Examining the Potential of Low-Cost Virtual Reality for Low-Resource Learning Contexts

Abstract

We present a qualitative evaluation of a field deployment of the Google Expeditions Virtual Reality (VR) Toolkit at an after-school learning center for children from marginalized backgrounds in Mumbai, India. The lowering costs of VR technology make it especially attractive to study the feasibility of this and analogous toolkits in low-resource environments in and outside of India. Using a combination of interviews and observations, we demonstrate the feasibility of integrating VR into the classroom setting we study. We also illustrate the technical, social, and information dimensions that are critical for supporting this integration and present recommendations for deploying VR systems in other, diverse low-resource learning environments, seeking to motivate future examination of this space.