✅KNOWING WHEN YOU ’VE SUCCEEDED

Unless you can understand why you are implementing VR, what outcomes you expect, and how to measure them, then you might as well not bother. The single most important factor to consider is what is the primary educational benefit or outcome you expect. If you don’t know what you want to achieve, how can you know if you’ve achieved it? This may sound simple, but many times projects and technology are implemented without this primary consideration, and thus we end up with ‘technology for technology’s sake’. Take that iPad that was issued to the teacher. What was the expected outcome based on spending that money? Easier access to network based resources? A simpler way to access email? A general research tool? Whatever the reason, did you measure the outcome? Did things improve? Was it worth the spend?

Knowing when you’ve succeeded requires clear goals, and a way to measure them. Defining and understanding these goals should allow simple analysis to establish success or failure, and will provide that all important Return On Investment. Investing in educational technology means investing in student development. Measuring this can be difficult, but some clearly defined goals, even subtle ones such as better engagement in class or a noticeable change in motivation, can be highly valuable and ultimately will yield results for improved student outcomes over time.