At PRISM ‘25, Dr. Aoife Morrin, Associate Professor in Analytical Chemistry at DCU, spoke about the how they’re using VR for Chemistry Education with the Immersive Chem Lab Project (which is a collaboration with Eirmersive member Fourth Reality). The following is a summary of the presentation which can been watched in full below.
Context & Purpose
Developed through Higher Education Authority funding over 5 years by a consortium of 5 institutes.
Goal: Innovative delivery of practical laboratory training using digital technologies.
Challenges in Traditional Lab Training
Safety constraints and tight budgets.
Growing student numbers with limited resources.
Labs are resource-heavy and highly procedural, leaving little room for inquiry-based learning.
Students often have only 6 hours to learn complex instruments and software.
VR Use Case
Prepare students before physical labs:
Familiarise with instruments and software.
Increase efficiency and confidence.
Enable deeper, inquiry-based learning during actual lab sessions.
VR environment replicates real lab setup and allows:
Interaction with instruments as in real life.
Performing sample analysis and generating real-time data.
Visualising internal mechanics of instruments.
Student Feedback
Positive response:
Increased familiarity and confidence.
Greater efficiency → more time for exploration.
Better understanding of chemistry concepts.
Enhanced enjoyment → improved learning outcomes.
Future Plans
Expand immersive modules.
Use VR as a complement to physical labs and, in some cases, as a replacement where equipment access is limited.