Immersive Learning: The Future of Online Education

Introduction

The Immersive Learning Space is making a comeback, evolving from a once-overlooked technology into a powerful tool that’s ready for prime time. Despite early skepticism, it has not only weathered the harsh critiques, but has matured to offer immense potential—akin to the transformative impact of AI, which has rapidly changed the landscape in 2023 and 2024.

Now, as Educators, it’s time to reconsider what immersive technology can bring to our classrooms and online tutoring. Immersive Learning is increasingly showing itself to have abundant and compelling use cases, and it's becoming clear that this technology can engage the mind like nothing we have ever seen before.

Tell me and I forget…..

Teach me and I remember 

Involve me and I learn.

Benjamin Franklin

What is Immersive Learning? 

Immersive learning is an educational approach that leverages technology and interactive environments to deeply engage the student in the subject matter.

Instead of traditional methods that might rely heavily on passive learning, immersive learning creates dynamic, experiential settings where learners can actively participate and interact with the content.

"Immersive learning practices seek to create opportunities for deep learning by reducing the cognitive load for the learner so that he or she is better able to exclusively focus on a single task or topic for a period of time without distraction". 

ELON UNIVERSITY CENTRE FOR ENGAGED LEARNING

Historically, people have used immersive learning to acquire skills, such as in emergency evacuation drills or firefighters refining their techniques in simulated fire scenarios.

However, AR and VR now offer the ability to simulate almost any real-world scenario in a safe and engaging digital environment. AR and VR have introduced a wealth of new learning opportunities in both corporate and educational settings eg these technologies have become very effective tools for training Doctors and medical students. Many prestigious medical schools and teaching hospitals around the world, including Harvard in the US and the University of Oxford in the UK have embraced these technologies and students are now given the opportunity to train in an immersive and safe environment. My niece has been studying Dentistry at Queens University in Belfast, Northern Ireland and has been using virtual reality to train. She has really benefited from these experiences.

Unlike traditional classrooms, where students are passive observers, these technologies allow participants to actively practice and apply their skills in settings that closely mimic real life. Learning takes place in a way that immerses the senses, and in ways that minimise distractions and so focuses the attention and this facilitates deep level learning.

Thanks to this innovative technology, students are now much more engaged and excited to learn. I have seen this technology in action first hand with the Salty Sharks platform. I witnessed students showing levels of enthusiasm that I honestly have never seen in any teaching method or innovation in my 20 years of Teaching.

Immersive Learning gives children a better understanding and retention of information. It really is a cool and exciting way to learn. The results are amazing and the potential impact to education is obvious.

Stanford University-Research

Research conducted by Stanford University found that VR learners retain information at a rate of 80%, compared to just 20% retention through traditional methods (Exploring minds 2023). This figure will increase even more as technology advances and Educators become more familiar with the implementation of Immersive technology.

IMMERSIVE LEARNING IN NUMBERS

In Science

Students aren’t just reading about the heart or looking it on a flat screen, they are able to literally walk through the human heart. Students now have the ability to take part in science experiments in a virtual lab, experiments which would otherwise be impossible or too dangerous to do in the classroom such as those in chemistry or physics.

In Geography

Students can go on instantaneous field trips to different places around the world, the Amazonian rainforests or the Australian outback. Again the possibilities are boundless.

In History

Students can be transported back in time, e.g. walking with the dinosaurs, exploring Egyptian Sphinx and experiencing a battlefield in World War One as a soldier would have. Time and places can be recreated in ways that a text book or the traditional 'chalk and talk' approach or even playing videos cannot come close to.

Languages

Language students can really benefit from Immersive learning. Students can be totally immersed in the target language and culture. For example, they can be transported to a virtual French town where they can walk down the streets as an Avatar and go to the French boulangerie and order a croissant from an AI Avatar Baker, order from the menu in a restaurant or ask a local for directions on the street. Go on a virtual trip, visit the sights in Paris, and check out the Mona Lisa in the Louvre.

Louis Rosenberg who is a Professor of Educational Technology at California State University and an early pioneer of virtual and augmented reality has stated:

“All this said, for the last 25 years I have been convinced that virtual and augmented reality would ultimately become a very significant part of education. And not just for medical students and other professionals, but for all students from K-12 to college".

"After all, there are many things we can teach through books and lectures, but we can’t teach students to internalise the vastness of a billion stars, or the profound smallness of a billion atoms". 

