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Ben Lofstrom

Professor Ferrara

ENGL 1001

13 May 2022

How Virtual Reality Will Enhance the Classroom Experience

There is no doubt that virtual reality has an increasing presence in today’s society. While

it has started its quick ascent into popularity through the video game industry, it is evident that

virtual reality can become an amazing tool in many different aspects of life. One part of every

person’s life that virtual reality has begun making its mark on is education. In the field of

education, virtual reality is being used to allow students to do things such as travel and learn

about the world, play review games, and even has been used for immersive activities. Many

people are against introducing virtual reality into the classroom because they believe their

children already have enough screen time outside of school. This idea, however, should be

reconsidered. Virtual reality will change the classroom for the better because it has proven

success, it provides a great return on investment, and current classrooms are growing outdated.

Virtual reality has undergone studies in the past to test its effectiveness in the classroom.

The article, “Effectiveness of Virtual Reality-Based Instruction on Students’ Learning Outcomes

in K-12 and Higher Education: A Meta-Analysis.”, by Zahira Merchant, includes the details of a

study conducted trying to find the effectiveness level of virtual reality in classrooms. After

studying the use of games, simulations, and virtual worlds, Merchant was able to draw the

conclusion that using virtual reality games and simulations were effective for enhancing

learning. The author’s findings support the idea that virtual reality is a useful tool for educational
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purposes. This is because the findings identified ways to use virtual reality for teaching lessons

that genuinely have results. In the study that was conducted, the purpose was “to examine overall

effect as well as the impact of selected instructional design principles in the context of virtual

reality technology-based instruction,”(Merchant). Now that the purpose of this study has been

made clear, it is crucial to analyze the results. In the study, the author was able to conclude that

the “results suggest games, simulations, and virtual worlds were effective in improving learning

outcome gains,”(Merchant). This finding highlights the fact that virtual reality has genuine facts

that prove how truly effective it is. This study however, was not the only study conducted that

showed positive effects of virtual reality usage in the classroom.

The article “Virtual Memory Palaces: Immersion Aids Recall”, by Eric Krokos, contains

the details of a study conducted seeing how a virtual reality head-mounted device (HMD) affects

a person’s recall ability. Through two different experiments in this study, it was discovered that

virtual reality HMDs were beneficial in recall activities. One of the main takeaways from this

study is that “the HMD condition was found to have 8.8% improvement in recall accuracy

compared to the desk-top condition.”(Krokos 1). This finding compares the HMD to a desk-top

computer. The students using a HMD were seen to have a prominent increase in their recall

ability. The reason that recall increase is so significant is because it suggests “that virtual

environments could serve as a valuable tool for various facets of retrospective cognizance,

including retention,”(Krokos 12). Retention and recall are both key parts of the memorization

process. A device that can improve students memory is surely something that will have a very

positive effect in the classroom. These are two major studies that have been conducted that

support virtual reality in the classroom. Virtual reality clearly has proven success in a classroom

setting.
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Virtual reality also boasts a great return on investment. The monetary aspect is obviously

important for schools, as it is nearly impossible to have a realistic idea without considering

money. In the blog, “Virtual Reality in Education: Should We Use Virtual Reality in the

Classroom?”, by Dan Kallen, the pros and cons of virtual reality use in the classroom were

discussed. The topic that applies the most to return on investment is what happens after a virtual

reality headset has been purchased for a classroom. Kallen makes the claim that “once a school

decides to implement a virtual reality component to its curriculums, the sky is literally the

limit,”(Kallen, paragraph 8). The author however, does explain the aspects that would cause a

school hesitancy in implementing virtual reality. The author cites “considerations such as budget,

tech support, subject matter and exposure,” as the main opposition for the implementation of

virtual reality (Kallen, paragraph 8). But, when examining the return on investment, it is essential

to understand that the limitless amount of knowledge that can be gained certainly outweighs the

handful of drawbacks in the initial investment. In a survey that I personally conducted, out of

twenty-one responses, one hundred percent of people agreed that if they were in complete

control of the decision, they would implement virtual reality into the classroom. It is important to

note that nine of these respondents are parents or guardians of a child in grades K-12, and eleven

of the respondents are/were a K-12 student in the last ten years. That response from these groups

surely highlights the fact that people of all ages and points in life agree that virtual reality is a

worthwhile investment. If a school made the decision to implement virtual reality, they would

have the support of these respondents, which is a decent suggestion as to how different

demographics may react. It is also worthwhile to consider the fact that seven respondents are

currently teachers of K-12 students.

