The continual development of technology has changed the way people work and learn, and VR is an ever-growing technology that has the potential to change the way professors teach and students learn. If it gains popularity and desirability among various educational settings, it is very likely that Lafayette College will fully immerse VR in their curriculum. An example of this has been seen with the rise of the computer; in a 1967 journal article, R. Louis Bright, Associate Commissioner for Research in the Office of Education, stated that “Any citizen who graduates from a liberal arts college who is not familiar with computer usage is being educationally cheated. We believe this same statement can be applied to the secondary school student today” (Harris, 1967, p. 5). This statement has aged quite accurately, and it is almost impossible for a student to survive their four years at an institution such as Lafayette College without knowing how to use a computer. Many students learn how to use computers early on in education so they do not fall behind as they enter high school and then college. Because of this full integration of computers in education due to the progress in its technology as well as the greater accessibility in options and price, it is very unlikely that computers will stop being used in education in the near future. While VR devices are not nearly as informative as computers are, they provide an experience that can allow students to become fully immersed in what they are learning, which no other technology can provide. Therefore, it is possible that VR will become more integrated in education as it is exposed to more students and teachers.
Although VR has the potential to improve learning experiences, there is the concern that if it is not monitored carefully and used properly, it might do more harm than good. Since this technology can transport people into virtual worlds, there is a strong human-technology interaction. If it is used too often or in inappropriate situations, there is a possibility that VR would take away human-human interaction in the classroom, and jeopardize students’ abilities to form human relationships which are needed in the real world. Jaron Lanier, one of the inventors of VR, has expressed his frustrations with the way VR and other advanced technologies have developed and been used. For Lanier, the main thing to take away from technologies such as VR is to not get carried away with the future of wondrous tech-fuelled experiences and keep the human at the center of it all (Rowley, 2018). He also believes that the main takeaway from VR is to come out of the experience appreciating the real world much more (Rowley, 2018). These takeaways are very important for educators and institutions to prioritize when they are planning the implementation of VR devices in the classroom, because it ensures that they know what to prioritize and monitor when using the technology. VR devices should be used as an aid to students’ learning experiences, and have great potential to enhance the learning experience at Lafayette College.
This report intends to expose faculty and students to the potential of VR within education at Lafayette College and ensures that the Lafayette community stays up-to-date and informed of the latest technologies that are utilized in society. The next phases of VR implementation throughout the educational system of Lafayette College are important, and this report has helped create a framework for how Virtual Reality can be implemented into the educational system at Lafayette College. With the creation of the VR Hub, students and faculty will gain the experience and benefit of learning within VR and our recommendations have identified the socio-technical complexities that go into bringing a new and emerging technology to an institution such as Lafayette College. Hopefully, Lafayette will expand on this research and findings and will continue to implement VR in the classroom by using it to its fullest potential.
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