  As virtual reality (VR) is emerging in the tech sector, developers and
designers are under pressure to create immersive experiences for their
products. However, the current curricula from top institutions focus primarily
on technical considerations for building VR applications, missing out on
concerns and usability problems specific to VR interaction design. To better
understand current needs, we examined the status quo of existing university
pedagogies by carrying out a content analysis of undergraduate and graduate
courses about VR and related areas offered in the major citadels of learning
and conducting interviews with 7 industry experts. Our analysis reveals that
the current teaching practices underemphasize design thinking, prototyping, and
evaluation skills, while focusing on technical implementation. We recommend VR
curricula should emphasize design principles and guidelines, offer training in
prototyping and ideation, prioritize practical design exercises while providing
industry insights, and encourage students to solve VR design problems beyond
the classroom.
