Virtual Reality as a Supportive Tool for Design Education

Abstract

Immersive technologies have gained attention in design pedagogy due to their potential as effective tools for teaching and learning. Virtual reality (VR) has been extensively explored in the design discipline for tasks such as interpretation, visualization, and collaboration. However, most applications of VR have focused on replacing traditional teaching content but there is a lack of research on using VR as a supportive teaching tool. This study evaluated the effectiveness of VR as a supportive educational tool in design education. Employing a one-group pretest-posttest experimental design, the study assessed the impact of VR on learning technical and spatial knowledge among 60 sophomore students enrolled in the College of Architecture. The results showed significantly higher posttest scores following the utilization of VR content as a supportive tool supplementing traditional teaching content. This study also gathered participants’ perceptions of using VR. The participants rated the quality of the VR content and the ease of use positively, while a few participants reported discomfort related to eye strain.