After a long time, virtual reality (VR) finally made its way past entertainment applications. Education feels like it found its rightful place as academic institutions adjusted to online classes because of the ongoing pandemic crisis. The potential of virtual reality in education can enhance it significantly, with everyone anticipating its application. However, are they enough to combat what traditional classroom setups can perform?
Virtual reality has a lot of possibilities, and schools are drooling at the thought of it becoming part of the accepted system. We can already think of a few subjects or courses that can benefit from VR applications. The integration of advanced technology can improve student experience significantly, starting from interest to career skill application. Here are a few that will improve with extended reality for education.
Revisiting History
Education aims to prepare people for the future, but we need to learn about the past before moving forward. As a result, history became part of every school’s general education platform. The subject varies, but the most vital part of it is learning about humanity’s evolution into the world as it is today. History also touches on your country’s timeline, culture, beliefs, historical events, and progress, all of which shapes a patriotic understanding necessary for civilization.
Unfortunately, history feels less epic when students can only rely on textbooks and instructor lessons. When it comes to what happened, we leave it all up to our respective imaginations. Animation and actual footage can help with our understanding of history. Students started to prefer YouTube videos for history lessons because of their visual representation. If videos work, what do you think will happen when students get a chance to visit the environments and sites during the period of their peak?
Virtual reality can send students back to the period discussed. The historical lessons will be more than just a picture. It will increase excitement during history classes, turning into the best complementary device for imagination.
Observing Biology and Anatomy
Science will always be a tricky subject, particularly in the areas of biology and anatomy. There are lots of variables involved when studying living organisms and their parts. Textbooks offer the facts necessary for students to understand. However, there is a need to get everything on its precise scale. Biology and anatomy require you to look at living organisms like insects, animals, and human bodies, which textbooks can only provide in small-scale pictures. For students interested in those fields, the closest practice comes in the form of dummies. Exhumed corpses present a lifelike situation, but there is a chance that a student can commit a mistake significant enough to prevent further use.
Fortunately, virtual reality can provide students with a realistic scenario for biology and anatomy practices without the fear of committing mistakes. They can receive a representation of the entire human or animal body in their exact sizes, enhancing the potential for experimentation and learning. The applications of extended reality can vary depending on the lessons provided, which could present endless possibilities.
Proving Mathematics
If a subject in school can benefit from a change of pace, it will be mathematics. Students, even interested ones, might want to move away from notebooks, whiteboards, and calculators when solving problems. There are not a lot of other options when it comes to mathematics equipment. Fortunately, virtual reality can change all that. Solving mathematical equations becomes even more fun when they float around, able to integrate themselves on surfaces. Geometry and trigonometry can benefit from the possibilities of extended reality, extending student experience beyond whiteboards and into room models. Mathematics is all around us, and the application of VR can provide justice to that statement.
Simulating Architecture and Design
Architecture and design fall among the costliest subjects. Students will invest in plenty of materials, equipment, and programs to create plates and projects that improve their skills and knowledge. However, there remains a massive gap between academic experience and career applications. Architecture’s primary purpose is to build establishments. Design is also a service that relies on practical solutions, but practice grounds still involve expenses in material and labor.
Virtual reality can provide both architecture and design subjects with simulations, helping students practice skills without the costs. The technology allows them to avoid mistakes that can end up becoming costly, making their projects more efficient.
Extended reality is undeniably the future of education. However, its application to academic institutions remains challenging. Besides the apparent procurement costs for students, the actual simulations are not yet available and licensed. However, we can already paint a brighter future for what virtual reality can do for schools.
