**1. Introduction**

Fourth industrial revolution tools are being increasingly integrated into teaching and learning in education [1]. Globally, people are exploring the potential of these emerging technologies, which among many other mobile devices include virtual realities (VR) [2–4]. Furthermore, research also maintains engagement with VR enhances the experience or a sense of 'being there' in the environment [5]. Virtual reality enhance knowledge of abstract concepts, thus make impossible tasks to undertake in the real world possible [6]. In other words, VR allow participants to experiment with objects virtual more easily 'making the unseen seen', machines [7].

Even though VR is not new, the recent advances in immersive technologies in terms of visualization and interactions have made VR increasingly attracted attention by researchers. The use of VR enhances immersion of a user in a virtual environment, thus providing a sense of "being" in the task environment instead.

The immersion of a being in a virtual reality as the perception of being physically present in a non-physical world through the creation of images, sound, or other inducements so that a participant feels he or she is actually "there" [8]. However, this is not the case at the selected departments of university involved in this study as the pre-test study on the use of 4IR tools to equip pre-service teachers indicated ineffective preparation of students for the 4IR world. It is in this regard that the researchers embarked on this study as an intervention in order to enhance the lecturers' experiences with VR resources to enable pre-service teachers bridge the physical distance in teaching and learning environments at one of the selected universities, South Africa.

### **2. Review of literature**

The general concept of immersive VR was developed back in the late 80s in which participants interact with a world completely generated by [9]. One of the main characteristics of VR is that the environment is a full scale replica of the real world and it relates to human size. Hence, the participants get the feeling as if they are interacting with the real environment or subject, and that VR applications include either real or abstract worlds [10]. In addition, through engaging in virtual reality, we can enter and interact with a world that either does not exist or it is difficult to access due to costs or safety reasons [9].

Virtual reality has been described as one of the most effective and necessary teaching and learning resources of the 4th industrial revolution [11]. Moreover, research argues that students tend to retain more information and gain more practical skill through their engagement with VR tools [12]. Virtual reality allows us to scrutinize all matter through touching, moving and manipulating it [13]. In other words, the use of VR allows participants to be totally engrossed in a self-contained artificial or simulated environment while experiencing it as real [14]. Hence, these tools can offer rich and complex content-based learning, as well as enhance students' technical, creative, and problem-solving skills [14].

A substantial body of researchers acknowledge that there are many potential benefits of introducing VR in education and training that would not be possible in traditional methods, and that these include: education which is not possible in reality, will be possible in virtual reality; virtual game-based experience increases students' motivation; collaboration in virtual reality classroom fosters social integration of learners; learning is achieved by direct interaction, not by mouse clicks; the results from the learning process are truly assessed [15–17].

Moreover, the use of VR is said to have advantages in teaching and learning that are not experienced when traditional pedagogy is practiced for delivering curricula [18]. This researcher points out that these advantages include enhanced motivation on the part of students; improved communication between lecturers and students; more comprehension of seemingly abstract concepts; and more individual learning needs are accommodated [18].

Despite the substantial benefits that the use of VR tools are said to have in the classroom, educational institutions are not free of significant challenges. Due to financial constraints many educational institutions are reluctant to invest in fourth industrial tools [19]. Furthermore, one of the biggest challenges faced by the use of these tools, including VR resources is the lack of relevant content. Developing more content can be very costly, and not every educational institute has the means to hire a software development company to help them produce content [19].

Echoing similar sentiments, it has been noted that cost is the primary challenge of 4IR tools, in this case VR tools in most markets, and especially so in education,

*Lecturers' Experiences in Teaching Using VR Resources at a Selected University, South Africa DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.99185*

hence funding is one of the primary barriers for massive adoption of VR solutions within educational systems, due to the high cost of relevant tools as there are limited financial resources in many educational institutions [20].

Moreover, knowledge about how to integrate VR technology in courses and the lack of time for learning and planning how to do this has also been identified as a challenge for pedagogical VR use at university level [21]. It has also been highlighted that opportunities to enact VR technologies is limited due to shortcomings in practitioners' continuing professional development opportunities [22].
