Virtual Horizons School Brings VR Learning to Home Education
To give pupils an immersive educational experience, Virtual Horizons Charter School will launch a cutting-edge home-based learning programme that integrates virtual reality (VR) with traditional ways of learning. The curriculum blends solo exercises and assignments done outside of the virtual environment with instructor-led virtual classes.
Usually, classes held in the virtual reality setting last 20 to 30 minutes. Students will have the chance to interact with their peers and investigate dynamic learning settings during these sessions.
The VR platform is designed to enable pupils to participate in engaging virtual field trips, providing immersive experiences that enhance learning. Through this immersive method, students can immerse themselves in experiences like touring world-renowned museums, revisiting historical events, or diving into the ocean’s depths. Because VR is so immersive, it should give students access to opportunities that traditional classroom settings might not be able to deliver.
The administration of the school is confident that this innovative method will be especially helpful for pupils who are disinterested or struggling in traditional classroom environments.
Students will connect with teachers and peers in real time while interacting with themselves as avatars in the virtual classroom setting. While home-based learners may frequently encounter restricted social connection, the virtual reality system successfully replicates classroom-style engagement, the school’s vice chair emphasised.
The Vice Chair underlined that this approach restores the social side of learning by allowing students to visit their virtual classrooms at predetermined times, similar to the framework of a regular school. The virtual environment will encourage experiential learning, which involves students actively participating in classes rather than passively receiving knowledge.
The VR platform will also contain classroom management capabilities, allowing instructors and helpers to adjust the environment to each student’s specific requirements. Teachers will be able to define virtual limits, ensuring that students who want more space may still interact with the teacher and their peers. Additional controls enable teachers to monitor student mobility, mute participants, and give tailored help as needed.
Virtual Horizons is expected to attract students with an interest in technology, engineering, and scientific research. The University of Utah’s Department of Mining Engineering is already using VR-based teaching, with immersive virtual reality programmes used to educate mine safety regulations and underground equipment operation. The institution may also look at future robotics, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality courses.
The interactive element of VR is intended to appeal to students since it resembles the engaging manner of video games, making learning more fun and accessible. The school’s leadership feels that using gaming-inspired VR technology would increase student engagement, especially among students who are already accustomed with such digital surroundings.
Utah is the second state in the United States to have implemented a completely immersive VR education system. Although VR education is a relatively new concept, research shows that it enhances student engagement, retention, and comprehension of hard subjects. Frontiers in Psychology released a review in 2024 that found that VR education improves information memory and comprehension. However, the analysis identified certain problems, such as a lack of VR teacher training and the necessity for educational systems to keep up with new technology.
Educators anticipate that this innovative strategy will reduce absenteeism while increasing access to hands-on learning for pupils with a variety of learning challenges.
Virtual Horizons Charter School will be a tuition-free institution, providing all required instructional tools, including laptops and Meta Quest 3 VR headsets, for free. The school may also provide assistance with internet connectivity to low-income households.
Virtual Horizons’ curriculum currently aligns with Utah State Core learning requirements for students in grades four through eight. The school plans to grow to cover high school grades, expanding one level each year until Year 12.
Virtual Horizons, like other public and charter schools, will receive funding from the state and federal government.
Virtual Horizons will start lessons in August and is currently taking applications for the 350 open student slots for the next academic year. On Thursday, March 20, the school will hold an enrolling lottery to ensure that all candidates have an equal chance of selection. The school will accept applications after the lottery, but due to the limited number of spots, they recommend early submission.
To keep families informed, Virtual Horizons Charter School holds weekly online informative sessions via Zoom. The next scheduled session is on Thursday at 6 p.m., with further information accessible on their official website.
