Date of Award

8-2025

Document Type

Project

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Communication Studies

Department

Communication Studies

First Reader/Committee Chair

Popescu, Mihaela

Abstract

As immersive media technologies such as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR) continue to gain traction in education, the need for a roadmap for educators to adopt these new learning technologies in a manner that enhances student learning increases. This project explores essential elements of an effective onboarding process for extended reality (XR)-enabled learning environments, focusing the recommendations for an anonymous virtual reality lab located at a public, 4-year university in Southern California. The study analyzes interviews from twelve students experiencing VR for the first time under three different onboarding contexts: no onboarding, Meta’s First Steps commercial onboarding, and the ad hoc onboarding offered by the virtual reality lab. A thematic analysis revealed common challenges including hardware discomfort, confusion over controller functions, disorientation in virtual environments, and anxiety rooted in both unfamiliarity and media analogies. Based on these findings, this project offers recommendations, such as interpersonal instruction, environmental cues, haptic feedback, hands on demonstrations, amongst other suggestions. These findings are also outlined in a whitepaper.

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