"But in the metaverse, students can discover it for themselves".  

We are witnessing a paradigm shift in Education. The possibilities are endless.

Institutional adoption

Higher education is a multi billion dollar industry and many institutions and big tech companies are already jostling for positions in this market.

Ivy League elite schools in the U.S. such as Stanford (mentioned already), University Of Glasgow, University of Syndey as well as University of Oxford and University of Cambridge are already deeply involved with Immersive tech. But the list could go on and on. This illustrates just how serious a view the global university sector is taking on the potential of Immersive Learning. They are becoming more and more financially invested.

Academic institutions the world over know only too well that to be left behind in Immersive Learning is to become an obselete educational dinosaur!

Moreover, big insitutions like those mentioned should tell you all you need to know about what the educational experts think about Immersive Learning.

Adoption by Big Tech

Apple realeased their 'Apple Vision Pro' in early 2024. This is in itself quite telling. For Apple are no slouches when it comes to being tech savy and knowing what works with people. They are the biggest tech company in the world for this very reason. They are also cautious, and don't often get it wrong. Apple has been watching this technology mature for many years. And now they are in on it the same as they are in with AI.

Meta already have their Quest goggles on the market and so do Valve Index and HTC. Google are expected to have a VR headset on the market in 2024. This is all further evidence that tells you which way boffins of big tech think the wind is blowing.

If after that you still needed some convincing about how big immersive spatial computing is going to be, PWC (Price Waterhouse Coopers) (2020) conducted research which concluded:

"Virtual and augmented reality could deliver a £1.4 trillion boost to the global economy by 2030"

A.I. and Immersive Learning

A.I. has almost exploded on the almost every device with a screen on the planet during 2023 and 2024. AI is a true game changer and given its continuing improvement, I think we have only begun to sees its potential in almost every facet of our lives.

The fusion of AI and VR shows immense benefits for Immersive Learning. I have seen and have had conversations with AI Avatars that made my jaw drop! These AI avatars can have a real time two way conversation with me in a range of languages and in many ways I felt I could have been having a conversation with a real person. Even more impactful when you practicing conversational skills immersed in a contextually relevant environment. AI boosts the use case for Immersive technology still further into the stratosphere!

As with all new technologies there will be challenges ahead, but it's important to keep in mind that technologies won't replace a Teacher and the Teacher will always have a central role in the teaching and learning experience. It's not about replacing the things which are already working, but instead adding these tools to our toolkits to enhance things and which can offer more personalised and inclusive teaching and learning experiences where all students can reach their full potential.

Conclusion

As we look to the future, it's clear that immersive learning is not just a passing trend—it's a transformative force in education.

From revolutionising how we experience history and science to making language learning a fully immersive adventure. The possibilities are as vast as they are exciting.

With tech giants and top universities embracing this cutting-edge approach, Schools K-12 will surely follow. Its inevitable. That means educators must be prepared as we will be the ones to ensure that this new technology is implemented in a responsible and ethical way. The Teacher and human connection will still be vital.

The stage is set for a new era of education where students can truly engage with and understand the world around them in ways we never thought possible. I feel that it's important that as Educators we embrace these technologies and use them to their full potential.

Students in our schools are becoming increasingly disengaged, leading to disruptive behaviours in class with many dropping out. While this is not the only reason, I feel that outside of school many children are already living in a more technologically advanced world than that of the classroom. In the future many will have highly stimulating VR/AR/XR lives at home and if we just limit ourselves to teaching with powerpoint slides,videos and worksheets, students will become even more disengaged in the classroom and with their online learning. Now is the time!

As we eagerly anticipate the launch of Immerse-Edu's innovative resources, which will bring this dynamic learning experience to a device near you, one thing is certain: immersive learning is here to stay and will continue to shape the future of education in remarkable ways. The future of learning is immersive, interactive, and incredibly bright!

References

https://www.centerforengagedlearning.org/resources/immersive-learning/

https://arborxr.com/blog/stanford-university-how-immersive-technology-enhances-education/

https://medium.com/@the_exploring_minds/how-virtual-reality-and-gamification-are-transforming-learning-and-training-in-the-industry-1adb627f99c2

https://www.pwc.com/id/en/media-centre/press-release/2020/english/virtual-and-augmented-reality-could-deliver-a-p1-4trillion-boost.html