Arden University IT Project Initiative

This document discusses the IT project initiative of Arden University to incorporate virtual reality into distance learning. It provides a summary of the initiative, the university's strategic plan and objectives, and justifies the aim and objectives of the initiative in the context of the university's overall strategic plan. It also explains how to conduct a review of the current IT staffing skills and creates a comprehensive staffing policy plan for the IT department.

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Arden University IT Project Initiative
Student’s Name
Course
Professor’s Name
University
Date

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Section 1: Case study and IT initiative
( A ) Provide a summary of the IT project initiative around the topics of virtual reality as
a tool to running labs and classes of the future. (10 marks)
In the realm of education, virtual reality makes it possible for tutors to deliver content to students
in three dimensional environments that have been simulated to ape the real world. This provides
students with the feeling of being in a real class. The IT project initiative for Arden University
seeks to incorporate virtual reality into distance learning. This will provide students with a real
like environment, thereby, enabling extensive levels of interactivity to be achieved among the
participants. Ardent University was established within the precepts of providing a global
classroom. This would allow students to be accessed irrespective of their geographical locations.
Establishment of a multi-user campus virtual environment is Arden University’s main objective,
and this will incorporate systems structure, critical models, and an implementation scheme for
the initiative.
A lot of resources are being injected on a daily basis by stakeholders, who are actively involved
in the development of desktop reliant virtual Reality Platforms that will enable content to be
delivered to higher educations and K-12 students interactively. The use of a virtual reality in the
classroom isn’t such a new concept. It has been taken up in most parts of the world, but Arden
University aims to be the first institution that allows students to interact with tutors in the online
environment (Yee, et al., 2007). Virtual Reality basically targets students who desire to learn, but
getting into the classroom is somehow a problem due to distance factors. Virtual reality helps
students to access content through Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), as they exchange
ideas with tutors. Distance learning, conventionally known as e-learning, is a concept that has
been in the society for quite a long time, but VR seeks to revolutionize everything by
incorporating more resources and tools of study. The future classroom will definitely reduce the
costs associated with incorporation of virtual reality in delivering content to students, as demand
for the technology continues to increase due to the improvement of the learning experience that it
provides.

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( B ) Suggest the University’s overall strategic plan and objectives. (5 marks)
As mentioned earlier, the establishment of Arden University was based on capturing the needs of
a wide range of students including those who are based outside the UK. This was basically
achievable because internet connectivity was available, and therefore, distance student could
connect to Arden University’s portal so that they could access study material. However, with the
advancement in technology, Arden University has had to incorporate the new changes in
methodology that is normally adopted in delivering content. This will help to suit the needs of
students and tutors much better. Arden University’s primary objective is to provide an online
learning environment that is highly flexible and very interactive.
Arden University’s strategic plan is pegged upon partnering with other institutions of higher
learning. Collaboration is critical for the institution as it allows synchronization of courses and
learning materials for flexibility on the part of students to may want to transfer their courses.
Arden University also includes the provision of learning opportunities to students in a manner
that matches the course under study as its other main objective. Others targets that the university
aims to achieve is to offer quality education that is in line with quality codes of the United
Kingdom. Arden University understands the importance of giving value for money, and
therefore, it targets to provide students with a lot of content that will enable them to gain
appropriate knowledge that can be transferred into skills (Peters, 2013).
Apart from delivering content, Arden University also seeks to implement technology systems
that enable the campus to fully address the education needs of the students while sticking to the
quality standards of education. Continuous monitoring of students is also an essential objective
for Arden university. This is set to be achieved through analyzing student’s progression data and
general performance. Feedback is important for the institution, and it aims to use this to better its
service delivery process. Therefore, setting up systems such as VR that can efficiently collect
and deliver feedback to the institution’s top management is a critical objective for the institution.
Feedback is not only from students but also from stakeholders, examiners, and tutors.

