Extended reality in higher education: A case study in film, theatre, and performance practice
Gareth William Young, Néill O’Dwyer, Nicholas E. Johnson, Aljoša Smolić · Arts and Humanities in Higher Education · 2025
Online virtual worlds have increasingly become meeting places for students and teachers to discuss and collaborate on diverse academic subjects and practices. Furthermore, in response to the recent global COVID-19 pandemic, there has also been a heightened drive to provide online educational facilities that harness immersive virtual environments (IVEs) via social software. Contemporary extended reality (XR) platforms present higher education establishments with innovative and alternative modalities for engaging with students and teaching in general. For example, virtual reality (VR) facilitates telepresence and immersion, allowing users to remotely see, hear, and potentially feel the virtual classroom experience. However, the shift from traditional teaching materials to immersive digital environments is not simply a technological transition but a mediated transformation requiring pedagogical adaptation. XR does not inherently lead to educational outcomes but facilitates embodied, co-constructive learning experiences that depend on instructional design and technological accessibility. Additionally, the accessibility and infrastructural limitations of XR remain challenges, particularly regarding affordability, environmental sustainability, and inclusivity for diverse learners. Here, we illustrate these factors’ precise roles in providing educational content for film, theatre, and performance practice, particularly Samuel Beckett Studies. In the context of higher education, research, and artistic practice, we gain direction from the reports of subject matter experts on the impact of the “virtual classroom” and the accessibility of live performance, the embodiment and presence of the student within the mise-en-scène, and the influences of immersion and presence on the overall experiences of the student. We anticipate our findings will offer researchers and educators insight into student experiences with immersive technology in socio-constructive exercises both in the classroom and remote learning contexts.