Integrating 360° Virtual Learning Environment to Support Out-Of-Class Inquiry Activity for Preservice Teachers: A Preliminary Study

Over the last few years, 360° virtual learning environment has been introduced as an educational tool. Educators started embedding the related technology into their classes. In general, this technology is recognized as a suitable tool to illustrate real-context experiences when the reality is hardly accessible, for instance, due to safety issues. However, the pedagogical implementation of these learning media has not been widely explored, especially in the context of higher education. In this study, we aimed to develop the 360° virtual learning environment and design the pedagogical usage to support learners before they are in the context of in-field inquiry activity. The 29 preservice science teachers were recruited in this study. After participating in the 360° virtual learning environment and the out-of-class inquiry activity, the perception questionnaire was administrated. Moreover, they were asked to provide feedback regarding their learning experiences. The quantitative and qualitative analysis, including arithmetic means, standard deviation, and content analysis, is used to analyze the learners' perceptions and self-reflection, respectively. The results and findings of this study are discussed to apply the 360° virtual learning environment to the learning domain.