VR Versus Video: A Pepperdine Prof’s Study On Immersive Learning

Immersive technology is reshaping the way people interact with the world. Among the estimated 171 million virtual reality users globally are students from Pepperdine University’s Seaver College business who are exploring new topics via the virtual world. Leading them is Steve Bauer, assistant professor of marketing.

Bauer has been teaching undergraduates at Pepperdine for over nine years.

“I really love it here,” he says. “The students are bright, curious, and open to new ideas. That makes it a great place to experiment with new teaching methods.”

VR VERSUS TRADITIONAL VIDEO LEARNING

In the classroom, Bauer has seen firsthand how effective and engaging VR can be for students. They connect with the content, and they deepen their engagement and emotional connection to a given topic.

“Engaging students is critical,” Bauer explains. “You have to think of unique ways to capture their interest.” His curiosity led him to look deeper into this and research the difference in effectiveness regarding traditional video learning versus immersive VR learning.

His most recent study centered on the Malibu Community Labor Exchange — a local nonprofit that connects day laborers with work. Students viewed both a standard video and a VR experience depicting a “day in the life” of the workers.

“We gave every student the chance to see both — the VR video and the standard video,” Bauer says. “The VR video added a different emotional connection. They experienced what it was like to be on the bus with these workers, experiencing life as the workers see it.”

All in all, students reported higher levels of enjoyment and empathy with the VR experience. “We found that virtual reality really added something,” Bauer notes.

One of the most prominent takeaways, Bauer shares, was that experiencing the VR content alone wasn’t enough for his students to fully grasp the learning objectives. “You have to engage students in a discussion afterwards as well,” he says.

VR BEYOND BUSINESS SCHOOL

Pepperdine isn’t alone in embracing VR. Across higher education, colleges are experimenting with immersive tools to expand student learning. Arizona State University has developed Dreamscape Learn, a VR platform that lets students step into a fantastical biology lab to study imaginary creatures. The University of Michigan uses VR to simulate public health crises, allowing students to practice decision-making under pressure. At Case Western Reserve, medical students can explore 3D holograms of the human body instead of cadavers.

Other institutions are turning to VR for language learning, cross-cultural immersion, and even theater. In one example highlighted by Inside Higher Ed, students used VR to explore an ancient Greek city, enhancing both historical knowledge and cultural empathy. At Morehouse College, faculty launched a VR history program that immerses students in pivotal moments of the civil rights movement, bringing abstract lessons vividly to life. Similarly, the University of Maryland has introduced VR journalism projects, where students cover breaking news stories from inside simulated environments — an exercise designed to test ethical judgment as much as reporting skill.

These experiments demonstrate that VR is increasingly being woven into academic life across disciplines, not just business education.

IS VR ACCESSIBLE ENOUGH?

It’s no secret that virtual reality sets can be expensive, but there are options available across a wide range of budgets. Bauer uses Google Cardboard — a low-cost headset that transforms any smartphone into a VR viewer. For other professors who’d rather go a different route, university libraries often offer resources like VR sets which can be used on site. Bauer says professors can simply send their students to watch videos on these materials outside of class time.

“From a practicality standpoint, there are ways for students to access these materials,” Bauer says. Some students can access VR sets at home, with about 15% of households currently owning VR devices.

Many companies are incorporating VR into their learning processes one way or another, and Bauer is glad to be ahead of the curve.

“Some companies are using it more in training, and often, marketing professionals are using them in their jobs,” he says. “Gradually, the adoption of these in the real world will likely change the landscape of VR in education.”

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