Some Considerations for Designing and Supporting XR Experiences in Classroom Settings
Owen G. McGrath · 2024
Until recently, academic computing support for Extended Reality (XR) systems and applications was confined to specialized facilities and dedicated computer labs. The advent of affordable untethered consumer XR devices presents new opportunities, choices, and challenges for XR support in the curriculum. With untethered devices, ordinary classrooms or gathering spaces can become sites for XR-enabled activities. The considerations outlined in this paper stem from experiences supporting pilot projects in different disciplines and across different types of XR environments such as stand-alone applications and online social-collaborative platforms. The topics of this paper include: 1) describing some beneficial uses and roles for XR as applied to teaching and learning; 2) considering service models for XR device deployment in courses; 3) noting specific infrastructure concerns, especially in terms of network connectivity and physical space management; 4) outlining policy development needs around security, privacy, accessibility, health, and safety for XR educational deployments.