The University:
Students in rural communities across the U.S. have long experienced limited access to new technology. South Dakota State University (SDSU), located in one of the most rural states in the country, recognized the issue facing high schools and elementary schools in neighboring towns. Traditional educational models alone simply cannot bridge the physical barriers. As a result, SDSU vowed to be part of the solution, incorporate innovative technology into its strategy, and focus on accessibility in education.
The Challenge:
SDSU faced a critical challenge: how to provide cutting-edge educational experiences to its own students and local schools spread across vast, low-populated regions. With less than a million people across the entire state and communities sometimes hundreds of miles apart, traditional educational methods needed to be improved. Many rural schools lack high-speed internet, advanced technological infrastructure, and access to specialized educational resources. For students in remote towns like Platte or Bison, these learning experiences are out of reach.
The Solution:
Virtual Reality emerged as the best solution to tackle this challenge. SDSU has deployed 200+ headsets across a variety of educational courses for its students, as well as for local recruitment and outreach at K-12 schools across its rural communities. In addition, SDSU students can learn how to create their own experiences in virtual reality, preparing them for the future workforce.
As the program grew and evolved, the university began researching the positive impacts of virtual reality in education. An experiment they conducted for an anatomy course revealed that students achieved higher exam scores (5-10 points) when using VR before traditional training.
Immersive Learning Through XR Technology
“Our mission is to help students in rural areas gain access to technology like XR, that’ll help prepare them for their future careers.”
– Greg Heiberger, Associate Dean for Academics and Student Success at SDSU
SDSU launched Virtual Reality for a few different efforts, one of which is to recruit and reach out to local high schools and elementary schools. The goal of these “Mobile Virtual Reality Labs” is to expand educational access to VR, showcase what students could look forward to in a university setting, and train teachers.
The mobile VR lab allows students to take an immersive anatomy class, look inside a cell, tour the SDSU campus, and more. It also empowers local K-12 teachers to bring the technology into their own classrooms.
The second way SDSU leverages virtual reality is by incorporating immersive learning into its core curriculum. SDSU’s XR deployment spans multiple departments including:
- Anatomy: Students can explore human cellular structures and interact with complex biological systems
- Nursing: Simulation labs incorporate VR alongside traditional training methods
- Architecture: Students design and showcase projects in immersive environments
Research-Driven Outcomes
SDSU began tracking the impact of virtual reality in 2023 and saw powerful results, specifically in anatomy education. They designed an experiment: a randomized controlled trial comparing VR and the traditional learning method of using real cadavers.
The experiment revealed no significant differences between the two methods. Still, it showed that the order of learning matters: Students achieved significantly higher exam scores (5-10 points) when using VR before cadaver training.
The study highlighted the impact of virtual reality learning – it reinforces important knowledge and enables hands-on experiences. The insights from the research could transform their teaching across countless subjects.
Overcoming Technological Barriers – Scaling
When SDSU decided to launch hundreds of headsets for several strategies, including a VR lab on wheels for rural outreach, they knew they needed an MDM to help manage the devices. ArborXR streamlined the university’s deployment by enabling remote app updates, headset tracking, and more. Using these features significantly reduced the time and effort required for maintenance, allowing the team to focus solely on educating their students and the community.
Additionally, ArborXR Kiosk Mode allowed for seamless public events, including recruitment fairs. Kiosk Mode locked the devices down to selected app(s), ensuring compliance with IT infrastructure and keeping university data secure.
Greg Heiberger, SDSU’s Associate Dean for Academics and Student Success, emphasizes that the XR program experiences success because of the university’s ongoing support. Creating a team, regardless of size, dedicated to launching and scaling the XR program is crucial. The university hired a VR Coordinator whose sole focus is managing XR efforts.
SDSU’s mission to provide technological access to rural communities, agile VR program strategy, dedicated resources and reliable partners like ArborXR – created an XR program that not only enhances the lives of their students, but the broader community.
The Future of Immersive Learning at Universities
Dr. Heiberger sees XR as more than a technology—it’s a “spark for innovation” that will continue transforming education. By breaking down geographical barriers, XR opens doors for rural students to access world-class learning experiences.
Their vision extends beyond their current project. In the future, SDSU hopes to mail VR headsets to students in extremely remote locations, ensuring that distance is not a barrier to educational quality.
Rural public elementary and secondary schools serve 9.8 million students, accounting for 19% of the total enrollment in public schools. SDSU’s XR program blueprint can expand beyond the university, or even the entire state of South Dakota. XR is emerging as a powerful tool for instruction, training, and educational accessibility nationwide.
“XR allows us to engage and educate thousands, becoming the spark for innovation at our university and hopefully in rural communities nationwide.”
As VR adoption in education grows, organizations must be prepared to avoid feeling overwhelmed by the task of teaching with new technology. An MDM like ArborXR ensures a smooth integration of VR with traditional learning. With ArborXR, educators can focus on what matters: the students’ success.
Ready to transform your educational approach? ArborXR can help you navigate the complex world of immersive technology, providing the management tools and insights needed to scale XR across your organization.
