The Rise of Virtual Reality in Online Courses: Ethical Issues and Policy Recommendations

Abstract

While ethical issues related to the adoption of Virtual Reality (VR) technology is analyzed across sectors from construction, architecture, retail, engineering, healthcare, less attention is paid to the ethical concerns in online courses. Using an inductive qualitative content analysis and observation in the business schools, this chapter aims to shed light on the ethical issues that may occur as results of use of VR technology in online courses. The findings indicate that the use of VR technology in online courses raises several technical and social/ethical issues. These issues comprise concerns related to record of personal data, which could be deployed in ways that threaten personal privacy, private neglect of users’ own real bodies and actual physical environments, and other moral and social security risks related with the way VR confuses the distinction between face-to-face and virtual learning. As these ethical issues raise questions about public policy, the chapter makes several recommendations that elaborate a platform for further discussion. It is argued that there is a need for a wider vision that looks beyond the teaching technological issues to those linked to students and teachers’ conducts, and institution policies.