VR4Empathy | European Commission

Empathy is the bridge that connects us to the emotions and perspectives of others. VR4Empathy is a pioneering project funded by the European Commission that seeks to harness the power of virtual reality (VR) to foster cognitive empathy in educational settings and enhance inclusive digital education across the European Union.

At its core, the project is grounded in cutting-edge research at the intersection of VR, psychology, and education. It represents a forward-thinking approach to utilizing VR as an educational support tool across various subjects, including history, geography, sciences, and citizenship. With a consortium of education providers, ministries, and EdTech providers, VR4Empathy harnesses VR’s potential to enhance empathy, improve education, and foster systemic change.

Among the outcomes is a train-the-teachers program that actively engages educators in Portugal, Slovenia, and Greece, ensuring they can effectively integrate VR into their teaching methods. The project also aims to develop a quality assurance framework for VR integration in education and generate evidence-based policy recommendations for its adoption. Finally, establishing an EdTech Network will seek to facilitate collaboration across sectors and ensure a long-lasting impact beyond the project’s duration.

Khora takes the lead in international benchmarking of VR content suitable for education, curriculum theme selection, VR script co-design, quality assurance framework design, and the overall development of VR-based educational resources for students in the project.

Ultimately, VR4Empathy strives to bring about significant improvements in the education sector by enhancing teachers’ competencies, fostering positive behavioral shifts among students, promoting European values, and contributing to developing a more empathetic and inclusive society through VR-based educational resources.