Critical Digital Skills Enhancement in Virtual Reality Environments
Chrysoula Lazou, Avgoustos A. Tsinakos, Ioannis Kazanidis · 2023
This study aims to explore the potential of Virtual Reality (VR) affordances in education to promote critical digital literacy skills in mixed-ability learning environments. The VR tour “A Glance at the Past” was designed to address the need for inclusive learning experience through immersion and interaction using a low-cost, user-friendly multi-user VR environment (MUVE). The design of the tour involves a two-level immersion and interaction with the content, facilitating differentiated instruction needs. The VR environment was evaluated by 30 students in eight 60-minute sessions in the context of foreign language learning through Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL). The preliminary results showed positive attitudes towards VR learning, while investigating the influence of guided or unguided tour exploration of artifacts and content, assessment showed that it had an impact on participants' performance and critical digital skills enhancement. Teachers' monitoring of behavior and performance revealed that there is an inconvenience to address large numbers of learners that are interacting in MUVE.