One year of VR4Empathy: Celebrating the first steps to transform education!

It’s been an incredible year of breakthroughs, using the power of Virtual Reality (VR) to transform the way we learn and teach. This collaborative initiative, spanning Portugal, Slovenia, Greece, and Denmark, is dedicated to empowering students and educators through innovative VR-based learning tools and strategies.

How did partners unite educators and inspire collaboration?

Just in its first year, the VR4Empathy project has brought the education community together in an outstanding way!

With 9 dynamic design thinking workshops involving 165 teachers and students, 4 collaborative co-design sessions with 46 educators and 3 major engagement events reaching 465 professionals, including school principals, the impact has been nothing short of inspiring.

Hosted across Portugal, Slovenia and Greece, these events highlight the project’s far-reaching vision and spirit of collaboration.

How are partners collaborating to shape the project?

The journey began in Matosinhos, Portugal, in January 2024, where the core team of the VR4Empathy project gathered to set the stage for a year of innovation and collaboration.

In September 2024, the team reconvened in Copenhagen, Denmark, to celebrate progress, review accomplishments and plan the exciting path ahead.

These two transnational meetings were pivotal in strengthening partnerships and aligning the consortium’s vision across Portugal, Slovenia, Greece and Denmark.

What stands out from this first year?

VR4Empathy has delivered two game-changing reports:

• the Catalogue of Good Practices on Using VR-Based Resources in School Education

• Report on the Power of VR to Enhance Students’ Empathy Skills and Motivation to Learn

These foundational resources pave the way for seamlessly integrating VR into classrooms, sparking both empathy and engagement.

But that’s not all — VR4Empathy also created six lesson plans and VR scripts on impactful topics including the impact of climate change on European biodiversity, the holocaust, the European Union and migration and citizenship.

Designed to captivate students and foster deeper understanding, these materials bring learning to life in a whole new way and will be published here.

As we celebrate this first year, we remain dedicated to transforming education through VR.

Discover our journey and resources on Linkedin and Facebook pages, join the EdTech Network and start shaping the future of learning with us!