{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,10]],"date-time":"2026-03-10T21:30:04Z","timestamp":1773178204606,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":33,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,10]],"date-time":"2025-04-10T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1744243200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Virtual Worlds"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Virtual reality has been used for a variety of training and gaming purposes. Recent studies have demonstrated that their use in higher education enhances student engagement and positively impacts student performance. In this study, we implemented 360-degree video in an introductory biology lab at an American university and assessed student attitudes, engagement, and performance through various assessments, as well as overall course performance. For our methods, we implemented 360-degree videos across two academic semesters compared to two academic semesters in the previous year when the only difference between the courses was the use of 360-degree video. Students were extremely positive about virtual reality (74% of students who were surveyed agreed or strongly agreed that they would like to see more 360-degree video use in the lab), had minimal issues handling the technology (only 15.9% had issues or were distracted by the tech), and indicated that engagement with the topic was better with virtual reality (81.3% agreed or strongly agreed with enhanced self-reported engagement with the topic). Student performance was demonstrated to increase in two of the three formative assessments analyzed and in the single summative assessment analyzed; overall course grades in semesters with virtual reality were higher than in semesters without virtual reality. These results suggest that virtual reality in higher education may not only enhance student engagement and performance but also student attitude about the topic.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/virtualworlds4020014","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,10]],"date-time":"2025-04-10T05:28:07Z","timestamp":1744262887000},"page":"14","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Impacts of Virtual Reality Experiences: Enhanced Undergraduate Student Performance and Engagement with Use of 360-Degree Video"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"4","author":[{"given":"Erica","family":"Vola","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA"}]},{"given":"Rebecca","family":"Stoltz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4823-5506","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Charles Andrew","family":"Schumpert","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,10]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Sutherland, I.E. 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