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( C ) Justify the aim and objectives of the initiative in the context of the University’s
overall strategic plan and objectives. (5 marks)
The core of Arden University’s operations is based on data. This goes both ways as the efficient
delivery of data enables students to have an easy time when absorbing content. On the other
hand, collection of data enables the university to customize it service delivery process in line
with standards of education in the United Kingdom. Arden University is not only expected to
deliver high end education content to students in UK, but to all its clients in the world since it is
one of the few private online institutions that is accredited to provide UK Taught Degrees.
Therefore, the approach that is taken by the institution in delivering and monitoring of
information is critical.
Virtual Reality will allow the institution to achieve timelessness and critical decisions can be
made to avert unforeseen problems, thereby, boosting the learners experience. The future
classroom, which will be able to fully incorporate Virtual Reality technology is expected to be
much cheaper than the one that exists today. As expected with any technological advancement,
the initial years of its enrolment, high prices should always be expected due to the cost of
developing the hardware. However, the future is definitely set to experience reduction in price of
the technology needed to make virtual reality classrooms accessible.
This will fall in line with Arden University’s objectives, which is to allow students to learn in a
way that they can get value for their money. The degrees that will be provided by the institution
will be vocationally advanced, hence equipping students with advanced skills that are highly
transferable in the dynamic workplace that will have been established. The motto of Resource
Development International (Arden University) was and continues to be “Learning in absence of
Boundaries.” A virtual classroom will be a very effective tool in delivering a classroom that not
only allows students learn, but one that enables them to continuously enjoy the experience of
learning (Serviss, 2016).

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IT initiative staffing
(A) Explain how you would conduct a review of the current IT staffing skills. (10
marks)
The organization skill gap is the margin of difference that exists between what the workforce can
be able to provide, and what is actually needed by the employer. These skills help to meet the
organization’s objectives on the short term and long-term basis. Reviewing the skill gap makes it
possible to note down the skills that are readily available in the organization, which will
effectively enable the management to meet future needs. For instance, when changing
technology that is used in an organization, it is necessary to conduct a skill analysis gap
assessment so as to be sure of the available skills that can be used to implement the new
technology, instead of having to hire new employees and fire others at a cost. Skill analysis
involves the following steps;
Planning
Skill analysis can be achieved be comprehending two main levels.
Individual level: This involves identification of task requirements and making comparison with
skill level of an employee.
Company/team: This involves determining if the current stock of employees is able to deliver on
a task or if there will be need to hire external employees. This allows employee training
programs to be customized to fit only the skills that are needed.
Identification of critical skills
While various employers argue that they find it had to fill certain jobs because of lack of
appropriate skills, others argue that this exists due to managers having unrealistic goals. The
necessary skills can be identified by understanding the flowing:
 What skills are highly valued in the company?
 What skills are critically needed by employees to deliver efficiently both now and in the
future?

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The manager may then have to make considerations on job descriptions in the organization,
company values, and business objectives. Team members may be surveyed in order to
understand what skills are absent.
Measurement of current skills
The following can be used to measure skill levels:
 Interviewing employees
 Assessments and surveys
 Providing feedback on performance reviews.
 Developing a skills spreadsheet that is customized for each position in the organization.
 Implement Skill Management Software such as TrackStar, and DB Pro. This makes the
analysis of the skill to be an easier undertaking.
Gaps in certain cases may be the result of lack of experience especially where new hires have
been interviewed. This can be mitigated through implementing on-the-job coaching rather than
injecting more finance into the training process.
Act on data
Skill gaps can be eliminated using two major approaches, which includes hiring or training.
Decisions have to be made on the most suitable approach based on how it can help address the
skill gap.
Training
This is a desirerable approach as it allows staff to grow within the company, thereby, limiting
their possibility of leaving. Training can be provided for positions that need strengthening and
can be done using Excel or SAP. Training helps to close the differences between desired and
current skills.
Hire for skill gaps
If the difference between available and desires skills is too great, then hiring can be the better
approach. This is usually advantageous as the company can adopt new knowledge and skill into

