While several health and medical university programs are already making use of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), COVID-19 has pushed the need for expansion of such technology onto many more college campuses.
“First of all, COVID has exposed how deadly dull [online] education can be for those that can’t do it well,” said Lynn Priddy, PhD, Vice President of Academic Affairs for Claremont Lincoln University, Claremont, CA. Second, it exposed the lack of good internet and phone bandwidth available to students and institutions, she said.
“These are technology equity issues we will need to deal with if going forward we are going to assure inclusion in new classrooms,” Priddy said.
Finally, COVID has left the door open for higher education institutions to dip their toes into the use of VR and AR within their virtual classrooms. Though Priddy believes that few colleges have really taken off and implemented this virtual technology well, these programs will become a necessity for most colleges in the near future.
Following the pandemic, students and teachers will have new expectations of how a class will operate. Gone are the days of a professor standing in front of a large lecture hall and talking for an hour, or two, or three. Students will no longer stay engaged with this traditional format. Students will require more collaboration amongst themselves and independent learning that has become associated with online instruction. In fact, Priddy predicts that many classrooms will continue as a hybrid model of both physical and online classrooms after the pandemic so that the student collaboration piece stays in place.
Priddy cites two examples of institutions that have successfully launched AR and VR and expanded offerings since the onset of COVID.
The first is the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences, which trains students for careers in physical therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, etc. Due to the nature of the health sciences classes, these campuses have run a simulation center for students since 2013. And while cadavers are still being used in these classes, more and more they are being replaced by Anatomage, a form of VR uses a life-size virtual dissection table. This technology allows students to see and manipulate every part of the body.
Plus, the school has started virtual reality to see how an interaction between a patient and a doctor works within a clinic—especially practical with the boom of telehealth.
In addition, other forms of technology are used to create solutions to physical problems. For example, once a physical therapist is able to manipulate the cause of the pain, he or she can design and print out on a 3D printer a brace or orthotics for the patient.
However, when COVID-19 hit, the students and faculty could not use this technology together in a classroom as they had previously. So, the faculty quickly shifted to working in the new environment. The students were sent webcams and access to 3D printers. In other words, technology made the entire course virtual.
Another example of the use of VR in higher education is the idea of putting the person in the room of the medical or training facility. For example, Priddy has seen students of speech pathology put on a virtual headset in order to work with a child or a stroke victim struggling from a speech problem, but never actually meeting in person.
Another school making great use of VR and AR technology during the pandemic is the Columbia College of Music in Chicago. In March, students could not work together to create music, dance, perform, etc. But by outfitting students with virtual reality, they can now build a virtual set, put on a performance, and work together in a meaningful way.
Beyond assistance to health, medical and performance schools, Priddy sees a use for virtual technology in all higher education institutions in the future. While the technology is expensive to outfit an entire campus, she says even one or two VR devices could make a difference. To start, the devices could be used to train faculty and later, once more funds are put into place, the uses have endless possibilities.
One possible use is for diversity and inclusion training for faculty. What if a white faculty member was able to experience what it is like to be the only Latino woman in the room? Or if a staff member could feel what it is like to have a handicap, such as using a wheelchair? VR has the ability to actually put people in others’ shoes and to feel an experience through another lens.
Ultimately, Priddy sees these scenarios as positive steps toward leadership development and social justice.
Priddy does recognize the barriers to technology such as cost and access to equipment and bandwidth. But she notes the popularity of mobile apps that simulate virtual reality such as Pokémon Go and Babble for language learning. These could be the beginnings of creating VR that reaches more diverse student populations.
“The pedagogy works for those really investing in it,” Priddy said. “Columbia College of Music, Fordham’s business school and St. Augustine’s—with their dedication and investments—will lead the way.”
Priddy, an early adopter of online education, has taken her administrative and technological knowledge through the higher education ranks. Whether it is synchronized, asynchronized or blended learning, Priddy believes there is a place for AR and VR to further the student and faculty experience.
Over the course of her higher education career, Priddy has purposefully sought out institutions and roles that believe in taking risks. She has worked with multiple startups to drive innovation within organizations that are directly serving students. While she is passionate about technology and being forward-focused, she also knows the value of practicality when it comes to putting new programs into play in higher education.