Scholarly record
IMMERSIVE GEOEDUCATION: USING VIRTUAL REALITY TO ENHANCE ENVIRONMENTAL LEARNING AND AWARENESS
Abstract
In the face of contemporary climate challenges, education and raising environmental awareness are becoming increasingly important. Today's society lives at a fast pace and utilizes various digital and interactive solutions. Therefore, to adapt learning to the needs of modern generations, it is necessary to seek new effective methods and tools that will arouse interest, engage, and activate learners. One such solution is virtual reality (VR), which creates an immersive environment with the potential to support the learning process. VR offers an interactive 3D environment, allowing users to engage their senses of sight, hearing, and touch, and experience certain phenomena or perform tasks themselves. A carefully selected VR application scenario can help acquire specific skills (e.g., waste sorting) and enable the viewing of certain phenomena that are often difficult or even impossible to replicate in real life (e.g., going underwater to see ocean flora and fauna). This article focuses on the use of virtual reality as a medium in geoscience education. The author presents examples of VR applications that can be used for environmental learning and awareness enhancing. The author discusses the application potential of the presented VR applications and the role that this immersive technology can play in building competences for sustainable development and environmental protection.
Publication details
References9
Somani P.P., Iyer V., Wani P.S., Tambuskar D.P., Engagement in an Age of Distraction: Addressing Declining Attention Spans, in: Motivating Engagement, Belonging, and Success in Higher Education Student Experience, IGI Global Scientific Publishing, 2025, pp. 269-302.
Cook D.A., Brydges R., Hamstra S.J., Zendejas B., Szostek J.H., Wang A.T., Erwin P.J., Hatala R., Comparative Effectiveness of Technology-Enhanced Simulation versus Other Instructional Methods: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis, Simulation in Healthcare, USA, vol. 7, pp. 308-320, 2012.
Stalmach A., D'Elia P., Di Sano S., Casale G., Digital Methods to Promote Inclusive and Effective Learning in Schools: A Mixed Methods Research Study, Open Education Studies, vol. 6, 2024, article no. 20240023.
Lanier J., Virtual Reality: The Promise of the Future, Interactive Learning International, vol. 8, pp. 275-279, 1992.
Stecuła K., Naramski M., Virtual Reality as a Green Tourism Alternative: Social Acceptance and Perception, Sustainability, vol. 17, 2025, article no. 7722.
Meta, EcoQuestVR, Available online: https://www.meta.com/pl-pl/experiences/ecoquestvr/8011972962196331/ (accessed on 22 April 2025).
Meta, Ecosphere, Available online: https://www.meta.com/pl-pl/experiences/ecosphere/2926036530794417/ (accessed on 20 April 2026).
Kawmong C., Kuljittwattana I., Moodleah S., Learning by Doing: The Impact of Virtual Reality Scenarios on First Aid Training Effectiveness, in: Proceedings of the 2024 Research, Invention, and Innovation Congress: Innovative Electricals and Electronics (RI2C), IEEE, 2024, pp. 141-147.
de Torres E., Canaleta X., Digital Competence in Educators through Interaction with a Virtual Learning Environment, in: Proceedings of the International Conference on Technological Ecosystems for Enhancing Multiculturality, Springer, 2022, pp. 77-85.