Explore Growth And Impact Of VR And AR In eLearning
Immersive learning environments use cutting-edge technology to create engaging, memorable experiences for students. The possibilities are endless—from Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) headsets to virtual worlds (VW)—there are now many ways for us to explore our learning potential in a safe environment where we can be more creative with how we learn and engage with others around us.
Immersive Technology: The Essentials
Immersive technology is the use of a combination of Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to create a new environment. It can be used to provide learners with an enriched learning experience that’s more engaging than traditional eLearning methods. The benefits of immersive technology for eLearning include:
- Delivering a more realistic experience by placing learners in a simulated environment. This increases engagement and helps them to retain information better by making it seem more real.
- Providing interactive instruction that keeps learners on their toes, rather than relying on text-based learning activities as in most Learning Management Systems (LMSs).
- Giving people access to new experiences they wouldn’t otherwise have, such as flying around in outer space or meeting someone famous. This increases motivation and retention because they’re interested in what they’re doing instead of just following instructions from a screen, like they would be if they were reading through static content alone.
The Immersive Technology Breakdown
Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality are two types of immersive technology that have become increasingly popular in eLearning recent years. While they’re similar in their ability to transport users into another world, the difference between them lies in how much control you have over that world. AR is a layer of digital content that’s superimposed on a view of the real world, while VR completely replaces it with an immersive experience in which users are completely immersed in a virtual environment. Both forms are used extensively throughout eLearning, but it’s important to know what they mean when you’re looking for resources related to either one.
1. Augmented Reality
Augmented Reality is a technology that overlays digital information on top of the real world. AR can be used to enhance the User Experience with digital information, such as adding labels to images and video clips or visualizing data points in 3D format. Augmented Reality is being adopted by many industries, including education and marketing. For example, teachers can use Augmented Reality in their classrooms to help students visualize concepts using interactive visualizations and simulations. Marketers can use it to provide consumers with more detailed information about the products they are trying to sell, such as letting customers see how clothes look on them before purchasing them online.
2. Virtual Reality
Virtual Reality is a computer-simulated environment that can be experienced through a headset or other devices. It differs from Augmented Reality and Mixed Reality (MR), which include real-world elements such as sound, touch, and smell. VR has been used for gaming, education and training, medicine, architecture design, and many other applications since the 1990s. Virtual Reality headsets allow us to create a virtual environment that looks and feels real while we are wearing them. They create an illusion of being somewhere else entirely. A user can interact with this environment using motion controllers provided by some high-end systems, such as Oculus Rift or HTC Vive.
3. Virtual Worlds
Virtual worlds (VW) are a type of immersive technology that has been used in the training and education sectors for many years. The use of virtual worlds has become more widespread over the past decade, but it’s still one of the most exciting developments in eLearning. Virtual worlds provide an opportunity for people to experience new ways of learning and interacting with others; these experiences can then be applied back in real life, as employees move into different roles or take on more responsibilities within their organization.
But what exactly is a virtual world? They are created using computer-generated images (CGI) which present users with simulated environments that look like real places, complete with avatars (digital representations of users). These digital simulations allow educators to create interactive scenarios that would otherwise take place outside of the classroom environment (such as collaborative tasks between teams based on different skillsets or cultural backgrounds), without having any negative impact on physical health, or any safety concerns associated with these activities being performed in real life, such as going into dangerous areas.
Changing How We Learn
We’re living in an exciting time. Immersive technology is changing how we learn, it’s changing the way we consume content, and it’s also changing the way we interact with each other. To fully understand how immersive technology is affecting our lives, we first need to understand its definition and what makes it so different from traditional learning methods.
Immersive technology is defined as technology that gives users a sense of being physically present in another world or environment. This can be achieved through VR headsets that allow users to see, hear, and feel as if they are actually there; AR headsets which allow users to see visuals overlaid on top of their real-world view; haptic feedback devices which give users tactile feedback, such as vibrations; voice assistants like Siri/Alexa which respond in real time, based on user questions or commands; or smart glasses which enable users to do things like make video calls simply by raising their hand toward their face, without having to use any buttons or screens. All these technologies can be used together at the same time, or separately, depending on what type of experience you want from them!
Conclusion
Immersive technology is proving to be a powerful new way to engage learners and enhance their learning experience. It can be used to teach, learn, and communicate with others, as well as to create new learning experiences for the instructor. As you can see, immersive technology is an exciting new area, with a great deal of potential for the future. The rise of immersive technology in eLearning will likely change the way we learn and teach for years to come.