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operational procedures. The hiring process can then be modified in order to screen for the most
important skills that are critically needed in the organization. Skill assessment can be achieved
through implementing numerical reasoning tests during the interview process.
( B ) Create a comprehensive staffing policy plan for the IT department that would
meet the IT initiative needs. (10 marks)
The staffing policy plan for Arden university will incorporate the following major elements:
Staff planning, Staff Training, Staff Acquisition, Staff Transition, and Staff Tracking.
Staff Planning
Staffing Estimates
Staff Training
StartEnd

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Staff requirements for the for the project are provided by Phase as shown in the table 1.
Figure1 showing Staffing estimates by phase
The rule of thumb method for calculating staffing needs is based on the general organizational
structure. For example, if the organization has set up its structure to have one operations manager
per five-line supervisors, then short term staffing will include keeping the same number of
supervisors when there is turnover. Long term staffing will include providing five supervisors for
every manager added. The rule of thumb calculation does not provide exact figures, but simply
based on maintaining the organizational structure.
Required Skills and Skill Gap Plan
Like any other project, there must be persons having the appropriate skills who will help to take
the project to fruition. In this case, proper training of the available staff will ensure that the
appropriate skill is gained to enable the institution to successfully implement the project. Since
there is available time to implement training of the project, training of staff will enable Arden
University to lower the associated costs of hiring. Skills that are needed to ensure
implementation of the Virtual Reality program will be identified based on the needed skills that
are required to make the project successful. A scale of 1 to 5 will be used, where 1 is equal to
Competency while 5= Novice. Focus will be on skills instead of characteristics. Making the IT
Team Role PLNG PROC SYS DEV SYS IMP M&O
Administrative Manager & Team 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.4
Administrative Manager 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
Admin Staff Support Services 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4
Financial Analyst 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.5
Librarian 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5
Contract Manager & Team 0.7 0.2 1.0 1.0 1.0
Contract Manager 0.7 0.2 1.0 1.0 1.0
Project Manager & Team 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5
Project Director 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
Project Manager 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
Quality Manager 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
Risk Manager 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5
Schedule/Cost Manager 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
Technical Team 1.6 1.6 3.0 3.4 2.6
Data Conversion Manager 0.0 0.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
System Architect/Interface Manager 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
System Engineering Manager 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6
System Implementation Manager 0.0 0.0 0.4 0.8 0.0
Totals 9.3 8.8 11.0 11.4 10.5

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initiative rely on external resources instead of the locally available experiences and skills
increases the chance of risk.
Skill Gap Analysis for the Staff will be done using the table below.
Staff Acquisition
State Staff Acquisition
State Staff will be brought onto the project through the conventional hiring approach. Position
description and necessary education qualification shall be consolidated and advertised using the
OSI HRM normal channels. The Project office will coordinate with the OSI HRM office to find
out the necessary classification of staff, make advertisement on the positions, prepare interviews,
and select the appropriate staff.
Consultant Acquisition

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Consultants will be brought onto the project when and where the local state staff fail to exhibit
the important qualifications that may help to deliver services urgently and temporary. Consulting
staff will be hired by the DGS and OSI Procurement Center. This process will begin with
creation of a Statement of Work (SOW).
Staff Training
On-Going Training for Staff
At the beginning of the project, the functional/direct managers will undertake to review skill sets
possessed by every staff member in contrast to the responsibilities and roles required for each
phase. Managers and staff should then undertake to discuss areas where more training is required
to ensure that each staff member on the project has the appropriate skills needed to implement
the IT initiative.
The mode of training will also be outlined so that staff members can be aware of the necessary
skills needed to perform each function. Career Development and Personal Growth should be
evaluated and discussed for each Staff member Individual Development Plan (IDP).
Staff Tracking and Management
The project manager will oversee daily management of the entire project and staff. He/she will
also have designated functional Managers. State Staff will be obligated to ensure that
performance issues, evaluation, promotion, recognition, and disciplinary actions are
appropriately undertaken.
Section 3: Staffing approaches
(Z) Identify and evaluate the different staffing approaches that you can use. (10 marks)
Once an organization’s operational structure has been put in place, the next steps involves
staffing. Every organization needs personnel in place with the right kind of skill that will enable
the enterprise to fulfil its long term and short-term objectives. The personnel in an organization
are a critical asset since they can either undermine or create value on the organization’s image in
areas of service and product development. Change is an aspect that all organizations have to

