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Question set 4 - General preconditions, requirements, hurdles, challenges etc. when applying VR at VET/WBL, with a special focus on SEN students: E.g., what general requirements must be given before
one can start applying VR in VET/WBL, especially with SEN students? Which skills do you think are needed for teacher/trainers to apply VR successfully in VET/WBL and how can they be
acquired? How can the VETREALITY project group promote and facilitate VR in VET/WBL best? What kind of services, trainings, consultancy etc. should be provided? Which hurdles/chal-
lenges cannot be overcome by the project group and why? What other recommendation can be given to the project group to assure successful project wor

What VET teachers and trainers say

Austria:
 First of all, VR would have to be officially accredited by the educational authorities as a learning method or subject; of course, one can try out one or the other in individual pilot projects, but
in order to be able to integrate it into teaching in the long term, corresponding specifications would have to be made by the Ministry of Education, the school inspector (= this is the name
of the Austrian school authority at the provincial level) or at least the headmaster's office (so that the entire "normal" subject matter can be taught without creating extra work or study
hours (for the teachers as well as for the students).
 Then basic equipment would have to be purchased (VR devices, hardware, apps, etc.); broadband is usually not a problem.
 All teachers will need basic training in VR (this will have to be done primarily with younger teachers, because many of the older ones have lost touch and interest in digital media.
 Teachers will probably also need pedagogical training so that they know how to use VR in the classroom. As already said, this also needs a fixed integration into the official curriculum, so
that VR does not become a one-off event, but a long-term enterprise.
 It is likely it will be difficult to convince teachers in principle to use VR in the classroom; many already feel overwhelmed and have no motivation to learn new things (especially if it means
more work. Teachers also want to know exactly which apps to use in which situations and how to use them in class. They don't want to have to find that out themselves or have to look for
it somewhere. The best thing would be a kind of checklist with apps and usage indicators.
 In the case of WBL, there is also the question of who determines whether and how the apps can be used.
 Also with regard to working with SEN students, teachers need precise instructions on which apps to use with which group of students.
 These services are also required by the VETREALITY project that teachers receive very precise information and instructions on how VR learning works best with which content and with which
learner target groups.
 It would be desirable if the project group could provide technical support that can always be contacted in case of problems.
 In general, the teachers find it very difficult to imagine using VR often in class because the student with the VR glasses always needs his or her own supervision, i.e., more teachers will be
needed in a class than with "traditional" forms of learning.
 Less of a problem is expected with the openness and motivation of SEN students towards this new medium. They are usually very interested in everything that is fun - and VR seems to do
that. The question of whether they can be sufficiently motivated and controlled to use the medium in a goal-oriented and learning-optimising way is different.
 A very big issue, however, is how to ensure the (physical and psychological) safety of learners. Who can and may (legally) assess what is possible and beneficial and what is not - and who is
liable in case of accidents or psychological after-effects (anxiety, nightmares, panic attacks, etc.). In this context, there should be concrete guidelines as to when (what age, what degree of
disability, what level of development, etc. of the learner) VR can be used safely and when not. This should also be done by the project, but would have to be approved by the official school
authorities and superiors.

France:
List of necessary skills for teachers:

 Being able to set up 3D storyboards in which pedagogy and interactions are no longer sequential.

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