Virtual Reality in Education: A Case Study on Exploring Immersive Learning for Prisoners

Our research presented here tries to bridge the gap between technology-oriented lab work and the praxis of introducing VR technology into difficult to deploy-to contexts-in our case prisoners with high learning needs. We have developed a prototypical immersive VR application designed for delivering low-level literacy and numeracy content to illiterate adults. This development has been taken to the commercial sector and is currently under product development. The target population for the application are those currently held in a correctional facility, but who have the motivation and determination to educate themselves. In this paper we discuss the current lifecycle of this project including the development, initial tests, and an exploratory study we conducted. We conclude with a discussion of logistical issues, potential research opportunities, and current outcomes.