Abstract:

In recent years, we have observed how the efforts of Higher Education Institutions to introduce technological tools that allow teachers to bring students closer to meaningful learning have been increasing, using virtual reality as an example. Virtual reality accompanies us in the evolution of the teacher's role, where we become mentors or facilitators, and the students begin to experience sensations of emotion when using applications that allow them to develop in a virtual world capable of responding to the demands of the real world.

Virtual reality has a place in education. The different studies and research that exist around the use of virtual reality technological tools in the development of students at all educational levels demonstrate their value. It is our responsibility as teachers to identify the scenarios in which we can strengthen ourselves with the use of virtual reality tools that help us stimulate students and lead them to reach their maximum potential.

Educational experiences designed for distance learning face the great challenge of reinventing the virtual experience that tends to feel isolated and lacks a sense of togetherness, community, and shared space. That is why the use of the correct technological tools allows us to bring the magic of in-person sessions to virtual sessions.

The pandemic forced us to innovate the way classes were being taught and how we interacted with students. The educational innovation that was carried out and evaluated had three main objectives:
1. Reinvent the student experience in online class sessions.
2. Increase student participation in online class sessions.
3. Facilitate remote collaboration and distance learning for students.

After conducting a search for digital and technological tools available on the market, VirBELA was identified, which is an immersive software that allows remote collaboration and facilitates distance learning since it works, collaborates, and communicates very similar to how we do it in the real world.

Virbela has free spaces and private spaces. For the development of the educational experience that was applied and analyzed, the license acquired by Tecnológico de Monterrey was used to have access to the personalized campus of the institution and in this way transport the students to a virtual campus of their university. This virtual campus represented an immersive 3D collaboration space that fostered togetherness, community, and presence.

The students, prior to having the session in Virbela, received a user manual for the platform so that they became familiar, and they could create their avatar. This avatar allowed students to move into this virtual campus and be present during the session. The different tools that Virbela has allowed students to go from being passive listeners to active players.

The class sessions felt more personal than a text chat, more powerful than a video call, and much more engaging than both. Without a doubt, these generations seek to be in continuous contact with tools that allow them to relate to their environment and that generate a WOW experience, beyond the academic content of the sessions.

Keywords:

Virtual, Learning, Remote, Classrooms, Reality, Distance, Immersive, Technologies, Emerging.