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contend with almost daily. Having the right personnel in place enables an organization to transit
safely through this period, and be in a position to achieve long term objectives. Staffing (Human
Resource Management) becomes a critical aspect of every organization due to the need to hire,
maintain, and appraise correctly in every organization.
Ethnocentric Staffing
This approach involves hiring personnel from the parent country in order to fill positions for the
company’s global branches. This will in most cases apply to multinational companies. This can
be achieved through:
 Relocating a staff member in the parent country so that he/she can fully to the region
where the company’s branch is located.
 Optionally, a person living in the host country can be hired, but he/she should also be a
citizen of the parent country.
Ethnocentrism is mostly usable in instances where new branches need to be opened in host
country. This makes it much easier for the transfer of an organization’s procedures and policies.
Polycentric staffing
Involves hiring local staff members to fill positions of the subsidiary in the host country. This is
normally applicable when local skills are needed, for instance a professional who understands the
market.
Regio-centric Staffing
The approach involves hiring and transferring personnel living in a particular region so that they
can fill the empty positions. This is suitable when lower costs are involved in transferring an
employee within the host country rather than from the parent country. Language and cultural
differences should be considered.
Geocentric Staffing
This may involve hiring personnel without regards of their background, but carefully considering
the skills they possess so that they can adequately fit the empty job positions. The following

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steps are normally taken when undertaking geocentric staffing:
 Hire remote employees
This is done when hiring needs to be undertaken for a region where the organisation doesn’t have
offices. For instance, where clients should be provided with a support agent in a new time zone.
 Relocation of employees.
This may involve importing local talent into the parent country so that they can be trained on the
organizations process. On the other hand, staff members are relocated to the host country so that
they can continue delivering services in line with the company’s operational procedures. This is
suitable when the person for the job is located in another geographical region that is different
from where the job has been established.
( B ) Explain and justify your preferred approach to staffing. (5 marks)
I would prefer the use of geocentric staffing approach. At any instance, an organization such as
Arden University is involved in handling a huge number of students who are from different
geographical regions, and who may relate differently to staff from a parent country. Therefore, to
ensure that the organization can be able to achieve inclusivity of the highest level as outlined in
its core objectives, it would be prudent to use a geocentric staffing approach.
This technique offers almost all persons an equal platform for competing for an opportunity.
Geocentric staffing takes a global stand during the recruitment process. For instances, open
positions will warrant advertisement of the vacancy on the host country’s job boards. Candidates
will have to be sourced out regardless of their location. An organization that handles peoples
needs on a global scale needs to equally provide opportunities in the same manner. While this
approach is not suitable for most institutions due to cost factors involved in training on the
organization’s procedures, it would be advantageous since it will ensure that people in different
parts of the word are imparted with skills that would rather have been limited to a small group
from a specific country. Basically, this approach ensures skill transference.

