Wittenborg Workshop Explores How Virtual Reality Is Reshaping Education

08.05.2026

Associate Professor Dr Kerem Ay Explores Virtual Reality In Education During Workshop

Wittenborg has explored how Virtual Reality is reshaping education, following a hands-on Erasmus+ workshop held on 16 April at its Brinklaan study location with Associate Professor Dr Kerem Ay from Atılım University in Türkiye.

The Research Centre “was more than delighted to host Ay as part of the Erasmus Exchange,” said Aydan Holtrigter, Head of Research Partnerships and International Mobility at Wittenborg. She added that the session “delivered both to the students and teachers, demonstrating how teaching and learning can be fun, inclusive and interactive.”

The workshop focused on the practical application of Virtual Reality in education, with students and academic staff actively engaging with immersive tools throughout the session. Rather than concentrating on theory alone, the activities demonstrated how VR can be integrated into real teaching and learning environments.

Participants were able to experience immersive learning scenarios first-hand and explore how Virtual Reality can support engagement, interaction and skills development in higher education.

Holtrigter also highlighted the relevance of the session to the Research Centre's broader work on the TourXperience project, which aims to modernise vocational education and training in tourism through Extended Reality (XR) technologies.

“This visit was also crucial from the perspective of our ongoing TourXperience project, as the main focus of this project is to integrate the use of AR/VR in education to enhance the student learning experience,” she said.

The TourXperience project, launched in Palermo in March 2026, brings together European partners to develop XR-based learning tools, including AR, VR and mixed reality exercises designed for tourism education. Wittenborg is responsible for quality assurance and contributes to the development and integration of these tools into teaching practice.

The workshop also reflected wider industry developments, where immersive technologies are increasingly being adopted in tourism contexts. At Valencia Airport, for example, Augmented Reality is being tested to help passengers navigate the airport more easily by providing digital directions and information on their phones.

The visit formed part of the ongoing academic exchange between Wittenborg and Atılım University, and contributed to broader discussions on how immersive technologies are being integrated into both education and the tourism sector.