Using questionnaires and attention data in an existing simulation environment used in the school system, we showed that the VR simulation elicits an overview effect experience. In the current study, we investigated whether the overview effect can be obtained in school children when simulated using virtual reality (VR) and whether the effect has a positive impact on learning gains. The overview effect is associated with feelings of awe, self-transcendence, and a change of perspective and identity that manifest themselves in taking steps toward protecting the fragile ecosystem. The overview effect is the commonly reported experience of astronauts viewing planet Earth from space and the subsequent reflection on and processing of this experience. The current health crisis provides our educational professionals with an opportunity to rethink their teaching practices and focus on applying these promising new alternatives. The proposed solutions are offered by artificial intelligence research, including virtual reality, intelligent tutoring systems, and serious games-solutions that have so far not been extensively implemented in practice. Worse yet, the traditional face-to-face mode of lecturing is ineffective in the absence of personalized interactions. Extensive meta-analyses, however, show that most online teaching practices do not lead to better educational outcomes than the on-site alternatives.

This transition was so straightforward, that the argument could be made for online education to become a permanent fixture, particularly if it is more efficient, cheaper, and more effective than traditional education.

At all educational levels, on-site lecturing had to switch instantaneously to an online mode of instruction. The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the status quo in many areas of society, including education.

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