In this edition of the edify Fireside Chat, Sarune Savickaite, PhD Researcher at the University of Glasgow, discussed how immersive technology allows more effective teaching of complex paradigms. She highlighted the Theory of Mind, Perspective Taking Task, and Conservation Task, among other things.

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Immersive learning has already been demonstrated to offer a powerful alignment of learner engagement and knowledge retention (Ummihusna & Zairul, 2021; De Freitas et al., 2010, Freina & Ott, 2015). This knowledge drives the move towards active learner engagement pedagogies where active engagement offers significant benefits over passive observation- forming new experience-based learning methodologies for students. 

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The application of technology in education has focused chiefly on making information more accessible and interactive. VR takes this much further, potentially enhancing learning experiences by an innovative, more naturalistic presentation of the information and reducing the learner’s cognitive load. Teaching, therefore must adapt to this changing medium and move from abstract and 2D to practical and 3D pedagogical frameworks.

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Speaker’s Bio:

Sarune Savickaite is a PhD candidate at the School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Glasgow. Sarune is also the Education Communities Coordinator at Edify.ac through the industrial partnership studentship with ESRC/SGSSS. Sarune holds BA Hons Illustration & Graphic Design (First Class; University of Bedfordshire), HEDip Life Sciences (Birkbeck), BSc Hons Psychology with Commendation for Outstanding Contribution to Psychology (University of St Andrews) and MSc Hons in Psychological Research Methods (University of Glasgow). Sarune has experience in project management, experimental design and data management.

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With memberships at British Psychology Society (BPS) and American Psychology Association (APA) Sarune is an early career researcher in the field of cognitive psychology. Sarune also is an active member of strategic and organisational boards for the new Advanced Research Centre for Extended Reality at the University of Glasgow.

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Curious about how you could leverage virtual reality to enhance learning outcomes? Find out more about how we partner with universities on our dedicated higher education page.

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