Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality in Teacher Training: Redefining Pedagogical Practices in Higher Education

Abstract

This paper reports an exploratory mixed-methods case study of a single three-hour training session, developed within the Erasmus+ project “The Power of AR & VR”, with 26 Master’s students in Computer Science Teaching at the University of Minho. The session was designed to introduce Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) for Higher Education from a constructivist standpoint, integrating the CLASSVR platform, the ARloopa application, and the browser-based Delightex Edu environment. Adopting a convergent mixed-methods design, we combined a pre- and post-session questionnaire (a 12-item Likert instrument plus self-report items) with structured non-participant observation and analysis of the artefacts that participants produced during a guided build task. Quantitative results indicate a statistically detectable shift in self-reported confidence to integrate immersive technologies (median pre = 2.0, post = 4.0 on a 5-point scale; Wilcoxon signed-rank test, n = 24), alongside high post-session ratings for perceived pedagogical usefulness. Qualitative evidence converged on three themes: engagement, pedagogical intentionality, and the value of the learner-as-creator stance. Because the intervention was a one-off, short session with a small, single-cohort sample, the findings are framed as exploratory and as evidence of immediate, perceived value rather than of sustained behavioural change. We therefore foreground a longitudinal research agenda to test transfer to practice. The study contributes to the literature on immersive technologies in teacher education by articulating technological literacy with critical pedagogical reflection.