The significant benefits of VR in education are well known. Immersive learning improves comprehension and retention, and lets you repeat a module multiple times in a safe environment – and e-learning doesn’t get much more immersive than VR!
At the same time, if you don’t get the instructional design right, your immersive VR learning environment could bring more negatives than positives.
In today’s blog, we’re looking at the impact of bad VR learning on learner communication. This is especially an issue for younger learners who spend too much time in the environment.
Learner communication issues could stem from:
- Isolated learning
- Non-real-time communication
- Over-dependence on tech
- Overuse of VR learning
Let’s explore the impact of these issues, and how you can address them.
Isolated Learning and its impact on face-to-face interaction
Learners in immersive virtual reality environments work in isolation. They interact with each other within the virtual environment, but not ‘really’. As a result of this social isolation, learners have much less face-to-face interaction. This reduces their experience with physical expression, body language, non-verbal cues, and communication. Verbal communication is of course only one part of human interaction – body language and other non-verbal cues are key to a complete understanding of meaning.
The concern with an immersive learning setup is that though users may interact with one another within the VR learning environment, they are in fact isolated from each other. As a result, the VR experience may result in miscommunication. The technology isn’t there yet – it cannot deliver ‘real’ physical communication in real-time between users, and it can’t reflect the user’s expressions and gestures.
The solution: Ensure that your learners aren’t over-dependent on in-environment communication. Give them opportunities to interact with colleagues in person or in chat-based settings.
Non-real-time communication
For technical reasons, immersive learning typically doesn’t involve real-time interaction between learners. This, too, results in a significant risk of miscommunication since there is limited natural interaction. It is usually unsuitable for group discussions, breakout activities, or collaborative sessions. Another concern is that if learners have the time to think things through before responding to a colleague, their ability to communicate on the fly is limited.
The solution: Create opportunities for real-time communication as well. During assessments, prioritize thinking (and communication) on the go.
Over-dependence on tech for communication
When users communicate with each other through the virtual medium, they don’t hold back! There is a real risk of misuse, such as harassment, manipulation or even cyberbullying. There is decreased emotional connection between learners within the group. Since they do not engage in person, there is difficulty in building trust and establishing real relationships within the group.
When very young learners spend too much time in a virtual environment, they may get into the habit of communicating in certain patterns that are suitable for virtual reality. As a result, they may not be able to communicate effectively in the real world. For those reasons, it’s important not to overuse the immersive VR learning environment.
The solution: When younger learners engage with immersive learning experiences, keep an eye on their interactions with fellow learners. Create oversight mechanisms to make sure that they can communicate safely with each other, under supervision.
Overuse and its Consequences
Overuse of a VR learning environment is a concern for several reasons, many of which are related to the health of the user. When the physical or mental health of the user is impacted, their ability to communicate (within the learning environment and in the real world) is also hit.
There is also a risk of addiction to the VR environment, which can disrupt real-life relationships. Severe overuse can result in a false sense of reality. Users may believe that the virtual environment is the only one, reducing their ability to empathize and regulate their emotions in the real world.
The solution: Keep track of how much your learners are using the environment. Balance immersion with real-world interaction. Through trial and error, you can figure out the optimal amount of time spent in the immersive environment.
As you may have noticed, most of these negative impacts come with an instructional design that lets your learners overuse, abuse, or misuse your VR tech. Since VR in e-learning is still in its infancy, it’s important that your instructional designers keep the potential risks in mind when creating content for the medium.
The benefits of VR in education are clear and significant. At the same time, there are potential risks to the overuse of virtual reality learning environments, too. Talk to the experts before getting started. Get in touch with our team at Hornbill FX today!
