In February, IMMERSE hosted its first ImmerseCon, a two-day conference that explored the role of virtual reality and artificial intelligence in language learning. This event brought together language practitioners and researchers from all over the world to share their insights and practical tips on using VR and AI in the language classroom and we had 560+ people register to attend!
ImmerseCon featured talks covering a myriad of topics. We had experts in VR and AI speak on the future of these technologies in language learning, IMMERSE’s long-time research partners shared insights from their latest studies, and secondary and Higher Ed teachers showed how they have been using IMMERSE in their classrooms. We also heard from IMMERSE’s own Product and Education Teams on how they design VR educational experiences and even got some VR teaching tips from IMMERSE’s Guides.
IMMERSE’s Research Manager, Dr. Tricia Thrasher, has summarized the three key takeaways from the conference:
VR can solve a critical problem
All of the experts who presented at ImmerseCon showcased how they use VR in different ways with their students, but they shared a common reason for doing so: VR solved an existing problem for them.
Whether it was using VR technology to better connect on-campus students to their distant classmates via hybrid learning or to provide lower level students with additional speaking practice, they all had a concrete reason for choosing VR and a problem they were trying to solve. This made it easier for educators to get buy-in and support from administration at their schools and from students themselves, which led to more successful VR integration.
AI cannot be ignored
Whether we like it or not, AI is here to stay and cannot be ignored. It is also constantly evolving, with new platforms and tools coming out almost every day. This means that there is a critical need to educate both teachers and students on the risks of AI and on how to use it ethically. We also need to focus on teaching how to prompt AI appropriately so that those using these tools can maximize their potential.
Developing VR and AI for language learning is a group effort
Euan Bonner, one of our keynote speakers, shared his vision that one day everyone will have mixed reality glasses, just like we have cellphones. But even if this reality is in the future, we need to be researching and discussing the affordances of this technology now so that we can inform the development of it.
There are still practical challenges and research gaps that need to be addressed in order to move the field forward. These include designing intuitive, accessible learning experiences while balancing design and technical constraints and conducting large-scale research studies on how VR and AI impact learning. At IMMERSE, we are passionate about partnering with research institutions around the world to collectively advance efforts in these areas.
Interested in seeing any of the talks from ImmerseCon, including Dr. Thrasher’s Closing Remarks which present more conference takeaways? All talks can be accessed via the conference website here.
Additional Links:
- Interested in providing your students or employees access to convenient, effective language learning through IMMERSE? Contact us here
- Curious to try learning a language in VR for yourself? Sign up for a 14-day free trial of IMMERSE here
- Sign up for the Converse on the Verse educator newsletter: https://uw1t8hy9ppo.typeform.com/to/yOExUger
- To apply to become an IMMERSE research partner, fill out this form: https://uw1t8hy9ppo.typeform.com/to/wJpK5JHo?typeform-source=www.immerse.com
- For more on the research foundations of IMMERSE’s award-winning VR language education platform, check out the Immerse blog: https://www.immerse.com/blog and Research page: https://www.immerse.com/research