Application of virtual reality in university science education from a professors' perspective

Application of virtual reality in university science education from a professors' perspective

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연구 분야: Cryptography

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학회: Multimedia Tools and Applications

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초록

The problem addressed is to analyze the acceptance of virtual reality (VR) technologies among faculty in a developing region (Latin America and the Caribbean), by identifying factors influencing this acceptance, to help provide keys to promote technological integration in higher education. For that, a quantitative, correlational research, based on regression techniques, correlation, and mean comparison tests, is carried out on the assessments of VR technologies given by 431 science professors form Latin American universities. The main objective is to identify differences by the university tenure of the professors in the assessments given. For this, a validated questionnaire was used. As results, it is obtained that science professors in private universities give ratings of the didactic aspects of VR 5% higher than those in public universities, and a self-concept of competence for the use of these technologies 10% better than those of their counterparts in public universities. However, it has been noticed that there is a more intense digital divide in private universities that is detrimental to the integration of older science professors. Therefore, a digital divide is found that challenges older professors to adopt VR technologies. It is then concluded that private universities have adopted VR technologies more strongly, although this adoption has been done by displacing more intensively senior faculty than they are in public universities. From this it is suggested that universities increase investment in equipment and faculty training on VR, especially in public universities, and that they implement corrective measures to bridge the age gap.

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