RUDN University in Virtual Reality: The impact of VR Technology on Student Performance

The Peoples' Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University) is one of the largest international universities in Russia. In 2025, it ranked 3rd among Russian universities in the QS World University Rankings. More than 44,000 students from Russia and other countries are currently enrolled at RUDN University.

Languages play an important role in RUDN University's educational programmes, serving as both an academic subject and a tool for professional communication. Many of the university's institutions and faculties have their own Foreign Languages departments. Educational programmes are tailored to each field of study. Students study languages in the context of their future professions, such as law, ecology, economics, and engineering.

Although the system is practice-orientated, it has its challenges.

First, over recent years the number of hours allocated to foreign language learning has been reduced while the academic requirements have remained unchanged. As a result, the university must ensure a high level of language proficiency within a limited timeframe.

Second, the situation is influenced by varying levels of students’ foreign language proficiency within the same course. This requires a more flexible approach from faculty members.

RUDN University needed a solution to address variations in students’ language proficiency, standardise part of the educational process, and enhance opportunities for language practice. VR Supersonic became that solution.

First, our team and the university defined the goals of implementing VR and the tasks intended to be solved. Then, control groups were selected for the project.

The project was launched in November 2023. At the same time, together with the university, we developed a teacher training programme on designing VR-based language courses.

We provided full training in the technical aspects of the platform and the structure of learning materials. The programme included webinars on how to design VR scenarios, as well as practical and homework assignments to reinforce learning. Faculty members learned how to work with VR and developed their own scenarios. Our team reviewed each scenario and provided feedback for further improvement.

The completed scenarios were piloted with a focus group. Based on initial input from RUDN University students and teaching staff, the scenarios were refined and the project was scaled to other groups.

A VR scenario is a communicative situation in which students reinforce their language skills. The immersive environment recreates a realistic setting for conversations with a virtual native speaker. This level of immersion is challenging to achieve in a traditional classroom or with language lab equipment.

Since RUDN University’s Foreign Languages Departments work with specific fields of study, the scenarios are based on situations drawn from students’ future professional activities. For example, chemistry students discuss experiment results with a laboratory assistant, while law students defend a client in court.

In addition to immersion, the platform provides an environment where it is safe to make mistakes, as they are seen as part of the learning process. If a student selects an incorrect answer, the virtual mentor points it out. Furthermore, teachers design the feedback so it doesn’t provide a ready-made answer. Instead, the virtual mentor helps students reconsider their answers and formulate their responses more accurately.

After VR sessions, the teacher can review both group performance and individual student progress. The VR Supersonic platform shows how each student performed in the scenario, where they made mistakes, and which skills require further practice. Based on these reports, teachers can adjust the learning process in real time and assign additional scenarios to students who need more practice.

Today, 7 academic units of RUDN University participate in the project:
— Academy of Engineering,
— Agrarian and Technological Institute,
— Faculty of Economics,
— Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences,
— Faculty of Science,
— Institute of Environmental Engineering,
— Law Institute.

19 VR foreign language courses have been developed on the platform. Each course includes scenarios adapted to students’ fields of study and languages they study (e.g., English for IT specialists, Arabic for lawyers, and French for engineering students).

From March to May 2024, an analysis of student performance was conducted, comparing results between VR-based groups and non-VR groups. The analysis showed that students in VR-based groups demonstrated higher academic performance than those in control groups. There were fewer “satisfactory” grades, and the number of students with “good” and “excellent” grades increased.

Additionally, student performance data were analysed at the Foreign Languages Department of the Faculty of Science. The results of 23 students (9 second-year and 14 third-year students) were compared with those of the control groups.

The analysis showed higher performance in the VR group:
— 13% higher in vocabulary,
— 12% higher in grammar,
— 14% higher in listening,
— 11% higher in speaking.

Moreover, average attendance across 16 classes using VR in one semester was 82%. This is supported by positive feedback from participants in the experimental group, indicating a high level of student motivation.

In 2025:
— RUDN University students completed 8,027 VR training sessions,
— faculty members developed 183 scenarios on the platform in total.

Virtual reality helped RUDN University students expand opportunities for language practice. Learners with different language proficiency levels complete VR scenarios and receive instant feedback on their performance.

The platform has also helped redistribute teaching workload and make learning more personalised. While one group of students uses VR headsets, the teacher works with another group, focusing on complex topics and providing one-to-one attention. Students remain engaged in practical activities for longer, both in VR sessions and in small groups with the teacher or each other.

RUDN University’s experience shows that virtual reality technologies are an effective tool for developing communicative skills, as well as professional language acquisition.