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What is virtual learning

The definition of virtual reality comes, naturally, from the definitions for both virtual and reality. Thedefinition of virtual is near and reality is what we experience as human beings. So the term virtualreality basically means near -reality. This could, of course, mean anything but it usually refers to aspecific type of reality emulation.

Virtual reality is the term used to describe a three-dimensional, computer generated environment whichcan be explored and interacted with by a person. That person becomes part of this virtual world or isimmersed within this environment and whilst there, is able to manipulate objects or perform a series ofactions.

The person wears a head-mounted display (HMD) or glasses which displays three-dimensional images aspart of their experience. Some systems enable the person to experience additional sensory input, e.g.

sound or video which contributes to their overall experience.

Virtual reality and the ArmyThe Army use virtual reality in a variety of ways, from combat simulations through to medic training andeven recruitment campaigns.

In the latter case, the British Army has used virtual reality to recruit potential soldiers from the 18 to 21year old group. They have used virtual reality headsets which display interactive content.

The most obvious use is that of battlefield situations in which soldiers from infantry regiments need to betrained in dealing with life on the front line. Front line combat is a highly stressful situation which requires

the soldier to have complex skills and techniques in order to handle this and most importantly, to stayalive.

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Advantages of virtual reality training Little/no risk Safe, controlled area Realistic scenarios Can be done remotely saving time and money

Improves retention and recall Simplifies complex problems/situations Suitable for different learning styles Innovative and enjoyable

The last item is an important one. Training is easier if the experience is pleasant or enjoyable whichmeans higher level of engagement and understanding.

Time and money are also important factors. Training is necessary to ensure that people are able toperform their jobs or learn a subject in order to be fully productive. But the costs can be prohibitive, forexample, developing a series of prototypes. Virtual reality removes the needs for repeated prototypingand/or implementation which we know can be expensive. What it does instead is to replace this with asingle model which can be used time and time again. Plus it can be accessed from different locations.Both of these save time and money.

DisadvantagesThe disadvantages of VR are numerous. The hardware needed to create a fully immersed VR experience isstill cost prohibitive. The total cost of the machinery to create a VR system is still the same price as a new car,around $20,000. The technology for such an experience is still new and experimental. VR is becoming muchmore commonplace but programmers are still grappling with how to interact with virtual environments. Theidea of escapism is common place among those that use VR environments and people often live in thevirtual world instead of dealing with the real one. This happens even in the low quality and fairly hard to useVR environments that are online right now. One worry is that as VR environments become much higherquality and immersive, they will become attractive to those wishing to escape real life. Another concern isVR training. Training with a VR environment does not have the same consequences as training and working

in the real world. This means that even if someone does well with simulated tasks in a VR environment, thatperson might not do well in the real world.