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( C ) Consider the ethical impact of your choice. (5 marks)
Geocentric staffing approach suffers from a major disadvantage of requiring an advanced form
of centralized management of staffing processes. Likewise, it lowers autonomy on subsidiary
management and this may easily be resented. Geocentric staffing equally requires a planning
system that is very advanced since there is a requirement to stick by the global processes that
relate to job vacancy offering. In the midst of all these challenges, the process of staffing
measurement where geocentric staffing is involved my end up suffering heavily from
discrimination and staff measurement errors.
Employees selected to manage global branches from the host nation may discriminate against
various groups in the same region since they already understand the market better. This may all
be done without the knowledge of the parent company. Geocentric Staffing may, therefore,
require intensive scrutiny by teams from the parent company in order to ensures that processes
have been streamlined among all branches in the globe. Staff measurement is a critical tool when
determining how appraisal will be undertaken, and how poor performing areas of the
organization can be motivated to perform better. Such measurement tools can be used
selectively, and this may hamper the image of a company in a particular region.
Section 4: IT installation plan
(A ) Create a detailed IT Implementation and installation plan. (10 marks)
Project Management
The Project Management (PM) serves as the point of contact for the IT initiative. The Project
Management team will quarterback the implementation phase by reviewing processes such as
installation, planning, data mapping, customization, configuration, testing, training, and initial
support.
Implementation Services

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The implementation phase will help to integrate the IT initiative project with the Arden
University Managerial system and Technical Architecture. The PM will coordinate associations
between the IT technical staff and general staff so as to customize the VR solution to meet
expected objectives. The technical team will help in preloading data from the old system, and
also modify the old system so that it can work in conjunction with the new VR system. New
functionalities such as report generation using the old system will have to be incorporated into
the VR solution as the latter does not have one.
User Training
Due to the size of the institution, training to large groups of users will be provided through web
meet ups. Training approaches will be customized to meet the preferences and schedules of
users. The IT technical staff will collude with the institution’s staff to adopt a Train-the-Trainer
technique. The system will then be incorporated using daily approaches by:
 Providing new users with instructions on how the software will be used.
 Provide instructions on how the new software will be incorporated into the old system.
 Provide teaching on how requests for support can be acquired from the IT technical team.
Long Term Support
Support service will have to be scheduled so that they are offered at a specific time. The support
process will involve provision of assistance to Super Users, and IT administrators in the areas of
Technical Support and application support.
Application Support will address issues such as Basic configuration, functionality, training
matters, and security setup.
Technical support will involve resolving database issues, trouble shooting, software and system
upgrade, and network related issues.
( B) Provide a scheduled plan using Gantt chart. (5 marks)

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The project schedule outlines the four major areas of the IT initiative. These include, the work
that needs to be accomplished, deliverables that require to be generated and analysed, who and
what needs to be involved, and how each phase can be controlled and improved. When these
main elements are appropriately determined, then the IT initiative will be undertaken in a
systematic, controlled, and timely process that will ensure that Arden University is able to
benefit all associated stakeholders. Based on this schedule, it will be possible to easily identify
what needs to be accomplished before moving on to another phase.
The beginning of the IT initiative will need to be defined quite broadly as this is where the
feasibility of the project is determined. Since the IT initiative is coming to complement other
already existing systems, it is essential that it is able to work quite efficiently with the current
systems, and be usable by the current workforce. Most importantly, the project should uphold the
SMART goals. This approach ensures that the IT Initiative is efficiently vetted. The Specifics of
the project will need to be outlined, Measurability of goals needs to be identified and they should
also be highly Attainable. This analyses goals and what is required to achieve them. Goals of the
IT initiative should be highly realistic, and should also be achievable in a timely manner.

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The IT Project Gannt Chart
( C) Create an IT initiative budget plan. (5 marks)
Arden University needs to address certain specific questions. Is the IT initiative in line with the
company’s strategic objectives? Is there a need to re-evaluate the institutions strategic
objectives? Secondly, is there a need to reconsider initiatives that were not included in the
budget? Finally? Are there any strategic initiatives of the organization that tend to render some
of the objectives under the IT initiative obsolete? Being able to answer such questions will make

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it possible for the Arden University Project Team to organization to eliminate aspects of the
budget that will simply lead to unnecessary overhead costs. The following Budget can be used
for the IT Initiative.

