Don't put the Cart Before the Horse: Self-Study on Using VR in Education

Virtual reality is a rapidly growing technological innovation that continues to garner attention for use in education. This self-study of two teacher educators spans immersive head-mounted virtual reality implementation from 2014-2023 with middle-grades students, preservice teachers, and adult learners. Empirical data sources include learner perceptions and researcher generated teaching vignettes and reflective diaries. Framed by a systems thinking approach to design, results highlight the experiences and growing insights during each of the four chronologically ordered implementation phases. Phase one emphasizes the responsibility of project constituents and lack of organizational support. Phase two highlights the ripening of education virtual reality resources and adapting pedagogy to learner characteristics. Phase three explains the application and transfer within a new context. Phase four encapsulates shifts among external factors with a desire to improve performance needs. Findings compare and contrast education virtual reality with entertainment virtual reality, to advance instructional design and development to improve learning. Insights and practical recommendations apply to teacher educators, educational technologists, and computer scientists.