Abstract:

This paper aims at guiding researchers and practitioners in higher education to a better understanding of how virtual reality (VR) affordances can be leveraged in ways to maximize learning, with the view of integrating VR as a core element in the curriculum, rather than a supplementary teaching tool. Recent reviews of the multiple scientific studies on VR technology in higher education, however, expose a theoretical gap and lack of methodological rigor. In order to close this gap, this paper argues for a firmer theoretical basis for adopting VR in higher education. Thus, by introducing a theoretical lens and proposing suitable conceptual frameworks, our research provides a description of how VR can facilitate learning when VR is the crucial element in learning activities of selected undergraduate courses.
In the first, theoretical section of this study, we review literature on pedagogical justifications for incorporating VR technology into higher education. In the following methodological section, we conduct a multi-modal case study based on narrative inquiry to explore how, in light of these frameworks, two identified specific affordances of learning in immersive environments, such as presence or agency, interact with different instructional practices. The paper concludes with reflections on how VR affordances can be implemented to enhance learning in selected project-based undergraduate courses, allowing the acquisition of knowledge beyond procedural as well as knowledge transfer, and providing opportunities for autonomous learning.

Keywords:

Virtual reality (VR), learning/pedagogical affordances, agency, presence, learning environment, theoretical framework, conceptual framework.