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Section 5: Evaluation of initiative
( A ) Assess the impact of the new technology on the organization. Explain how the investment in new
technology aligns with the company’s strategic plan. (5 marks)
Resources Development International was established with the goal of reaching more students by

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eliminating barriers that make it impossible for students to attend class. This goal would only be
achieved using the internet, and a strategic plan that involved liaising with other institutions of
higher learning in order to deliver content seamlessly. Incorporation of Virtual Reality into the
process of teaching would favour the objectives of Arden University in two major ways.
Creating an experience.
Arden University’s objective has always been to provide a unique experience in the process of
learning irrespective a student’s location. Improving interactivity in the process makes it possible
for students to gain a unique experience, which is different from normal online learning. This
may help to ensure that content is grasped much efficiently.
Improved marketing capabilities.
Virtual reality provides a whole new way of interaction with information and between those who
are accessing and providing the data. Therefore, information about the campus will be provided
in a more consolidated manner. Additionally, if Arden University becomes one of the first
institutions to adopt virtual reality into the online learning process, every student will want to
have a piece of the experience, thereby, marketing the university’s services through word of
mouth.
Efficient Organization of Data.
The online realm makes it possible to collect information on almost anything that is needed such
as marketing data. Hence, Mixed or Virtual Reality will help Arden University to improve
student-content interaction by delivering on-demand data for use on interactive screens.
Decision support
These are extremely interactive and flexible information management systems that are meant to
assist in the process of making decisions where problems are unstructured. Virtual reality will
help to deliver data that is better organized for the managerial team to understand areas that need
improvement.

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(B ) Provide a brief Risk Assessment, Disaster Recovery Plan, or Business Continuity
Planning for the IT initiative. (5 marks)
Implementing a new technology in the business process is definitely associated with certain
degrees of uncertainty about the future. Therefore, the main objective of having a disaster
recovery plan is to avail the strategies that can be taken to ensure that core process of an
organization can be returned to normalcy in the shortest time. This will be suitable in case the
incorporation of virtual reality into Arden University’s system hits a snug that cannot be
resolved. The efficiency and speed that can be adopted in reverting the workability of the entire
system to normalcy or near optimal performance effectively impacts on the organizations ability
to return to a state that will allow essential services to be offered.

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Chart showing the approach that can be adopted during the implementation of the new
tech
Having implemented a mission, vision, and strategic plan, management approval is essential to
enable the continuity of the project and establishment of the project plan. The disaster recovery
plan is fairly simple and consistent as outlined in the chart. This makes it quite easy to conduct
planning and organize information for all activities that may have to be undertaken.
As established in the chart, the process flow is quite standard. During the implementation phase,
the IT initiative Business Impact Analysis will have to be undertaken prior to risk analysis
(Seidel & Chatelier, 2013). The Business impact assessment helps the project planners to note
down the critical enterprise functions and Information technology systems that must be
incorporated to support the new processes. The next step involves risk analysis, where external
and internal threats, which can impact on available and new information technology assets are
analyzed.
After the Business impact analysis and Risk Assessment have been undertaken, the next step that
will be undertaken involves defining, building, and testing a clearly outlined disaster recovery
plan. This plan can be explored where/ when a disaster strikes during the roll out of the IT
initiative. The availability of such a plan offers a clear step by step approach for tackling
potentially disruptive events. The process must have repetitive stages that are quite easy to use.
In any instance, the objective should be to recover the damaged IT assets fast as possible so as to
sustain operations.
( C) Consider the environmental impact of this project. Make recommendations for
improvements where appropriate. (5 marks)
Research into the incorporation of VR in the education system has found that this can be a very
motivational and powerful tool in helping students to understand concepts behind environmental
degradation as a result of human activities. For instance, “teaching students about “ocean
acidification” and providing them with images will simply help them learn. However, providing
them with an immersive environment that simulates actual processes greatly helps to create a

