Empathy-based VR: Harnessing emotion for learning

Abstract

Temple Libraries’ Virtual Reality (VR) studios at Charles Library’s Duckworth Scholars Studio and Ginsburg Health Science Library’s Innovation Space host two empathy-based VR (EbVR) experiences that individuals can use by appointment and faculty members can integrate into their classes. EbVR may deepen students’ understanding of a topic and enhance their ability to empathize with those they will encounter in their professional life. One set of recent reviewers writes, “there is no single recipe for empathy development,” (Bertrand et al. 2018). Still, our experience hosting EbVR course collaborations suggests that, when supported by a structured curriculum, this may be an exciting new mode for engaging students by harnessing empathy and emotions for learning. This poster discusses the pedagogical potential of EbVR, presents details of Nursing and Social Work course collaborations, and links to more information on EbVR at Temple Libraries.