Virtual Reality Retooling Humanities Courses: Finance and Marketing Experience at a Czech University

Abstract

Virtual reality environments (VRE) allow users to visualize both real-life and imaginary activities. For this reason, they make appropriate training fields at universities, too. However, the positive or negative effects of VRE are still a subject of research. There is a need to verify methods of their deployment, student responses and the impact of VRE implementation. Science and medicine courses are frequently exploiting VRE, while their exploitation in humanities is much less frequent. In our paper, we describe and evaluate their application in finance and marketing courses. Both courses were designed and developed as part of a larger, potentially university-wide project. The courses were enriched by mazes including 3-D rooms with course content elements. Students could explore them and communicate with their lecturers and classmates. To allow anytime/anywhere access, the VRE does not require using any special interface. The finance course was organized as a pedagogical experiment with test and control groups. Due to organizational and scheduling reasons, the VRE in marketing served just as enrichment. At the end of the term, all students using VRE were given a questionnaire assessing their satisfaction. The majority expressed satisfaction. In the finance course, positive opinion was also supported by students’ improved grades. In total, 87.5% of students agreed that the application of VRE contributed to gaining knowledge. Based on the positive experience and outcomes, the university plans to expand and to intensify its VRE-supported education.

Eğitimde Sanal Gerçeklik (SG): Türkiye’deki Durum

“…However, technical issues or disadvantages still need to be addressed. For example, some technical difficulties may be experienced since VR-based courses' design, development and practice are time-consuming and costly (Koreňová et al, 2022). Besides, VR could isolate and distract users from the real world (Çoban et al, 2022).…”

Analysis of Quality Teaching and Learning from Perspective of University Students

“…Students' comments on individual training courses' strengths and weaknesses help design visions for improvement. With regards to the visions of the students' feedback, the possibilities of improving could be necessary to research, e.g., including technical-based innovations [2] or analyses of the utilization of essential study materials [3]. Teachingquality assessment questionnaires are not new in tertiary education but have been used for more than 80 years, as older studies have shown [4].…”

“…According to a consensus in the higher education environment, student feedback improves teaching and helps develop effective teaching strategies. Alternative methods for developing effective teaching strategies in the additional sense can be seen, e.g., in [1,2], as challenges within learning or including virtual reality (ICT methods). Aditomo and Kohler [7] state that teachers and their teaching strategies are the main factors that determine students' learning outcomes.…”