Virtual Reality as a Tool for Promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Within the Higher Education Landscape

Abstract

While Virtual Reality (VR) Has the Potential To Be a Powerful Tool for Promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), It Is Crucial To Be Aware of the Biases that May Be Present and Work To Address Them Throughout the Design and Development Process. Inclusive VR Will Accommodate the Differing Requirements and Identities of Individual Students, Together With a Commitment To Remove the Barriers that Impede that Possibility. in Doing so, This Will also Introduce New Possibilities for Expanding DEI Initiatives Through Embodied and Immersive Experiences that Will Allow Students To See the World from Someone Else’s Perspective. However, While the Promises of VR Are Plentiful, There Are also Emerging Issues that Will Hamper Access Unless They Are Proactively Addressed by both VR Designers and the Institutions Implementing VR Technologies into Curricula.