Developing a Pedagogical Model for Immersive Virtual Reality in Teaching and Learning

To advance the study of immersive virtual reality (IVR) in education and training, we are developing a theoretically grounded and empirically tested pedagogical model for IVR learning in the context of occupational safety training. Our main research question is as follows: What kind of pedagogical model for IVR supports safety training? We will address the following sub-question: What kind of pedagogical practises do the trainers see as most functional? We will apply a design-based research method and collect data through 18 interviews with safety trainers in two work organisations. We will examine the findings using theoretical frameworks derived from simulation pedagogy and IVR learning research to design a preliminary pedagogical model that will be tested and further developed during two iterative design cycles. The study’s results will contribute to the development of learning theory and pedagogy for IVR teaching and learning, while supporting work organisations in the adaptation of IVR for safety training.