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Southern University’s labs · 06

Computational thinking research

An NSF-supported study at Southern University asks whether learning in VR helps students build computational thinking, a step-by-step way of solving problems, in cybersecurity and manufacturing.

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At a glance

Break it down. Find the pattern. Solve it step by step.

Behind this page: an AI-generated film of a learner training in VR.

More information

What it studies

Can VR make students better problem solvers?

Computational thinking means breaking a big problem into small parts and solving them in order. In this study, students use those skills on cybersecurity and manufacturing problems.

01

Break it down

Split a big problem into smaller pieces.

02

Spot patterns

Notice what repeats or looks alike.

03

Keep what matters

Set aside details that don’t change the answer.

04

Step by step

Write the steps that solve it every time.

Not the wellness study. This project is about problem-solving and grades. The VR wellness research is a separate project about stress and coping.

How it works

Two groups, one comparison.

Group A

Learns with VR

20 students learned the lessons with VR modules in the CAVE.

Group B

Learns without VR

17 students learned the same lessons through regular teaching.

Both groups took the same computational thinking test before and after the lessons. The study compared how much each group’s score changed on five skills.

01

Problem solving

The VR group gained more. Small-to-medium effect.

02

Algorithmic thinking

The VR group gained more. Small-to-medium effect.

03

Creativity

Small gain for the VR group.

04

Working together

Small gain for the VR group.

05

Critical thinking

Little change.

Read with care. None of these differences was big enough to be statistically significant, and the groups were small. The researchers call for a larger study to confirm them. Source: the team’s 2025 ASEE poster.
Group A learns with VR (AI-generated animation).
AI-generated animation of a VR lesson. Scroll to play it.

Lab 06 · Research

Learning inside VR.

AI-generated animation of a VR lesson. Scroll to play it.

Research questions

Five questions the study asks.

01

Measure it

Can computational thinking be measured well in this setting?

02

Does VR help

Does learning in VR improve these skills?

03

Compared to what

Are the gains different from learning without VR?

04

Grades

How do the gains relate to final grades?

05

What’s next

What can it teach future cybersecurity and manufacturing courses?

Students looking at a model together in the CAVE
Students work through a model together in the CAVE.

Five phases

  1. Phase 1

    Create a way to measure computational thinking in a VR setting.

  2. Phase 2

    Run the VR and non-VR groups side by side.

  3. Phase 3

    See how much each group improved.

  4. Phase 4

    Compare gains with final course grades.

  5. Phase 5

    Write up the methods, results and lessons for teaching.

How the study runs.

Where it stands

Heading into the final report.

The project is in its final reporting phase. The team has shown its research on posters at ASEE, the American Society for Engineering Education.

See the XR studioSee the wellness research

Deep dive

Go deeper.

The full story of this lab: what it is, why it matters, why Southern University is pursuing it and why it deserves funding.

Read the deep diveDownload the PDF

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