Virtual reality provides an opportunity for engaging and immersive learning experiences for students in higher education. Much of its development for educational purposes has been in settings with direct contact with students, like classrooms and labs. However, given all the considerations for designing online courses for students across the world, does VR add pedagogical value (and enough return on investment) in an online learning context?

In this session, you will learn about the methods instructional designers at Penn State World Campus used to vet, create, and integrate immersive 360 videos, as well as the research findings regarding learner perception of their value toward the learning experience. Particular focus was on the method learners used to interact with the videos, such as a headset, and its impact on their understanding of concepts. Given the requirements of online course development, special consideration was given to the financial and timeline implications as well as creating learning objects that all students can access and experience.

In this session, you will learn:

• About the considerations for integrating immersive 360/VR content in online course design
• About the challenges for delivering 360/VR content to students at a distance
• About the preliminary perceptions of immersive 360/VR content from online students
• About a pedagogically sound approach for developing immersive 360 content, from ideation to integration in an online learning environment
• Recommendations for how to progress toward true virtual reality or delivery of immersive content based on the evaluation of 360 video pilots

Audience:

Designers, developers, managers, and senior leaders (directors, VP, CLO, executive, etc.).

Technology discussed in this session:

360-degree video, Nikon KeyMission 360, GoPro Omni, Google Cardboard, VR Headset Revolution, and Adobe Premiere.