VR Content is the Future of Education - How VR Improves Visual Engagement

The Truth About Virtual Reality: Visual Engagement

When we talk about virtual reality (VR), people often think VR is a fancy tech that only appears in Sci-Fi movies. The truth is that virtual reality is already a part of our daily lives; VR is making an impact in diverse industries ranging from Entertainment and Gaming to Healthcare and Education. There is no doubt that VR is here to stay, and it will make our lives better, but what exactly does virtual reality offer in education?

In the digital era we live in today, learners are more engaged on a visual level, so incorporating immersive visual content in classrooms is something teachers should strongly consider doing to improve the students' learning outcomes.

Adopting virtual reality in education can be a gamechanger, as immersive VR content has the potential to transform the way we teach and learn. The immersive nature of VR creates multisensory digital experiences, improving student engagement levels compared to traditional learning methods. VR simulations and 360° videos provide a new perspective to learners and enhance visual engagement.

Do you want to learn more about virtual reality in education and the truth about VR visual engagement?

On June 15, 2022, at 11 a.m. EST, XR Guru is conducting a webinar on "The Truth About Virtual Reality: Visual Engagement." This webinar will discuss the significance of visual engagement in education and how VR can improve visual engagement.

Join our webinar for valuable insights on using virtual reality in education.

Here is an Overview of the Blog:

1. What is Visual Engagement?

2. What Makes VR in Education Beneficial?

3. How can You Utilize VR in Schools?

4. What Does the Future of VR in the EdTech Industry Look Like?

5. Explore New Possibilities with VR Education

1. What is Visual Engagement?

Visual engagement can be defined as the use of technology to interact with learners and help them understand complex subjects visually. Virtual reality technology can act as a tool for visual engagement, and using immersive VR content helps students learn better, faster, and retain information for a longer period.

Why is visual engagement significant, you ask?

"A picture is worth a 1000 words!" This phrase is especially true in the education industry, where the need for visual content is increasing each day. A study by scientists from Washington University found that students provided with visual aids before the lecture showed a deeper understanding of the subject matter.

2. What Makes VR in Education Beneficial?

VR technology creates a computer-generated world and allows learners to see and interact with virtual objects. Being immersed in the subject matter enables students to process the information better and fully understand the subject. Learning with VR and immersive 3D visuals requires less cognitive load than traditional learning methods.

Here are a few ways in which virtual reality can improve visual engagement and the quality of education.

2.1. Better Sense of Experience

Don't you think experiencing something is better than just reading about it from a textbook? Thanks to the power of VR technology, experiential learning is now possible, and it is not limited to textbook descriptions or 2D illustrations. VR experiences are memorable, so using immersive technology is one of the easiest ways to ensure that learners remember concepts for a long time.

Experiential learning through virtual reality improves knowledge retention rates. In fact, studies show that retention rates are as high as 75% for VR-based learning, whereas it was 5-10% for traditional learning techniques.

2.2 Hands-On Learning

It is well-known that people learn best by doing rather than just reading. However, if we take a closer look at our educational methods, it is evident that very little 'learning by doing' actually happens. With virtual reality learning, students have the opportunity to put concepts into practice rather than passively reading instructions.

VR promotes a hands-on, practical learning approach, helping students practice in a relatively low-risk virtual environment. VR education allows learners to hone their skills and become proficient in their field. For instance, VR is making an impact on healthcare training, allowing medical students to practice surgeries and other operations in the virtual world before operating on a real-life patient.

2.3. VR Visuals Transmit Messages Faster

Think about it: Wouldn't learning content be better structured as immersive graphics or videos rather than plain text?

90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual, and human brains process visual information 60,000 times faster than text. Teachers can take advantage of VR visuals/simulations and help students learn new information faster and more effectively.

2.4. Emotional Connection

VR content helps learners engage with the content on a closer level and causes stronger emotional reactions. Forming an emotional connection with the subject matter makes the experiences more memorable.

2.5. Fosters Creativity

Adopting virtual reality in classrooms enhances visual engagement and creativity. By immersing students in a virtual environment, you present students with an opportunity to look at problems from different angles and develop disruptive thinking. Students can practice in the virtual world multiple times and find the best possible solution to a problem.

2.6. Improves Student Engagement

The problem most teachers face these days is the diminishing attention span of students. The new generation of children gets bored very quickly, and teachers are finding it increasingly difficult to hold students' attention throughout the lesson.

Utilizing virtual reality content in learning takes student engagement levels to new heights. With VR, you can take students on virtual field trips or use 3D graphics to explain complex subjects.

3. How can You Utilize VR in Schools?

Now that you have a basic idea of how VR can enhance visual engagement, you may wonder, "where can we apply virtual reality in education?" There are endless possibilities with virtual reality; here are a few ways you can use VR in learning.

3.1. Virtual Field Trips

One of the popular applications of VR is virtual field trips. Imagine geography or history lessons where you can take your students to any place globally - this becomes possible with VR, and these experiences are much more enriching than just reading about it in books.

3.2. Social Learning

Lectures are not the only way to gain knowledge; sometimes, we learn new things from debating and collaborating with others. VR gives students the chance to connect with students/teachers from diverse backgrounds to discuss and bounce ideas off each other.

3.3. Distance Learning

VR allows us to bridge the physical gap between educational institutions and students. VR breaks geographical barriers, and using VR avatars, learners can come together in the VR world and study through experiences.

4. What Does the Future of VR in the EdTech Industry Look Like?

Does VR really have the potential to transform education as we know it, or is it just a gimmick? VR is not a gimmick when applied correctly. VR allows learners to explore subjects in a distraction-free virtual world.

Educators worldwide are starting to take notice of virtual reality and have realized that VR is a significant breakthrough in learning.

VR is gaining prominence on a global scale, and there are stats to back up this claim. Statistics show that 14.92 million AR/VR devices are to be shipped in 2022, a 54.2% increase from 2021. Another report predicts that 60.8 million people in the US will use VR technology at least once per month in 2022.

US Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality Users

A report predicts that the global virtual reality in the education market will grow from $6.37 billion in 2021 to $32.94 billion in 2026 at a CAGR of 39.7%. The migration to online modes of education after the COVID-19 pandemic is believed to be the driving factor behind the growing popularity of VR in the education industry.

5. Explore New Possibilities with VR Education

Virtual reality in education is on the rise, and the chances are it will change education as we know it. New-age classrooms will be technologically advanced learning zones equipped with VR technology that significantly increases students' engagement levels with immersive visuals. Powerful 3D visual simulations will inspire a new generation of youth to innovate and develop solutions to create a better future.

VR is the next big thing in education, and the real question is, "Are educational institutions ready to adopt these technologies?" So, consider investing in VR technology to offer a better learning experience and build a secure future.

Do you desire to adopt VR in education? XR Guru is an immersive learning hub that allows students to engage and interact with the subject matter like never before. XR Guru brings learning, teaching, content creation, and distribution together into one easy-to-use platform.

Join Us for Our Next Webinar

Title: The Truth About Virtual Reality: Visual Engagement

Experience Visualized Learning!

If you are interested in incorporating VR content in education, learn how virtual reality technology can improve visual engagement and drive student engagement levels!

Join our live webinar on June 15, 2022, to learn more about using VR in classrooms and how it can improve the learning experience. If you cannot attend, register anyway, and we will send you the recording.

Host: Doug Smith

When and Where:

11:00 a.m. ET, Wednesday, June 15, 2022

Duration: 25 Minutes

Zoom Link

Goal: To help educators understand the advantages of adopting a VR-based learning approach and how VR enhances visual engagement.

Who Should Join: