From exploring the solar system to walking through ancient civilisations, Kardinia International College and other Australian schools are increasingly using ClassVR and immersive technology to experience learning beyond the classroom walls.
At Kardinia International College in Geelong, Victoria, students in Year 3 can stand among the planets as part of their study of space, exploring the solar system in immersive 360-degree detail.
“It gives them the experience that they are in the solar system rather than in books where it’s two-dimensional,” says Ms Aisha Kristiansen, Director of Innovation and Technology K–12 at Kardinia International College.
“When students first use the ClassVR headsets, it’s all about the ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’. It’s really magical but we also want them to move beyond that. The headsets are embedded in a learning cycle so students know what they’re looking for and can reflect on it afterwards.”
For Kardinia students, immersive learning is helping to deepen understanding and spark curiosity across a range of curriculum areas.
“It enables us to experience different cultures, habitats and civilisations, and time periods in a way that feels authentic,” Ms Kristiansen says. “It helps us be a true international school connected to the world.”
ClassVR, developed by Avantis Education, is being used in schools across Australia to support immersive teaching and learning experiences aligned to the Australian Curriculum.
Research from PwC has highlighted the potential impact of virtual reality in learning environments, finding learners using VR can be more focused, faster to retain knowledge and more confident applying what they have learned.
For many schools, the greatest value lies in the way immersive learning can help students engage more deeply with complex or abstract concepts.
“We often hear educators talk about the immediate engagement they see when students put the headsets on,” says Ms Stephanie Miles, Marketing Manager at Avantis Education.
“Students are able to explore scenarios in greater depth and experience concepts that would otherwise be difficult to access in a traditional classroom setting.”
A key advantage for Australian schools is that content available through the Eduverse platform is mapped to the Australian Curriculum across subjects including English, science, history and geography.
The ClassVR solution includes VR headsets, curriculum-linked content, classroom management tools, charging and storage systems, as well as professional learning and support for teachers.
At Kardinia International College, the school introduced 12 headsets and integrated immersive learning across every year level in the Junior School, from Foundation to Year 6.
“The team have embedded ClassVR deeply into the curriculum. We’re using it as a tool to support curiosity, to support creativity, to support conceptual understanding. It’s not just an add-on. It’s embedded and mapped across our Programme of Inquiry,” says Ms Kristiansen.
The school intentionally chose a shared headset model, encouraging students to work collaboratively.
“We chose 12 headsets, so students work in pairs, sharing the experience, reflecting in real time and building understanding together,” she says.
To support implementation, the school developed a virtual reality scope and sequence aligned to classroom inquiry units.
“We created playlists for every unit, so staff aren’t starting from scratch. That gave teachers the confidence to get started, and now they’re building their own,” Ms Kristiansen says.
Teachers across the Junior School now regularly book and independently use the technology within their classroom programs.
“The real success is when a teacher says, ‘I have a unit coming up, can I book the headsets?’. That shows they can see the value; it’s part of their toolkit,” Ms Kristiansen says.
Building teacher confidence
While immersive technology can capture student attention quickly, meaningful adoption depends on teacher confidence and ease of classroom implementation.
“ClassVR is designed to make immersive learning practical and accessible for teachers,” Ms Miles says.
“Everything is built to support classroom implementation, from the hardware and curriculum-aligned content through to classroom management tools, charging solutions and ongoing professional learning.”
Educators can access pre-made playlists organised by subject, age group and topic, while also having the flexibility to create and share their own immersive experiences.
“We know teachers are already balancing a lot, so the platform is designed to make getting started simple,” Ms Miles says.
Avantis Education also provides monthly professional learning webinars designed to help teachers confidently integrate immersive technology into classroom practice.
“The ongoing professional learning is important because it helps teachers move beyond the initial excitement and embed the technology in meaningful ways that support learning,” she says.
From consumers to creators
For many schools, the focus is moving beyond students simply consuming immersive content to creating their own virtual experiences.
Through AI-powered tools available within Eduverse+, students can generate 360-degree environments and immersive scenes using text prompts, allowing them to transform classroom ideas into interactive experiences.
Students are using the technology to support creative writing, visual storytelling and inquiry learning projects, while also developing digital capability and creative thinking skills.
Ms Miles says this shift towards student creation is one of the most exciting developments occurring in classrooms.
“Students are increasingly becoming creators of immersive content, not just consumers of it,” she says.
Eduverse+ also expands the platform with additional tools supporting AI-generated immersive scenes, interactive 3D models, wildlife experiences and career exploration activities.
Alongside these developments, the new Xplorer headset offers upgraded 4K displays, expanded storage and increased processing capability to support more sophisticated immersive learning experiences.
Supporting diverse learners
Schools are also exploring how immersive technology can support differentiated learning and student wellbeing.
Avantis Education recently introduced EduverseTHRIVE, a solution designed to support regulation, sensory exploration and inclusive learning experiences for students with diverse needs.
The platform provides calming immersive environments and sensory-based experiences designed to help students reset, refocus and feel ready to learn without leaving the classroom.
It reflects a broader shift in how immersive technology is being used in schools, not simply as a novelty, but as a tool that can support the whole learner.
At Kardinia International College, teachers are already seeing the impact immersive learning can have on student participation and classroom engagement.
“One of the things that teachers have really noticed is that it has provided an element of engagement in their lessons that potentially wasn’t there when they were learning in traditional methods like putting a video on or reading a book,” Ms Kristiansen says.
“There’s a place for everything, but the VR elevates that and makes students feel like they really are there.”
For more information, visit: www.classvr.com
