There are many areas where VR has been used for supporting education (Sung et al., 2009; Bouras et al., 2008). These include : A. Simulation of complex systems, where the benefit compared to traditional methods is centered on the ability to observe system operations from a variety of perspectives, aided by superior quality visualization and interaction; B. Macroscopic and microscopic visualization, where the benefit compared to traditional methods is the observation of system features that would be either too small or too large to be seen on a normal scale system; and C. Fast and slow time simulation, where the benefit compared to traditional methods is the ability to control timescale in a dynamic event.
Furthermore, compared to traditional methods, there are other significant characteristics of VR that could be leveraged for supporting education including the following (Laister, 2002; Bouras, et al. 2008; Redfern et al., 2002; Seely et al. 2008):
- High levels of interactivity that VR allows: Since most people learn faster by “doing”, the VR system provides significantly higher levels of interactivity than other computer-based systems. Similarly, since the interfaces are intuitive and easy to use, the degree of interactivity could be very beneficial.
- Sense of immersion: This is a powerful characteristic, particularly in applications, where the sense of scale is quite important. A good example is that architecture is an area where the sense of scale is required for visualizing the impact of a building design on the external environment and the inhabitants.
- Inherent flexibility/adaptability: The flexibility of the VR system arises from the underlying software nature of the virtual environment. A VR system can be put to many uses by loading different application environments. This means that it is feasible to use a VR system for a wide range of learning applications.
Several propositions have been advanced by researchers relating to the usage of virtual environments in education (Hamalamen, 2011; Bouras et al., 2008; 2006). The following four propositions are germane to our discussion:
- Virtual environments create a feeling of presence by techniques, which shift attention from the real world to the virtual world.
- Virtual environments situate learning in a meaningful context. The environment’s “landmarks” play a special role.
- Collaboration is possible and efficient in virtual environments. Moreover, users represented by avatars in the virtual world support the feeling of presence and the joy while learning.
- It is possible to learn by interacting with other students and virtual objects in virtual environments in a way similar to the interaction with real people and objects. This is why it is important to investigate the design principles that should be adopted by educational designers for effectively designing virtual spaces for e-learning.
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