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meaningful gain and better understanding among students. This will help to change many
people’s minds on environmental protection in the following ways.
Better gear, wider reach
As mentioned earlier, the released of a new technology is always faced with high prices.
However, as demand for the technology increases due to the importance that it plays in the
society, then cost reduces as it becomes available to a huge number of people. This means that
when Virtual Reality technology is availed to a huge number of people, many people will
appreciate the importance of environmental protection through the experience that will be gained
from the use of such technology.
Similarly, advancement in the technology around virtual reality will make it possible for VR
manufacturers to create consumer grade gear that is quite affordable like Microsoft, Oculus Rift,
and Samsung. The clientele base for the VR market is ever expanding, implying greater
opportunities will be available in the future. The extensive incorporation of VR into education
and the simulation that comes forthwith will help to inform the society about the potential
dangers of failing to conserve the environment through creation of a vivid picture through the
immersive environment.
Greater connection to the environment
Based on past simulations on ocean acidification, students argued that VR helped in making
them feel better connected to environmental challenges that were being addressed. Students
movements were tracked during the simulation process, and one feeling that was pointed out by
most students is the fact that one gets to feel as through they are actually under water. Test
conducted on the same students several months after the simulation proved that the students
gained an ability to retain knowledge about the environment over lengthy periods of time. Based
on lab experiments conducted in various schools using VR, it was evident that students were able
to increase their knowledge about the subjects that were being taught.
Recommendations
The growth for demand and subsequent supply of VR technology in the realm of education

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means a lot for education providers, students, and the VR manufacturers. The group that will
remain to be most affected by incorporation of VR is the professionals who create, and deliver
education content. This is the group is expected to familiarize with the new technology and alter
its approaches of delivering content so that it fits the demands of VR. For instance, VR requires
that students are provided with an immersive environment from which they can be able to gain
appropriate experience. Therefore, the educators have to shift their approaches from the
conventional technique, which is simply involves giving content to students to read for
themselves. Lab sessions will have to be altered so that they fit processes that will enable
students to feel as though they are in an almost real environment despite the distance.
Online learning systems constitute a varying range of subsystems that require to be interlinked so
that a single instructional model can be achieved. Studies that explore how the incorporation of
VR into the education system are, therefore, critical in helping us to comprehend how the
process of student learning will end up being impacted. In the near future, it will be critical to
ensure that educational content designers understand the essential nature associated with
outcomes of student learning, and the online tools that influence the perceptions and attitudes of
students towards learning systems that are entirely based on technology. More importantly, as a
result of technological incorporation, it is essential that education providers don’t ignore the
importance of feedback. Feedback is critical in impacting how negative factors towards learning
can be mitigated to allow students to gain knowledge more positively (Warburton, 2008).
d) Provide a report conclusion. (5 marks)
The use and application of VR in the reinforcement of learning concepts is highly
recommendable and an acceptable approach to learning due to the associated benefits. Where the
technology has been incorporated into the learning environment, the student’s perception,
motivation, and attitude changes once the technology starts to be intensively used. For Arden
University, this means that as much the initial costs of rolling out the technology might be high,
the overall returns in terms of student experience, and costs saved on the long term will be much
higher. The time taken to grasp content will be reduced since the immersive environment
provides a unique environment, and this implies that part time distance learns will be able to
dedicate more time to their personal matters, while at the same time be able to learn quite
efficiently. The learning environment and approaches used to deliver education content are

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changing all over the world.
Adoption of VR into the education system will imply that institutions like Arden University will
be at the forefront of changing the learning environment, and this will create a good image of the
institution while marketing its services altogether. It is however, important to understand that
like any other form of technology, Virtual Reality is posed to have its associated disadvantages
in spite of the many advantages that can be associated with it. The challenge in this case lies in
the approach that is taken in the manufacturing and disposal process (Barbour & Reeves, 2009).
However, the good thing about the 21st Century era is that Virtual reality as a technology is
arising when the society has been made aware of the dangers that come about when irresponsible
disposal is not put to check. Currently, efforts are being made by Virtual Reality manufacturers
to come up with technology that uses more of re-usable and biodegradable materials. Hence with
the current level of awareness, the extensive use of the technology is expected to impact positive
gains unlike other technologies such as phones and computers.

25
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