Don’t Just Read It—Live It: VR in Literature Classrooms

Between 16 and 18 March 2026, LIBytes buzzed with activity as English Language & Literature (ELL) students explored Virtual Reality (VR) storytelling during their tutorials on Digital Literature.

For the second consecutive year, the Digital Library Services team partnered with the ELL department to bring children’s stories to life for PGDE students teaching Primary English.

Positive feedback from last year’s pilot prompted an expansion to the full cohort of approximately 120 students, a significant increase from the original 38.

The aim of the VR session was to introduce students to the digital possibilities of narrative immersion. Through VR, learners could step into characters’ perspectives, interact with narrative environments, and reflect on how such experiences might enhance storytelling in their own classrooms. This approach aligns with the course’s focus on multimodal literacy and contemporary storytelling formats, offering students a new way to engage with children’s literature.

To ensure a meaningful hands‑on learning

experience, each of the six tutorial groups

participated in a 60‑minute session featuring 15‑minute rotations through four VR apps.

Upon trying out all four VR stations, students attended a sharing session conducted by a librarian. They learned about the differences between Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) and also the opportunities to create their own VR experiences using Uptale.

They were encouraged to book the library’s VR headsets to continue experimenting beyond the session. Those interested to find out more can also refer to the library's VR/AR guide.

The VR line‑up offered four immersive experiences:

• Wolves in the Walls - based on the book by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean where students helped Lucy uncover wolves hiding in the walls inside her home;

• Nana Lou - a reflective and emotional experience on family, relationships, and themes of loss where students guide Nana Lou through memories and dreamlike worlds;

• National Geographic VR’s exhilarating Antarctic expedition featuring emperor penguins, thrilling kayaking, snowstorms and ice climbing;

• and the moving Anne Frank’s House VR, which placed students inside the WWII Annex for a powerful historical perspective.

Curated books related to the VR experiences were also available for students’ reference.

For students, the immersive experience was engaging and enjoyable with 97% agreeing that it increased their learning engagement in a post-event survey.

While many felt VR deepened their interaction with digital literature, some reflected on the challenges, including the need for clearer guidance and difficulty focusing while fully immersed. Practical concerns around cost, accessibility, motion sickness, and classroom safety were also raised.

Students also offered thoughtful ideas for integrating VR into language learning. They saw potential for supporting reading, writing, oracy, and small‑group work, suggesting shorter VR experiences for upper‑primary learners or using VR after reading a book to bring themes to life. Several highlighted how VR could enhance non‑fiction or historical learning by offering immersive supplementary experiences.

The collaboration between the Library and ELL continues to demonstrate how VR can transform storytelling in education, fostering engagement, reflection, and experiential learning.

Growing from a small pilot last year to 120 students this year, the initiative underscores the library’s commitment to supporting innovative teaching and learning, and points toward a future where stories are not only read, but experienced.

One of the six tutorial groups that attended the session