Don’t forget to assess: How teachers check for new and deeper learning when integrating virtual reality in the classroom

Abstract

Teachers consider learning goals as they implement new technologies like Virtual Reality in the classroom, but may overlook or struggle with verifying whether new learning actually occurred. We interviewed six US high school teachers and surveyed 277 of their students to understand the pedagogical implications and challenges of coordinating assessments with the integration of VR in their classrooms. Some teachers devised new assessment strategies to capture the deep, constructivist, learning they saw occurring in their students as a result of VR. Students’ responses suggest they needed more explicit goals for the VR class activities, but students provided insights about the benefits they perceived for their retention of relevant information. Future work should continue to explore the alignment of learning objectives, technology, and assessment. Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/15391523.2021.1950083.