Virtual Reality as A Tool to Enhance Students’ Perceptions of Architectural Historical Spaces

Abstract

The future relied on advanced and smart technologies after covid. Teaching strategies became more virtually oriented. Despite the important role of visiting historical sites in architectural students’ knowledge and space perception. The study aim is to highlight the significance of virtual related technologies in teaching as a smart strategy to enhance students' perceptions in architectural universities and cope with the future of technology, specifically in “History of Architecture” courses. An overview of virtual related technologies will be presented, exploring different techniques, elements and types, this will be built on a theoretical study. In addition, the significance of virtual spaces on students’ perceptions will be investigated through a non-equivalent quasi experimental study. A group of students will experience a historical space through a non-immersive virtual tour, and the other group will experience the same space through 2D photographs. Findings of the study presented the effect of virtual related technologies in enhancing the architectural students' perceptions toward historical sites. For a better understanding of spaces in architectural universities.