Resumen
Since 1991, the Virtual Reality Applications Research Team (VIRART) has been specifying, building and evaluating virtual environments (VEs) for educational purposes. In the Learning in Environments program, the understanding of user needs and of how to assess the outcomes has drawn upon ergonomics expertise from the Institute for Occupational Ergonomics, and VIRART's own work in industrial applications and in usability and health and safety implications of VEs. It is arguable that the greatest potential benefits from VEs built into current virtual reality (VR) systems are in such applications as education, training, and communication of general ideas and concepts. The current, partially developed nature of VR gives technical trade-offs and limitations that restrict visual complexity of a VE unless most of the potential interactivity is jettisoned. This is especially true of the less expensive systems. However, in education and training great visual detail is not always required and may even be a hindrance.