Against the backdrop of digital transformation in higher education, virtual reality (VR) technology is widely regarded as a key driver of teaching paradigm transformation. In practice, however, its deep integration with university curricula faces a common predicament: the concept attracts considerable attention, yet implementation remains difficult.
This study focuses on identifying the challenges of VR course integration in higher education and exploring pathways to overcome them. A multiple-case qualitative research design was adopted. Five VR-integrated courses spanning four broad disciplinary categories, namely humanities, sciences, engineering, and arts, were selected. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, analysis of course materials, and student reflective texts. The multi-source data were then systematically analyzed using the three-level coding procedure of grounded theory.
Six core challenges to VR course integration were identified: technology environment, teacher competency, instructional design, institutional support, resource ecosystem, and learning experience. These challenges form a multi-layered nested structure consisting of a foundational base layer, a middle implementation layer, an outer support layer, and a terminal feedback layer. In response, six corresponding pathways were developed, and a virtual–real symbiosis VR course integration mechanism model was proposed, featuring four interconnected layers and three driving loops to support the evolution from technological embedding to virtual–real symbiosis.
This study provides theoretical references and practical guidance for university teachers in designing VR-based instruction, for education administrators in formulating VR course development policies, and for advancing VR course construction through campus-based shared technical spaces.
