Does AR/VR For Training Actually Work

Breaking down the research and learning science behind AR/VR for education.

Author

Lori-Lee Elliott
November 09, 2025

But First…Cool, if Real

Scroll to the end of this newsletter to see.

Becoming Dauntless

You don't have to scroll long on LinkedIn before you find a post raving about how VR training is superior to computer-based training, will solve all of your onboarding problems, make people adore training, and somehow also do your taxes for you. Buzzwords like revolutionize, accelerate, and transform really earn their stripes here.

What do all of these posts lack? Data. Research. A whisper of an ROI timeline. Any hint of a user review, positive or negative.

To help cut through the noise, we had Dr. Sara Smith, PhD, on the Dauntless XR Podcast, discussing the academic research on how augmented and virtual reality impact a student's ability to learn and retain information. Here's what we took away:

  1. The physical body is part of the learning experience, not just the brain. With XR, learners have more sensory modalities available to commit something to memory and recall it later.

  2. In traditional classroom/textbook-based education, a learned needs to be exposed to a piece of information 7-12 times before they'll retain it. With XR, they may only need to see it once.

  3. The best way to learn is to be immersed in the environment where you will use the information. Like on-the-job training, or going to Italy to learn Italian. AR/VR is the next best alternative for when real-world immersion is impractical.

  4. You can see learning gain with XR on a smartphone or tablet, not just through headsets.

  5. The biggest barrier to getting out of pilot purgatory is giving educators the tools to generate AR/VR curriculum content long-term.

While Dr. Smith's work focuses on K-12 education and language learning, the insights apply to corporate training too.

If you want to XR for education break down, without the hype, make sure you are subscribed to the podcast so you see the episode when it goes live.

Tech News to Make You Smarter

  • Meta Opened Another Dev Competition (Meta). Meta wants more developers to build immersive experiences for Meta Horizon OS and compete for a share of $1.5 million in prizes across 32 awards. Submissions close Dec 9th.

  • Spain's Vocational Schools are Getting VR Training (XR Today). The Spanish government is making training for vocational jobs more appealing with modern learning tools. Just in time, too, as AI is forcing the rise of blue-collar jobs.

  • The NEO Robots Need Spatial Tech (Futurism). 1X Technologies launched preorders for their robot servant, NEO. Priced at $20k, NEO still needs remote human assistance to complete some household chores, like loading the dishwasher. If you've been following the podcast, you'll already know that these droids need the same spatial technology that mixed reality headsets use to understand a space to get to full autonomy. A robot in a VR headset isn't actually as crazy as it sounds. Catch up here.

Saved on Socials

The posts, memes, job postings, and videos that caught my attention this week:

Recently Played >

What we watched or listened to this week

Overheard on Slack

Enter the chat. What our devs are talking about…

  • "'Streaming that from the cloud sounds like hell. Pretty sure Dante referenced it in Inferno, somewhere in circle five." - Not everything needs to live in the cloud all the time.

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📸 This is real! Gavin Smith, the co-CEO of Voxon Photonics built this supernova simulator using the Voxon Photonics VLED SDK, Visual Studio 2022, and C#.