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The final, and arguably most important, factor in the argument for the implementation of

virtual reality into the classroom is the fact that current classrooms are simply outdated.

Referring back to the blog, “Virtual Reality in Education: Should We Use Virtual Reality in the

Classroom?”, by Dan Kallen, the author also talks about why virtual reality would be so effective

in a current classroom. The author talks about immersive learning, and how “this type of

immersive learning, especially in the age of video games and the internet, is crucial to the way

that today’s kids learn and grow,”(Kallen, paragraph 2). The significance of this quote is that

schools have remained mostly unchanged over the past decade, while society has changed so

much. Students now have much more fast-paced minds that are capable of understanding

technology and even using it for their own wellbeing. If society has progressed so much in terms

of technology, why is it that a classroom today looks very similar to a classroom from decades

ago, with the exception of a few minor changes. The breakthroughs that children could make

with virtually reality experience is summarized well by Kallen. He writes, “if you are learning

about the moon a virtual reality headset will allow a student an opportunity to virtually

experience what it would be like to be on the moon,”(Kallen, paragraph 2). That type of learning

is remarkable and cannot be achieved to anywhere near the same extent without the use of virtual

reality.

Another source that highlights the potential future of the classroom is a news segment

from Indiana University. This news segment discusses how professors at IU are working to

introduce virtual reality parts into some of their courses. An English professor, Professor

McElmurry, speaks on how he uses virtual reality in some of his courses already, as well as how

virtual reality could be implemented into other subjects. According to McElmurry, “there are

countless ways that all disciplines can benefit from virtual reality,”(IU Northwest News,
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paragraph 11). This is a college professor at a well-known university saying this, and if a college

professor has this much faith in virtual reality, it makes sense that a K-12 teacher should be just

as, if not more, excited. After all, K-12 students tend to be a lot more involved and energized in

the classroom than college students typically are. The idea of K-12 students being genuinely

excited to come to school day in and day out is something many people would love to see.

Professor McElmurry talks about ways that he used virtual reality in his English classroom. He

said that they “would read about the spaces and then put on a VR headset and visit them.

Literally, [they] could use street view in Google Maps and walk through the space,”(IU

Northwest News, paragraph 5). This sounds much more like what a current classroom should be.

The ability to almost fully immerse the students into different areas of the world and even outer

space as well as experience historical events being discussed is a revolutionary idea that will

surely lead to positive results. With all of these different reasons explaining how virtual reality

can be the next step in classroom improvement, it seems pretty evident that classrooms now are

outdated, and simply cannot keep pace with the advances being made in society. The solution to

this issue is virtual reality.

Virtual reality will lead to positive changes in classrooms everywhere. This is because

there is already verified success, it has a worthwhile return on investment, and current

classrooms are in need of advancements to keep up with the always growing industry that is

technology. It is important to acknowledge first that the current system of education is lacking

behind where it should be. Schools have access to many different forms of technology, so there

is no reason for students to be forced to memorize and regurgitate information unless absolutely

necessary. Virtual reality can bridge that gap. Virtual reality has been proven to be useful as a

memory tool when necessary, but it also includes aspects that allow for full immersion into
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topics and experiences that will be taught about. Imagine teaching about World War I, and then

allowing students to put on a virtual reality headset and experience trench warfare first hand.

That example is just scratching the surface of all that virtual reality is capable of. Virtual reality

truly is the future of technology, and it is time for the education system to come to this

realization.

Bibliography
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Kallen, Dan. “Virtual Reality in Education: Should We Use vr in the Classroom?” Hartford

Technology Rental | HTR, 30 July 2021, hartfordrents.com/blog/virtual-reality-

education/. Accessed 20 Apr. 2022.

Krokos, Eric, et al. “Virtual Memory Palaces: Immersion Aids Recall.” Virtual Reality : the

Journal of the Virtual Reality Society, vol. 23, no. 1, Springer London, 2018, pp. 1–15,

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10055-018-0346-3

Merchant, Zahira, et al. “Effectiveness of Virtual Reality-Based Instruction on Students’

Learning Outcomes in K-12 and Higher Education: A Meta-Analysis.” Computers and

Education, vol. 70, Elsevier Ltd, 2014, pp. 29–40,

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2013.07.033.

“Virtual Reality in the Classroom - Indiana University Northwest.” IU Northwest News,

www.iun.edu/news/virtual-reality-in-the-classroom.htm. Accessed 20 Apr. 2022.