What is Immersive Capacity

Virtual reality (VR) offers unique opportunities for immersive activities previously not possible in the language classroom. However, as with any new instructional medium, it is difficult to employ these technologies effectively. There is often a gap between teachers' understanding of how to use the technology and the pedagogical needs of the classroom. This chapter introduces the VR Application Analysis Framework. The framework, supported by established theory, assists with the analysis and implementation of commercial off-the-shelf VR applications into language classroom tasks. This chapter explores the history of VR and the background for its potential use in the classroom. The four key aspects of the framework are presented: immersive capacity, cognitive load, purpose, and communicative capability. Four existing VR applications and their accompanying activities are presented as examples of using the framework.