A SWOT Analysis of Blending Immersive Virtual Reality in the Classroom

Paula Hodgson, Vivian W.Y. Lee, Chung-Shing Chan, Agnes Fong, Cindi S.Y. Tang and Sonia W.L. Cheung
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Hong Kong SAR, China

Research showed the benefits of having an immersive experience for rehabilitation more than a decade ago, and the use of head-mounted virtual-reality displays has since been attracting interest and gaining momentum in higher education in Hong Kong. Despite most university students here being considered digital natives, adopting technologies for education has been a paradigm shift in their daily lives. Although there have been early adapters to innovative approaches to teaching in universities, teachers may nevertheless find it challenging to enculture immersive virtual reality (IVR) for learning beyond the classroom in preparation for professional practice. This paper discusses the strengths and weaknesses of the application of IVR in the classroom, and the opportunities and threats from a curriculum perspective in two courses that have embedded IVR in a university in the first semester of 2017–18. Classroom observations were conducted, and surveys of student learning experiences were collected. There was a mixture of student responses to an unprecedented experience in university study, although the outcomes of this implementation have yet to be observed.