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Bâton Global Partners with VictoryXR to Advance Virtual Reality in Higher Education

March 22, 2024
The two Iowa-based companies joined forces through 2023 to conduct one of the largest studies to date on the effectiveness of immersive technologies in university teaching and learning. The results? Professors love it and students want more of it.

Des Moines, IA — Bâton Global, a leading strategy and management consulting firm, has released the findings from their 2023 research partnership with VictoryXR, a Davenport, IA-based company offering immersive classrooms and campuses through virtual reality (VR). The project was designed to develop a more robust understanding of VR in applied higher education settings, and to illuminate how immersive VR technologies empower instructional design and advance learning over the length of a course. Culminating in early 2024, the study revealed that instructors are overwhelmingly satisfied with VR technologies for teaching and plan to use them more in the future, and that students want to see more VR technologies integrated into their learning experiences.

The study is one of the most far-reaching and comprehensive on VR in higher education to date, with over twenty universities and colleges across the country participating.

“Bâton Global has completed one of the largest studies ever of virtual reality in higher education and the results are eye-opening. Bottom line: the metaversity model works. VictoryXR will continue to drive change through immersive learning technologies, elevating education for all," said Steve Grubbs, CEO at VictoryXR.

"The equation of education includes students and educators working together to build and apply knowledge. This study doesn’t take just half of that equation into consideration–it focuses on the whole. We were curious how the inclusion of immersive virtual reality impacts pedagogical approaches for instructors and educational and social-emotional outcomes for them and their students. The results clearly demonstrate that we are on the right path. They also strongly indicate that those in education who have not adopted this new technological tool will be left behind, especially as it rapidly advances into households." said Kathleen Ouellette, MEd, VictoryXR’s Director of Customer Success and company lead for this project. “We could not have asked for a better academic research partner than Bâton Global and are so grateful to everyone who contributed to this study. Their dedication and contributions speak volumes.”

“It was incredibly important that our research design was flexible enough to welcome in participants from as many institutions as possible, while also allowing us to rely mainly on quantitative approaches and ensure our work is rigorously replicable,” said Bâton Gobal’s primary investigator and senior consultant, Mary Beth Leon, PhD. “We found that professors and students alike are excited about VR and are eager to share what’s working and how it’s helping them achieve their educational goals.”

Participating courses ranged from natural sciences, to social sciences, to arts and humanities, and included graduate and undergraduate levels. The study also built upon previous work done in the field by including data from teachers and learners, alike, and drawing connections between them.

You can read the research report here and contact Dr. Mary Beth Leon with relevant inquiries.

About Bâton Global

Bâton Global is a strategy and management consulting firm that strives to Accelerate Your Journey…There™, wherever “there” is for you. B|G provides a comprehensive suite of services to support leaders at the helm of their organizations, including custom research. The bâton inspires us to serve our clients and communities with the experienced wisdom of a shepherd; the integrity of a saint; the curiosity of a pilgrim; the speed of a sprinter; and the passion of a great musical conductor.

Learn more at www.batonglobal.com.

About VictoryXR

VictoryXR is a world-leader in providing immersive educational content and experiences to secondary and higher education students. Our goal is to introduce innovative ways for students to learn through virtual and augmented reality. Since VictoryXR’s founding in 2016, online education has rapidly grown in the United States and across the globe. Unfortunately, the traditional classroom has not adapted to online education. In its current form, online students find learning difficult, passive, and unenjoyable via video conferencing.

That is where VictoryXR comes in.  We provide educators and students with three primary immersive learning tools: 1) digital twin campus and locations for synchronous teaching and learning, 2) advanced STEM labs that make hands-on learning accessible to everyone - even remote students, and 3) AI instructors, tutors and teaching assistants embodied as spatial 3D avatars.

Learn more at www.victoryxr.com

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