Exploring the Use of Immersive Technologies to Enhance the Student Experience

Abstract

This paper reports on the initial phase of a National Forum funded Learning Enhancement Project (LEP), under the Strategic Alignment of Teaching and Learning Enhancement (SATLE) funding stream. The purpose of the LEP is to explore the use of immersive technologies such as Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality and 360o Learning in three key domain areas within one higher education institution in Ireland. While significant research has been conducted into the use of these technologies in training and business contexts, the application and use in higher education is still scarce. Radianti et al. (2020) suggest that while the use of virtual reality in higher education is promising, it is still quite experimental and focuses more on performance and usability than learning-oriented applications. Augmented Reality has been used in areas such as teacher education (Sáez-López, 2020) and EFL (Arkhipova, 2022) but is also largely experimental. Together with Mixed Reality and 360-degree Learning, these technologies have the potential to offer students a more immersive learning experience. Three domain areas are involved in this project: Online Learning; the university library; and the academic discipline of Business Tourism. It is envisaged that based on their expertise and experience team members will trial at least two of the immersive technologies with their students during the academic year 2023-2024. Engaging the students in the research will foster a partnership approach and provide an understanding of how this new approach to learning benefits the students but will also reveal the challenges associated with introducing new technologies.