learning can be significantly increased. Given the power of VR technology a whole new generation of young and bright students, will be ready to revolutionize and change the world. Virtual reality will give students the chance to revise content again and again. This will help increase practical knowledge, which is a key factor of vocational training. All this can be achieved without any added expense or inconvenience. Virtual immersive atmosphere allows students to experience any sphere of professional life application at the learning stage itself. A rather small VR device can even act as an entire science lab.
Education and technology have always been interconnected. The world we live in has been transformed by this synergy. VR gives them the power to scale and make learning more lively and charming. The inspiration and encouragement that VR provides, is all that a student needs to keep discovering the true potential of education.
