Since the pandemic, virtual learning has become more common…but teachers say students are easily distracted. Now, an instructor at the University of Redlands has found a way to keep online students focused and connected: virtual reality headsets.
Johannes Moenius teaches a global business course for undergraduates at the University of Redlands. The students never gather in the same building. But Moenius found a way to bring students into the same place— a virtual classroom. He says it forces students to be more engaged.
“If you sit in a virtual classroom, wearing a virtual headset, it's impossible to get distracted. You pretty much can only focus on what's right there,” said Moenius.
Moenius ships Meta headsets to his students. The headsets are programmed with the software he needs to teach in virtual reality.
He says it can be more interactive than an in-person class. Moenius often takes his students to tour factories in other countries.
“We can take a look all around Tokyo and experience what you would see if you were actually up there,” he said.
Gabriela Atwater, one of Moenius’ students, says she never used virtual reality before.
“I didn't know we were that capable of so much interaction virtually,” she said. She said the class even changed her perspective on technology.
Moenius says virtual reality allows people in all corners of the world to collaborate, which fosters global business.
“You can literally get into the same room and work on a project together,” said Moenius.
He says it’s better to embrace this new technology than to run from it and that’s why he will keep teaching in virtual reality.