The Use of Virtual Reality in Education for Sustainable Development

Abstract

Environmental sustainability is one of the major global topics of the 21st century. In order to effectively include the concept of sustainability in the topic of environmental education, educators are responsible for incorporating the concept into the existing curriculum. However, it may not always be possible to conduct field studies based on environmental education due to economic, transport, and time constraints, while certain situations and conditions may be particularly difficult to replicate. One recent solution to this problem is the application of Virtual Reality technology, which has been shown in various recent studies. VR is a computer-generated three-dimensional environment that allows the user to perceive content more realistically. In the process of teaching sustainability issues such as climate change, waste management, food consumption, air and water pollution, and deforestation, the present study has revealed that cooperation between different fields of expertise, including science education and computer and instructional technologies, plays an important role.