Immersive Virtual Reality (VR) Classroom to Enhance Learning and Increase Interest and Enjoyment in the Secondary School Science Curriculum

This paper describes how an Immersive Virtual Reality (VR) Classroom in a secondary school in Singapore is used to enhance learning through visualization and deepen understanding of science and increase interest and enjoyment in science. The VR Classroom is a futuristic classroom that taps the affordances of VR and AR to enhance HCI (Human-Computer Interactions) through visualization and interactivity, as well as increase engagement and enjoyment in the school curriculum. About the size of a regular classroom, this VR Classroom has three units of Oculus Rifts coupled adorned with life-size wall Augmented Reality posters of the Coronavirus and cells. Drawing from the author's experience in implementing VR lessons as a part of everyday classroom practice, this paper aims to provide practical ideas for educators to leverage on the affordances of virtual reality technologies to plan and design VR lessons. The author will also share sample lesson ideas on how educators can use VR 360 degrees videos to reach out to their students during this COVID-19 pandemic to complement the inquiry learning experience. The immersive and interactive nature of VR makes it an ideal tool for differentiated instruction to cater to diverse learners and learning needs especially during this pandemic. Data from findings using grounded theory and quantitative studies on affective outcomes show that there is significant increase in students' enjoyment in learning science when immersive VR is used and that the use of immersive VR increases students' self-efficacy. These findings have implications on the pedagogical design of lessons that use immersive VR. [For the full proceedings, see ED622227.]