Immersive VR Classrooms: A Field to Study the Impact on Student Performance and Technology Satisfaction

Integrating virtual reality into education shows strong potential, yet experimental research using objective performance measures in real-world settings remains limited. This study examines the impact of immersive VR classrooms (VR) on student academic performance compared to traditional face-to-face (F2F) and synchronous online teaching (Zoom), an area of research that remains underexplored. A field experiment with first-year Computer Science students measured student performance using pre- and post-tests across three teaching methods. Initial results indicate that VR supports student performance comparable to F2F while Zoom is probably less effective as compared to F2F and VR. However, no significant difference in technology satisfaction was found between VR and Zoom, with further analysis showing that simulator sickness and presence-related factors affect user experience. Our preliminary findings offer valuable insights for educators, students, and higher education institutions, highlighting immersive VR’s potential to match traditional teaching effectiveness while emphasizing the need to address usability challenges.