Enhancing Teaching and Learning through Virtual Reality in the Irish Primary Classroom: An Integrated STEM Research Project Overview

Description

This presentation provides an account of a collaborative VR research project involving the Department of STEM Education at Mary Immaculate College (MIC), Limerick, and the Oide Technology in Education team. The project involved nine senior classes in primary schools across Counties Galway and Clare and explored how the design and creation of multi-scene interactive VR environments supported deeper pupil understanding of real-world STEM issues related to ocean conservation. A total of 189 pupils participated in this six-week project, working collaboratively to create interactive VR stories based on online research and the application of coding and digital content-creation skills. The use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) supported pupils in visualising their solutions to ocean conservation challenges. All activities within the project were explicitly aligned with learning outcomes across multiple strands of the new STEM education curriculum (Department of Education and Youth, 2025), as well as the five-phase approach advocated for integrated STEM learning.

This project built on a previous VR research initiative undertaken by MIC and placed a strong emphasis on teacher professional learning and learner-centred design. Teachers participated in two in-person professional learning events at the beginning of the project to develop their confidence and competence in using VR software and to explore strategies for supporting the development of inclusive and interactive immersive VR learning experiences. A shared learning day at the end of the project provided further opportunities for reflection, collaboration, and the sharing of pupils’ work.

The research strand of this joint project, led by MIC, incorporates the use of pre- and post-project pupil questionnaires, pupil focus groups, and semi-structured interviews with teachers. This presentation outlines the design of the project and discusses emerging themes from the analysis of the data, with particular attention to how learner-centred immersive design supported deeper learning, pupil engagement, and a more meaningful understanding of ocean conservation.

Periyot	12 May 2026
Etkinlik başlığı	EduXR Symposium 2026: XR and Me- Learning in New Realities
Etkinlik türü	Conference
Lokasyon	AthloneHaritada göster