How do AR and VR create immersive learning experiences for higher education?

In this age of digital transformation, modern technologies have greatly influenced every aspect of our lives, including education. Prior to now, the only learning materials available to students were books and other tangible resources. However, today they have access to a wide range of technologically improved instructional resources that not only provide them with engaging and dynamic learning opportunities but also encourage their best possible overall growth and development.

In this rapidly expanding area of cutting-edge technologies, augmented reality and virtual reality have emerged as a promising addition, providing students with immersive, virtual, and engaging experiences that would otherwise get constrained by conventional teaching. Developing simulations that mimic real-world situations, these state-of-the-art technologies allow students to practice and learn in a secure setting. Especially in higher education, providing learners with practical experience matters a great deal in order to equip them with required skills and prepare them for real-world situations. Here, both augmented reality and virtual reality come into play, providing students with improved opportunities to connect with actual-world objects in realistic environments and develop the knowledge and understanding needed to set the path right for their future careers.

AR and VR: Revolutionizing higher education

Improved engagement: Ever since the advent of AR and VR, the way students interact with course material has changed to a great extent. By reiterating scenarios that closely mirror actual events, both of these novel technologies allow students to explore and experience complex concepts in a hands-on and engaging manner. For instance, owing to AR and VR, learners can experience historical events, scientific experiments, and complicated machinery, giving them a more captivating and unforgettable experience. Additionally, both of these remarkable advancements possess the potential to eliminate time and location limitations, enabling students to study and explore settings they might not otherwise have access to.

Immersive learning experiences: The days of little student involvement are long gone. Modern students today strive for interactive and immersive learning experiences. Especially when it comes to higher education, integrative educational experiences have become a must for learners to gain better knowledge and understanding. Thanks to AR and VR, students now have more options than ever to connect with a variety of concept-related objects in an enhanced manner. For instance, allowing learners to virtually interact with the solar system's components would make it much easier for them to understand the system.

Game-based learning: It is indisputable that gaming has long been a popular form of amusement for students. By effectively integrating gaming and education, AR and VR have improved problem-solving, enabled real-time feedback, thereby making learning more fun and entertaining. Moreover, utilizing these technologies, educators can also create game-based activities that students can complete in remarkably lifelike settings that mimic real-world scenarios. This would therefore help them understand the subject matter better and provide them with a more immersive learning experience.

Going beyond traditional learning!

Going beyond standard learning, AR and VR offer access to experiences outside of the typical classroom setting, which would not have been possible otherwise. Through virtual tours across history to science’s human anatomy, these contemporary technologies create interactive real-world ecosystems, enabling higher education students to benefit from increased learning experiences and gain the skill sets needed to launch their potential careers.

According to a study by ABI Research, by the end of 2023, the worldwide education sector would likely spend more than $6 billion yearly on AR and VR technology, with India leading the way. Thus, advancing further, AR and VR are projected to develop into more sophisticated technologies, producing rich learning experiences that will indubitably enhance student learning efficiency and outcomes.

Authored by Er. Koneru Lakshman Havish, Vice President, KL Deemed to be University.