Virtual Reality (VR) Applications in Learning

Abstract

This chapter illustrates the use of VR applications in professional development and introduces an application used to assist teachers, learning support assistants (LSAs), and teaching assistants (TAs) to better understand autistic children's behaviors while in the classroom. One of the challenges faced in classrooms is how to understand the autistic children's behaviors and empathize with them. The proposed VR application repurposes a different form of narrative of the world of a child on the autism spectrum in an immersive environment designed for educators. The VR application in this chapter uses recorded footage through 360-degree cameras and special effects powered by Unity. In a context where integration is a key to today's learning and education, the researchers believe that the use of VR to assist the teachers in empathizing with their learners' traits and conditions may be of great benefit to the learners' school experiences.