By Nihar Sripad Madkaiker

Technology never disappoints us. Since time immemorial, it has always been on the urge to come  up with new things that can leave us mouthstruck. From entertainment to education, technology  has spread its roots. Coming to education, the two concepts, virtual reality and ChatGPT, are  ruling the domain.  

Virtual reality is now a known idea, but ChatGPT, a new concept, has entered the global race in  the Artificial Intelligence domain. Its sudden burst of popularity has developed curiosity amongst  the industry and laymen to understand ChatGPT in detail. However, it has further raised  questions on how impactful it will be to various sectors, particularly education.  

With ChatGPT making several headlines, it is being indicated that this AI-based intelligent  chatbot along with VR can positively influence higher education. Below you will learn how these  two key concepts can transform higher education. But before beginning with this conversation, it  is important to understand the concept, its relation with VR.  

What ChatGPT brings?  

An intelligent Chatbot that interacts in a conversational way and the dialogue format allows  ChatGPT to answer follow-up questions, admit mistakes, challenge incorrect premises, and  reject inappropriate requests. The functionality of ChatGPT states that it is the ideal companion  for interactive VR experiences. Virtual Reality is becoming a part of higher education or  institute. With ChatGPT becoming a current trend, VR and ChatGPT must bring new  enhancements to the higher education methodology.  

Use of ChatGPT in education  

ChatGPT is becoming a powerful language model that has the potential to revolutionise  education. Additionally, this will provide more clarity and a clearer idea of its capabilities. The  application will help educators by giving them a deeper understanding of the idea and making  their jobs easier when teaching.  

ChatGPT can comprehend and react to input in natural language. This entails that students can  exchange questions and responses in a style that resembles a discussion with a teacher or  mentor.  

ChatGPT can also produce text, which can be used to develop exciting and interactive learning  resources. The concept of developing ChatGPT is very well crafted. Seeing its precision and  promptness, it does have the potential to be a useful tool in higher education. However, it  should be utilised in conjunction with proficient educators and other reliable resources to give  students a well-rounded education.  

There have been certain drawbacks, such as a student being reliant, lack of critical thinking  capabilities, and it may provide wrong information sometimes. However, despite these  challenges, several experts claim that the new tool has significant potential.  

Combination of ChatGPT and VR in higher education  

Learning is becoming more engaging owing to VR and ChatGPT. These two tools have changed the  educational objectives. Perhaps it’s crucial to determine whether ChatGPT and VR will improve  the education ecosystem.  

ChatGPT and virtual reality (VR) can be effectively combined in higher education to create more  immersive and engaging learning experiences. Here are a few ways they can be used together: 

Interactive lectures: Virtual reality can be effectively used to come up with creative and  interactive virtual environments that allows students to explore the important concepts  in a hands-on way. In combination to this, ChatGPT can be used to answer questions and  provide real-time feedback during lectures.  

Virtual field trips: By combining these two technologies, it can be possible to take  students to virtual field trips, at different places all around the globe. VR can create an  immersive experience that feels like actually being there, while ChatGPT can provide  information and context about the locations.  

Simulations: It is hard to educate students about the real-world scenarios. But, ChatGPT  and VR can be used effectively to create simulations of real-world scenarios. For  example, medical students can use VR to practice surgical procedures, while law students  can use VR to participate in mock trials.  

Collaborative projects: With VR, a group of students can create and collaborate on a  project. Moreover, with ChatGPT, guidance and feedback can be provided. Thus, ChatGPT  and VR can be used to facilitate collaboration between students.  

By creating more engaging and immersive learning experiences, students are more likely to be  motivated and interested in the material, which can lead to improved learning outcomes.  Additionally, by providing personalized feedback and facilitating collaboration, ChatGPT and VR  can help students develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills.  

Overall, the combination of ChatGPT and VR can be a powerful tool for enhancing the learning  experience in higher education. Also, It can be said that by incorporating ChatGPT and VR into  education, educators can create more engaging, personalized, and accessible learning  experiences for students, leading to improved learning outcomes.  

However, the responsibility will be on the edtech market and innovative educators to carefully  consider the best ways to use VR and ChatGPT together to improve learning possibilities for all  students. It will be fascinating to observe how educators and edtech companies utilise VR and  ChatGPT’s potential in the near future.  

The author of this article is  co-founder, VP – Product and Strategic Alliances, iXR Labs. Views expressed are personal.