Insights into College Students’ Experiences and Expectations for VR Integration in Education

Abstract

Despite the increasing accessibility of Virtual Reality (VR) technology in recent times, its adoption in educational settings mirrors that of other emerging technologies. User experiences and readiness play pivotal roles in the successful integration of new technologies within educational environments. Drawing from a prior investigation into college students' preparedness for VR integration in education, this study endeavors to dissect the nuances of user experiences and reactions following immersive engagement and completion of VR tasks. We conducted a study involving four college students who participated in a one-hour VR session. During this session, participants engaged in a range of VR tasks and subsequently took part in semi-structured interviews. We utilized content analysis to examine patterns of users’ experience and expectations. The analysis of audio and video recordings from the VR sessions, along with transcripts of interviews, revealed a noteworthy finding: irrespective of their individual levels of prior experience with VR, students held comparable expectations regarding the potential of VR technology within an educational framework. Specifically, the students expressed a consensus that instructor guidance is a crucial component for successful VR implementation in educational settings, leading to the indication of an increased confidence level in successful VR task completion. Taking the insights from this iLEAD paper, further investigation into the challenges of adopting VR technology in education is necessary to streamline its effective and efficient utilization, thereby facilitating learning, retention, and the transfer of knowledge.