Since the arrival of consumer grade virtual reality (VR) technology around 2015, VR has emerged as a new narrative medium. This workshop introduces how narrative VR can be used for teaching and learning in the humanities. We will begin with a brief introduction to modern VR technology and VR film. Drawing on a virtual field trip to the United States and two introductory courses taught at HKU, I will provide examples of how I used VR as a complementary tool to teach history and contemporary social issues in the United States. All participants will receive a VR headset to experience all VR films discussed in the workshop. Finally, we will consider best practices of u sing VR for teaching and learning and look at an example of a VR exhibition that wascreated as a student assignment in a recent course. Participation is limited by the number of VR headsets.

– Tim Gruenewald