The ethical challenges.
Ethics around augmented and virtual reality is something that needs to be considered when implementing this technology into educational institutions. These ethical challenges are described in varying media as follows:
Privacy concerns
Safety of external factors
Operant/persuasive conditioning
Superrealism in traumatic spaces
Privacy concerns: AR and VR technology often requires gaining, using, and sharing personal data with third parties to allow for a better user experience. As outlined in a paper discussing ethics and VR/AR [10], this introduces concerns with hacking or use of the data for malicious reasons.
Safety of external factors: Safety when using AR/VR technology is something that needs to be ethically considered prior to implementation [9]. This means considering the environment and individuals surrounding the user, as well as a lack of ability to focus on their full peripheral view could have potential to harm the user and/or individuals around them.
Operant conditioning: One study highlights a concern around the theory of operant conditioning [9]. This is essentially the theory that you can persuade or influence behaviour through repetition of reward and punishment. This idea of influencing an end-user action is something that is often considered to be unethical, and specifically the use of negative reinforcements should be something to avoid. In the context of medical learning environments, this could be as common as visually informing the user an answer is incorrect.
Superrealism: Discussed within a paper highlighting a framework for ethically considering the use of AR [11], superrealism is a concern when using this technology in a classroom. With graphical content becoming more hyper-realistic, concerns around the human mind being able to distinguish between AR and a physical experience are being called into question. Issues around individuals witnessing traumatic incidents in AR are identified as having the potential to negatively affect mental health.
References:
[9] Microsoft Word - Shane Pase EEE Final 5/15.doc
[10] Frontiers | The Ethics of Realism in Virtual and Augmented Reality
[11] ARLEAN: An Augmented Reality Learning Analytics Ethical Framework
