A Systematic Review of Virtual Reality as An Educational Technology in Online Education: Evidence from Chinese Universities
Keywords:
Virtual Reality (VR), Online Education, User-Centered Design, Student Engagement, Immersive LearningAbstract
Despite the rapid proliferation of online education within Chinese higher education, pedagogical effectiveness remains constrained by diminished engagement and limited interactivity. Virtual Reality (VR) has emerged as a transformative intervention to address these systemic gaps. Adhering to PRISMA guidelines, this study synthesized 23 empirical investigations (2015-2025). The methodological rigor was appraised via the MMAT, followed by a structured narrative synthesis. Findings reveal that VR integrated instruction significantly transcends traditional screen-based modalities in catalyzing motivation, enhancing knowledge retention, and facilitating practical skill acquisition. These gains are most pronounced in STEM, medicine, and architectural design. Crucially, VR’s efficacy is primarily moderated by instructional design quality specifically scaffolding and active interactivity grounded in Constructivism rather than hardware alone. While VR offers substantial affordances, its integration is hindered by infrastructural disparities, high costs, and a deficit in faculty technological pedagogical knowledge. Future research should prioritize large scale RCTs to evaluate longitudinal impact and facilitate a paradigm shift toward pedagogy driven integration.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Sheng Huang, Hongling Jiang (Author)
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