{"id":262,"date":"2026-01-19T14:27:44","date_gmt":"2026-01-19T12:27:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xri.co.za\/xri\/?p=262"},"modified":"2026-01-19T14:27:45","modified_gmt":"2026-01-19T12:27:45","slug":"is-xr-the-way-to-go-in-education-and-training","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xri.co.za\/xri\/is-xr-the-way-to-go-in-education-and-training\/","title":{"rendered":"Is XR the way to go in education and training?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A quick investigation if we are still on track on our drive to use XR in education and training<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Introduction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The question \u201cIs XR technology the future of education and training?\u201d has many answers depending on who you ask. The context also matters. The answer to the question in Europe will differ from the answer to the question in South Africa. Which discipline and industry also changes the answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I asked the question of Chat GPT.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">AIs opinion on the question<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Question: Is XR technology the future of education and training?<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What XR brings that traditional methods struggle with<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Learning by doing (at scale)<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>XR excels where experiential learning matters:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Medical students practicing surgery without risk<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Electricians, pilots, or engineers training on dangerous equipment<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Teachers rehearsing classroom management scenarios<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>This aligns strongly with how people actually learn: active practice beats passive listening.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Safe failure and repetition<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Learners can:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Make mistakes without consequences<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Repeat rare or expensive scenarios<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Train for emergencies that are impossible to stage in real life<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>That\u2019s a massive advantage for <strong>high-risk, high-cost training<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Personalised and adaptive learning<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>XR environments can:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Adjust difficulty in real time<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Track attention, movement, and performance<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Give immediate feedback<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>This opens the door to competency-based education, not just time-based instruction.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Where XR will likely dominate<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">XR is most likely to become <strong>standard <\/strong>in:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Vocational and technical training<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Healthcare<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Manufacturing<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Mining, aviation, construction<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Military and emergency services<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Higher education and professional upskilling<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Labs and simulations<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Remote collaboration<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Continuing professional development<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Special education and inclusion<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Visualising abstract concepts<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Supporting learners with disabilities<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Language and social-skills training<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What the future actually looks like<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rather than \u201cXR replaces classrooms,\u201d expect:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Blended learning ecosystems<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Traditional teaching for discussion, ethics, and social learning<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>XR for practice, simulation, and exploration<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>AI tutors for feedback and pacing<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Physical labs when real-world constraints matter<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">XR becomes a powerful tool, not the foundation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bottom line<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yes, XR is a major part of the future of education and training\u2014but only where it genuinely improves learning outcomes. The winners will be systems that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Use XR intentionally<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Combine it with good teaching and curriculum design<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Focus on learning impact, not novelty<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How does AIs answer compare to practice at UP Faculty of Health Sciences<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No my, unedited thoughts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The strategy at FHS is to slowly build adoption from the bottom up. Within the larger structure it is extremely difficult to get staff to adopt the technology as it requires a change in how they teach. This does not necessarily mean a completely new curriculum, but it does require a rethinking of the focus of the different contact sessions. The detail if this is beyond the scope of this document but the primary take away is that \u201cthere is no innovation without change\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Primarily, all innovations and introduction of new technologies and teaching is done with the following focus:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Scalability \u2013 the hardware and software solution should be scalable. The focus should not be in providing 20 students with a high-fidelity learning experience but rather prepare and provide 400 students with enough experience that the benefit of the limited lab\/simulation time is amplified.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Cost effective \u2013 even though development of the XR applications is expensive, they are developed for relatively inexpensive (comparatively) hardware that does not require computers and specialised equipment and environments.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Repeatable \u2013 the completed applications can be used repeatedly and provide consistent learning experiences. This means that even if the hardware the applications are using is old, the applications will still function correctly on the old hardware. This ties in with the issue of scalability as new hardware cannot be purchased every year.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The current applications being developed and deployed at UP FHS focuses on skills taught in the skills lab for many programmes (ECG and Defib) as well as skills that require access to specialised equipment (CT Head and Lab safety). The reason for this is to <strong>provide students opportunity to learn by doing<\/strong> and ensure that they do this in a <strong>safe, low risk environment<\/strong>. This is parallel with AIs answer around <strong>what XR brings to the table that traditional methods struggle with.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The other focus when developing the applications for FHS is to ensure that the applications align with the pedagogy of the specific programme or department and that there is detailed understanding on what the XR application can and can\u2019t do. The development of the application is done in close collaboration with the educators to ensure that these goals are met. We also ensure that XR is only used where it has the largest impact. If VR isn\u2019t the solution, then we don\u2019t use it. <strong>Pedagogy > Technology.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The applications are developed as small \u201cbite sized\u201d experiences so they can be made to fit into the different programmes. This is also to <strong>ensure that the learner is not overwhelmed due to the high cognitive environment of VR<\/strong>. So instead of having a comprehensive application that covers all surgical skills, we have separate applications for each skill. This provides a break between learning sessions for informal learning and a conceptual break between skills for a continuous formal learning session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lastly, the skills we focus on are all skills that require:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>specialised environments or equipment (specialised lab, medical equipment etc)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>practice of the learner to master the skill<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>mastering certain actions, rather than interpreting the results of the actions (for example taking a correct ECG will provide good data for interpretation).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Change is a process<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To change the way people, teach and how students learn, especially with new technology, requires an understanding of the technology, how it is used within the specific context and the capabilities of the technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To mandate change across a whole institution to change to a technology that has a unique solution for every problem will only result in certain groups becoming disillusioned with the technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What works for one discipline may not work for another discipline. Finding the right tool for the job is key, but it\u2019s also important that the new tool does a better job than the old tool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the end, AI has it right: Use XR intentionally and only when it has a high impact on learning.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A quick investigation if we are still on track on our drive to use XR in education and training Introduction The question \u201cIs XR technology the future of education and training?\u201d has many answers depending on who you ask. The context also matters. The answer to the question in Europe will differ from the answer&hellip;&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/xri.co.za\/xri\/is-xr-the-way-to-go-in-education-and-training\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Read More &raquo;<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Is XR the way to go in education and training?<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":276,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[17,20,14,19,18,9,11],"class_list":["post-262","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education","tag-education","tag-faculty-of-health-sciences","tag-immersive-learning","tag-pedagogy","tag-training","tag-university-of-pretoria","tag-xr"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xri.co.za\/xri\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/xri.co.za\/xri\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/xri.co.za\/xri\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xri.co.za\/xri\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xri.co.za\/xri\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=262"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/xri.co.za\/xri\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":275,"href":"https:\/\/xri.co.za\/xri\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262\/revisions\/275"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xri.co.za\/xri\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/276"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xri.co.za\/xri\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=262"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xri.co.za\/xri\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=262"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xri.co.za\/xri\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=262"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}