The proliferation of virtual laboratories in educational fields

  • Diego Vergara
    Catholic University of Ávila diego.vergara[at]ucavila.es
  • Jamil Extremera
    University of Salamanca
  • Manuel Pablo Rubio
    University of Salamanca
  • Lilian P. Dávila
    University of California at Merced

Abstract

Since its emergence in the 1960s, the use of virtual reality (VR) has grown progressively. This wide dissemination of VR has allowed its application in an increasing number of disciplines, including education. It is well known that virtual laboratories (VLs), which base their use in VR technology, are very useful tools in both university and professional training. In this article, the main advantages and disadvantages of the use of modern VLs in teaching are analyzed. In addition, the design and development process that must be followed to appropriately create these VLs is described in detail, as well as a small-scale study of the perception that university teachers have about the use of VR in education. Lastly, the reasons why the implementation of VR is not currently as broad as it would be expected, given its proven potential in different fields, are discussed.
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Author Biographies

Diego Vergara

,
Catholic University of Ávila
Technological DepartmentC/ Canteros, s/n 05005 Ávila (Spain)

Jamil Extremera

,
University of Salamanca
Computer Sciences and Automatics DepartmentPhD student

Manuel Pablo Rubio

,
University of Salamanca
Construction DepartmentProfessor

Lilian P. Dávila

,
University of California at Merced
Materials Science and Engineering Department, School of Engineering Professor
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