Immersive and Inclusive Pedagogy: Examining VR’s Effectiveness in Student Learning

Wednesday, April 02, 2025 | 8:30AM–9:15AM ET | Room 553 AB
Session Type: Breakout Session
Delivery Format: Presentation/Panel Session
Field courses and field-based research experiences are widely regarded as critical aspects of student learning. However, they bring challenges and barriers for many students in the form of high fees, the need for special certifications (e.g., scuba diving), and/or travel requirements. Emerging technologies like virtual reality (VR) can help reduce these barriers by bringing immersive, field-based learning into a classroom setting. In this interactive presentation, we will share Bentley University’s pursuit to bring immersive learning into the classroom and the evaluation of the efficacy of this pedagogical approach and student learning (affective and cognitive) using VR videos compared to alternate teaching modalities (e.g., 2D media and in-person field courses). We will share how this initiative serves as a model for scaling VR in an academic setting. Participants will preview our interactive content that documents coastal marine ecosystems using 360-degree videos. Sharing our findings from a survey deployed across multiple courses at three institutions, we will provide student attitudes and behaviors for all modes of content delivery. We will conclude with lessons learned, and participants will have the opportunity to examine potential use cases across disciplines to enrich student learning with engaging and immersive experiences in an academic setting.

Presenters

  • Steve Salina

    Principal Instructional and Research Media Production and Infrastructure Engineer - Manager, ATC XR Studio, Bentley University

  • Gaurav Shah

    Sr. Director, Academic Technologies and User Experience Design, Bentley University

  • Betsy Stoner

    Assistant Professor, Bentley University