When Past Experiences Hold Back Future Learning: Why Purposeful VR Experiences Matter More Than Screen Time

Schools are right to be cautious about adopting new technologies.

Over the past decade, many educators have encountered challenges with virtual reality ranging from complex device management and software updates to curriculum integration, teacher training, and questions about educational value. These experiences have understandably shaped perceptions of VR in schools.

But perhaps the question is no longer whether students should use technology. The question is whether technology is being used with purpose.

Research increasingly suggests that immersive Virtual Reality (iVR) can deliver significant educational value when it is aligned to learning outcomes, supported by teachers, and embedded within meaningful classroom practice (Petersen et al., 2022).

It's Not About Screen Time. It's About Learning Time.

As conversations around student wellbeing continue, screen time often dominates the discussion.

However, not all screen time is equal.

A student passively consuming content is having a fundamentally different experience from a student exploring a coral reef, investigating a natural disaster, stepping inside a historical setting or building a virtual world to communicate their understanding.

The focus should shift from how long students are using technology to what they are learning while using it.

The real value of VR lies in its ability to create experiences that would otherwise be difficult, expensive, inaccessible or impossible to achieve in a traditional classroom.

What Research Tells Us About Effective VR Learning

Australian research has found that teachers using immersive VR report benefits including increased engagement, authentic learning experiences, creativity, collaboration, curiosity and opportunities for students to explore environments beyond their physical world (Southgate et al., 2026).

Teachers are using VR across Science, Geography, History, English, Creative Arts, Languages, Careers and Physical Education, demonstrating that immersive learning extends far beyond technology-focused subjects.

Research also highlights VR's ability to:

• Visualise complex and abstract concepts

• Support experiential and inquiry-based learning

• Enable safe experimentation and simulations

• Build spatial awareness and problem-solving skills

• Increase curiosity, creativity and motivation

  
  

These benefits emerge when VR is integrated into good teaching practice rather than treated as a standalone technology initiative.

Why the CAMIL Model Matters

One of the most influential frameworks explaining how VR supports learning is the Cognitive Affective Model of Immersive Learning (CAMIL), developed by Makransky and Petersen (Petersen et al., 2022).

The model proposes that two key characteristics of VR, immersion and interactivity, can support learning by increasing:

• Presence - the feeling of being inside the learning environment

• Agency - a sense of control and ownership

• Situational Interest - curiosity and focused attention

• Embodied Learning - learning through interaction and experience

Research found that immersion significantly increased presence and interest, while interactivity strengthened agency and embodied learning. These factors contributed to deeper engagement with learning experiences (Petersen et al., 2022).

The implication for educators is important: VR is most effective when it is designed around pedagogy, not novelty.

From Consumers to Creators

Perhaps the most exciting shift in education is moving students beyond experiencing VR and empowering them to create with it.

When students become creators rather than consumers, immersive technology becomes a platform for project-based learning, creativity, communication, and problem-solving.

Schools are already using VR in powerful ways:

At the same time, they develop the capabilities increasingly valued by employers:

• Critical thinking

• Creativity

• Communication

• Collaboration

• Problem-solving

• Design thinking

• Digital literacy

  
  

These are not technology skills alone. They are future-ready skills.

Why EdgedVR Built the eVR Classroom

At EdgedVR, we have listened to the challenges schools have faced implementing VR.

The eVR Classroom was designed to reduce many of the barriers that have historically limited adoption by focusing on curriculum alignment, teacher support, ease of implementation and meaningful learning outcomes.

More importantly, we believe immersive learning should enhance great teaching, not replace it.

Our goal is not simply to place students inside virtual environments. It is to help teachers create learning experiences that build understanding, spark curiosity and connect classroom concepts with the real world.

Looking Ahead

Schools should be thoughtful when adopting any new technology but thoughtful implementation is different from resistance.

Research continues to show that when immersive learning is curriculum-aligned, supported by teachers and focused on student outcomes, VR can increase engagement, deepen understanding and create learning opportunities that would otherwise be difficult to achieve (Petersen et al., 2022).

The future of VR in education is not about technology for technology's sake.

It is about giving students opportunities to investigate, create, communicate and solve real-world problems in ways that make learning more meaningful.

When used purposefully, VR becomes far more than screen time.

It becomes a way to expand what is possible in education.

Sources: 

Southgate, E., Unsworth, P., Bower, M., Birt, J., Tafazoli, D., & Cowling, M. A. (2026). Teacher perspectives on challenges and opportunities for immersive virtual reality learning integration in Australian schools. Online Learning, 30(3), 1–23. Doi.org

Petersen, G. B., Petkakis, G., & Makransky, G. (2022). A study of how immersion and interactivity drive VR learning. Computers & Education, 179, Article 104429. Doi.org