Integrating Virtual Reality for eLearning: Benefits and Costs

Applying VR-powered solutions to education is bound to improve the effectiveness of teaching in many fields. 

Let’s take a closer look at some of the benefits AR/VR solutions can bring to education.

Flexibility

One big advantage of AR/VR learning solutions is that they, and all of the educational content, can be accessed at any time. Students and teachers aren’t restricted by scheduling — everybody can hop onto the platform and study when they have time.

This is great for people who have part-time or even full-time jobs and want to get additional knowledge outside of the curriculum, would like to practice a task, or simply want to revisit the materials as many times as they need to in order to absorb it.

VR learning apps can help with scheduling as well.

With remote VR learning, teachers can schedule classes at any convenient time. This gives teachers more freedom to schedule classes at times that accommodate their needs and those of their students.

And it doesn’t end here.

They also can give assignments for students to work on, on their own, involving activities that otherwise would need to be done in class.

Accessibility

This one is also obvious from the flexibility standpoint.

With the help of VR solutions for learning, students can attend classes remotely.

This is perfect in many scenarios.

For instance, remote classes make education accessible for more people, from different parts of the world. They don’t have to travel or come into the school or college building.  Virtual Reality allows for participating in activities that couldn’t otherwise be organized online.

In addition, VR remote learning solutions make education more convenient for disabled people and offer an efficient alternative to offline learning during a quarantine.

Affordability

With remote learning, students can significantly cut some education expenses, including travel, fees and other costs for living on or near the campus. This is a particular boon for foreign students.

The same cannot be said, however, about the cost of VR equipment. Prices for headsets are still quite high, with the cheapest legitimate options starting at around $300.

However, the situation is different for Augmented Reality hardware.

AR requires only a mobile device to work, which could be a smartphone or tablet. Most modern devices perform well enough to handle AR, so all of the students would be able to experience educational AR content.

Simple management

There are plenty of Learning Management Systems that have VR integrated. These systems are usually fully featured for planning and scheduling classes, reviewing student progress, creating educational content, and managing tasks.

Such a system gets better the longer you use it.

They have powerful analytics that can track the efficiency of particular courses, tasks, and even the whole curriculum.

Also, the teacher can analyze the students’ performance to see where they need to improve.

Engagement

AR/VR learning apps open a whole new world of creating educational content. Using the provided tools, teachers can create AR/VR classes that allow students to study the subject hands-on rather than by looking at a picture in a textbook.

In addition, there are interactive games, quizzes, and tests to add to the mix.

How to Integrate AR/VR in an LMS

Now let’s talk about actually building AR/VR tech into your LMS.

There is no doubt that implementing Augmented or Virtual Reality in an education solution or building a VR-powered learning app from scratch is a difficult task, given the complexity of that technology.

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The best way to go about it is by hiring a team of software developers with deep experience in building AR/VR educational apps.

Here’s how:

• Find a software development company. Look through their websites and research agency listings. Make sure to review each candidate’s portfolio, expertise, and testimonials to learn what the company specializes in.
• Discuss your ideas. Contact the chosen software vendor and discuss your needs. Using that information, the company’s BA and PM will be able to create a project specification that includes the required work, technology, timeframe, and costs.
• Negotiate the terms. Complete all of the legal procedures, as well as interviewing the developers.
• Develop the project. During the dev process, make sure you stay in the loop at all times and be clear about your needs. It’s best to get the project right the first time than to have to re-do some features or make changes to the design.

Costs of AR/VR Integration

The cost of integrating AR/VR in an LMS will vary quite a bit, since there are several factors that influence the price and they are always changing.

Most of those factors depend on the software vendor you choose.

Let’s start with the easy ones:

• Project type. The logic is simple: the more features you want, the more it’s going to cost. A simple AR marker-based app will be a lot cheaper than an enterprise-grade VR training boot camp.
• Platform. The platform depends completely on you: focusing on just one will result in less work than building separate solutions for web, iOS, and Android. The downside is that your audience reach is limited to that one platform. Though you can always opt for developing a cross-platform app, note that it won’t perform as well as a native one.
• Hardware. Using Virtual Reality requires specific VR headsets. You need to take those costs into account as well when deploying the project.

Now, on to the vendor-specific factors that influence the AR/VR project cost:

• Composition of the dev team. Depending on your project needs, you might not need to hire a full team of developers. For instance, some may take on the role of the PM themselves, to be more involved in the process.
• Developers’ rates. Those can vary depending on the experience of the team and where it’s located. You may find that your best choice is to hire a more experienced remote team as a more cost-effective solution.

Take a look at the rough estimation below of time and costs for a typical AR/VR-powered learning app. The costs are calculated based on the average developer’s rates from the Estonia region and the approximate time scope for the project.

Note that the costs are not final and might change depending on your needs:

App Type	Development time	Development cost
Marker-based/Markerless AR app	200–510 hours	$7000–$18000
Window on world VR	104–150 hours	$4000–$6000
Fully immersive VR	280–340 hours	$10,000–$12,000

Our Experience

The HQSoftware team has built several projects implementing Augmented and Virtual Reality to enhance workflows in various domains. We have also built strong e-learning software for corporate clients.

Let’s take a look at some examples.

AR mobile application for equipment maintenance

The HQSoftware team has developed a mobile AR app that helps with equipment maintenance and repairs.

The challenge for the client was to provide technical staff with clear manuals for maintaining complex equipment without the help of experts.

To solve the problem, HQSoftware built an app that used Augmented Reality to provide interactive repair and maintenance guides.

VR training simulation system for building job-specific skills

Our team has worked on a training system that relies on Virtual Reality to help users acquire technical skills or master a new profession remotely.

The main challenge was to create engaging, effective, and authentic training simulations to help trainees build their skills while addressing misconceptions and complying with particular industry standards.

For example, one of the simulations developed by HQSoftware for the client is called “Basics of Soldering.” A beginner can study the technological process in a virtual room and then repeat all the steps with the help of “ghost hands.”

The system also allows for tool calibration to make interaction as precise and intuitive as possible. This way, interaction with a virtual object feels more realistic. There is also built-in AI that can recognize when trainees make mistakes and correct them.

Future Predictions for AR/VR in Education

Implementing AR/VR into education sounds great, right?

But what will happen to it in the future? Is it here to stay?

Educators agree that Augmented and Virtual Reality has proved effective at providing a personalized and differentiated experience for both learning and teaching.

With further advances of the technology, we will surely see more advanced applications of AR and VR in the education field. 

Having started with simple Window on World VR, marker-based AR apps, teachers will get the benefit of more fully immersive experiences going forward.

The hardware is also getting better year over year, so we can expect easier access for schools.

With some educational VR software vendors already providing VR headsets for schools, we will most definitely see more compact, easily portable, and affordable devices making their way into classrooms.

Another great addition to AR/VR hardware is LIDAR technology. It takes environment scanning to the next level, allowing for the creation of high-quality 3D models of objects. That drastically improves surface scanning for AR and object scanning for VR.

When it comes to software advancements, we will definitely see improvements to WebAR technology. The ability to avoid downloading an app and just experiencing AR content through a web browser can lower the threshold for more potential users.

Bottom Line

If you are looking to integrate Augmented or Virtual Reality in an existing learning management system or build one from the ground up — talk to us.

HQSoftware’s development team has completed numerous educational projects, as well as gained deep expertise in developing AR/VR software solutions.

Partnering with HQSoftware, you will get a detailed specification of your project along with the time scope and cost breakdown. Experienced PMs make sure that the development process goes smoothly and all of the features are implemented correctly.

Drop us a line if you want to learn more!