by Vanessa Penelope, Managing Director, France Immersive Learning.
In recent years, education and vocational training have witnessed a transformative wave driven by digital advancements, as seen in the proliferation of digital educational initiatives and the flourishing EdTech ecosystem. More recently, a new frontier has emerged in the form of Immersive Learning, leveraging technologies such as Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and Mixed Reality to redefine the learning experience.
France Immersive Learning, a trailblazing association in the French immersive learning landscape, has undertaken the monumental task of creating a definitive guide to this burgeoning field. With over five years of dedicated engagement and expertise, augmented by insights from a quantitative study involving nearly 200 institutions, this reference book is aimed at organisations and individuals involved in the transmission of skills and knowledge.
The book sets out to demystify and contextualise the Immersive Learning sector, which, despite its growing adoption, lacked a comprehensive reference material until now. France Immersive Learning’s guide provides fundamental principles, insightful perspectives, and sheds light on the current landscape while projecting challenges anticipated by 2030.
Exploring immersive modalities applied to pedagogy, the book details their principles and associated benefits, including enhanced information retention, situational realism, and learner safety. Drawing from experiences gathered during the study, the guide features diverse use cases and testimonials from institutions such as the University of Lyon, Alstom, and the National Agency for Adult Vocational Training.
In addition to dispelling misconceptions surrounding immersive technologies, the book takes a balanced approach in addressing concerns such as costs, the role of educators, and their impact on learners. It offers a nuanced perspective, grounded in real-world examples, challenging preconceived notions and paving the way for a more informed discourse on the evolving landscape of immersive learning.
To make the guide practical and actionable, France Immersive Learning includes recommendations for launching concrete projects. This empowers educators and trainers to experiment with immersive modalities in their pedagogical endeavors, fostering a hands-on approach to incorporating these technologies into the learning environment.
Looking ahead, the guide delves into the major challenges facing the immersive learning industry. It emphasises the importance of creating shared resources, ensuring interoperability, establishing excellence, promoting accessibility and inclusion, and building a framework of trust. By addressing these challenges, France Immersive Learning seeks to contribute to the sustainable growth and maturation of the immersive learning field.
In conclusion, the overarching goal of this comprehensive guide is to demystify while maintaining precision on the discussed concepts. It advocates for a reasonable and thoughtful use of immersive technologies to harness their myriad benefits. Independently conducted and published by France Immersive Learning, this work was made possible through an unrestricted donation from Meta, further exemplifying the collaborative efforts to advance education through immersive learning.
The guide will be translated into English during 2024. In the meantime, here’s a link to the free downloadable PDF version of the guide in French: https://www.fil-asso.fr/page/2452699-guide-immersive-learning
Media and Learning Association and France Immersive Learning will keep you informed.
For further information, please contact the association: vanessa@fil-asso.fr
Author
Vanessa Penelope, Managing Director, France Immersive Learning
