Higher
education is closing in on a tipping point for immersive learning, according to
Marci Powell, chair emerita and former president of the United States Distance
Learning Association. Immersive includes 3-D, augmented reality (AR), virtual
reality (VR), and mixed reality (MR), which refers to a hybrid environment
where physical and digital entities interact in real time.
For Campus Technology’s midpoint check-in on
the year’s ed-tech trends, Powell noted that the prices for virtual-reality
headsets are heading sharply down as new models continue to roll out, and AR-
and VR-ready laptops are negating the need for expensive hardware and servers
to support VR. She added that the growing number of VR lesson plans available
makes assembling a curriculum with the technology faster and easier.
However, since have/have-not
gaps haven’t yet been fully bridged for such comparatively common needs as
smartphones and broadband access, the market is still far from a point where
all students can use more advanced immersive tech at home or in the classroom.
Institutions should be working now to ensure they’re able to provide such
access as the technology becomes more mainstream.
