Public values for XR in education and research

As technologies continue to digitise our education and research world, it is time to shape their influence responsibly. Many educational institutions are diving into XR technologies, and the emergence of innovation and experimentation is exciting. But as we tackle technical problems, order headsets and extend virtual experiences to new domains, we need to ensure that these advances are in line with our shared public values.

In this paper, we present the key components of the discussion on the use of eXtended Reality (XR) technologies in education and research. The first step is to understand the use of XR in specific case studies and ask new questions about XR from the perspective of public values.

Case study 1 focuses on VR-based digital laboratories (labs) in the Netherlands. We ask critical questions about the technology in this (lab) context, requiring both users and developers to take the role of responsible (responsible) technology seriously.

Case study 2 is about VR-powered Virtual presentation training. In this case too, we ask critical questions about the technology, to make both users and developers aware of the role of this technology in their personal situation(s).

3 conclusions

1. XR in training has proven effective in specific applications, leading to new transformations in both lab training and communication.
2. Public values as a basis for serious reflection on XR technologies lead to new, more critical questions for both teachers and researchers when considering these new technologies for their situations.
3. To put these public values into practice, XR technologies need to be aligned with our public values through responsible practices.