The digital transformation of education is no longer a future promise but a present necessity. In this context, ATECA Classrooms (Applied Technology Classrooms) represent a strategic initiative by the Ministry of Education to modernize Vocational Training and prepare it for the challenges of Education 4.0. Equipped with emerging technologies, these classrooms offer more immersive, practical learning environments that are connected to the labor market.
In this article, we explore how virtual reality in ATECA Classrooms can mark a before and after in the way students learn, train, and prepare for their professional future.
What is an ATECA Classroom?
An ATECA Classroom is a specialized and integrated space within Vocational Training centers, designed to bring the technological reality of the labor market into educational environments. These classrooms are not only equipped with the most relevant emerging technologies, but they are also designed to completely transform teaching methodology, shifting from traditional models to more active, collaborative, and experiential approaches. ATECA Classrooms are part of the Vocational Training Modernization Plan promoted by the Government of Spain and co-financed by the Next Generation EU funds.
Objectives of ATECA Classrooms
The primary purpose of ATECA Classrooms is to transform the way learning and teaching are approached in Vocational Training, providing an environment that promotes practical, technological, and industry-adapted learning tailored to current industrial needs.
Among their key objectives are:
- Driving the digitalization of Vocational Training by equipping centers with advanced resources and methodologies aligned with the challenges of today’s labor market.
- Improving student employability by facilitating the acquisition of highly demanded technical and digital skills in sectors such as industry, healthcare, design, energy, and information technologies.
- Promoting active methodologies, such as project-based learning, collaborative work, and experiential learning.
- Developing transversal and soft skills like creativity, problem-solving, critical thinking, and teamwork.
- Establishing a real bridge between the classroom and the company by recreating professional environments through technological simulations and applied projects.
All of this contributes to creating a much more dynamic, inclusive, and adapted learning environment for today’s times.
What technologies does an ATECA classroom incorporate?
The strength of an ATECA Classroom lies in the coherent and pedagogically intentional integration of emerging technologies that enable the simulation of industrial processes, the practice of technical skills, or the innovative development of digital products.
Here are some of the key technologies integrated into an ATECA Classroom:
- Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) for simulations and immersive experiences.
- 3D Printing and rapid prototyping for product or model development.
- Collaborative and industrial robotics for advanced technical training.
- Internet of Things (IoT) and connected systems.
- Interactive audiovisual systems, touch screens, and digital whiteboards.
- Simulation software and CAD/CAM design tools.
- Collaboration platforms and online learning management systems (LMS).
Virtual Reality as a key tool in ATECA classrooms
One of the most transformative elements within an ATECA Classroom is undoubtedly virtual reality (VR). This technology not only revolutionizes how content is presented but also profoundly changes how learning is internalized. VR allows students to experience situations they previously could only imagine or watch in videos, achieving an unprecedented level of educational immersion.
What is virtual reality?
Virtual reality is a technology that enables users to immerse themselves in computer-generated digital environments, where they can interact with objects, spaces, and three-dimensional situations in real time. Through devices such as goggles, haptic controllers, or motion sensors, the user does not just observe an environment but experiences it from within, as if they were actually there.
In the educational field, this immersion capacity translates into greater student engagement, a significant improvement in understanding complex concepts, and an increase in knowledge retention. VR enables learning by doing, practicing without consequences, and exploring scenarios that would be inaccessible in real life due to cost, danger, or distance.
How is Virtual Reality used in education?
The application of virtual reality in the classroom opens up a wide range of possibilities that benefit both students and teachers. Here are some of the ways VR is currently used in educational settings:
- Practical Simulations: students can perform technical operations or complex procedures in simulated environments, such as handling industrial machinery, healthcare interventions, or electrical assemblies.
- Educational Virtual Tours: VR allows visits to museums, production plants, natural spaces, or historic sites without leaving the classroom, enriching subjects with cultural and professional experiences.
- Gamification of Learning: through game dynamics and interactive challenges in virtual worlds, motivation, engagement, and active learning are enhanced.
- Immersive Virtual Campuses: students can attend classes, work in groups, or practice soft skills in 3D collaborative environments, replicating real social interaction.
- Accessibility and Personalization: VR allows content and experiences to be adapted to different levels, needs, and learning styles, providing a more inclusive and tailored environment for each student.
These experiences, besides being innovative, align with the principles of Education 4.0, which aims to train autonomous, creative, critical individuals capable of adapting to changing digital environments.
Augmented Reality vs. Virtual Reality: What does each bring to the ATECA classroom?
Although often mentioned together, augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are different technologies with complementary applications in the classroom, so we have summarized them in the following table:
| Aspect | Augmented Reality (AR) | Virtual Reality (VR) |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Overlays digital elements (text, images, animations) onto the real world. | Completely replaces the real environment with a computer-generated virtual one. |
| Required devices | Mobile, tablet, or AR glasses. | VR headset, haptic controllers, motion sensors. |
| Degree of immersion | Low to medium. The user still sees their physical surroundings. | High. The user is fully immersed in a virtual environment. |
| Interaction with real environment | Yes, combined with real physical objects. | No, everything happens in the digital world. |
| Applications in the ATECA Classroom | Visualization of technical processes, annotations on real objects, guided practices. | Complex simulations, virtual tours, gamification, practical training. |
| Main advantages | Accessibility, contextual learning, low implementation cost. | High learning retention, safe practice, immersive experiences. |
| Limitations | Lower simulation capacity; requires physical objects for context. | May require higher initial investment and adequate space for safe use. |
| Ideal use in ATECA | Complement theory with interactive visual information. | Practice technical procedures or skills in realistic and safe environments. |
Advantages of using Virtual Reality in classrooms
Virtual reality has become a high-impact educational resource because it combines the power of hands-on experience with the flexibility of digital content. Among the benefits most frequently cited by academic literature and the centers already using it are:
- Higher learning retention: Full immersion captures attention and promotes encoding information into long-term memory; several recent studies estimate retention improvements between 25% and 40% compared to conventional lecture methods.
- Motivation and engagement through gamification: Challenges, rewards, and immediate feedback turn the class into a playful experience that increases students’ intrinsic motivation.
- Safe, risk-free learning: Potentially hazardous operations (industrial maintenance, healthcare, technical maneuvers) are practiced in a virtual environment before moving to the real workshop, reducing incidents and material costs.
- Unlimited, on-demand practice: Students can repeat tasks as many times as needed, with instant reset and no wear on physical equipment.
- Inclusion and accessibility: Educational VR allows adaptation of pace, level, and access features (audio description, subtitles, visual guides) to very diverse profiles, promoting accessible VR and equity in the classroom.
- Real-time assessment and data analytics: Educational VR platforms record usage metrics, execution times, and errors, enabling continuous and personalized evaluation.
- Alignment with Education 4.0: It introduces students to digital environments typical of Industry 4.0 and develops critical competencies such as autonomy, critical thinking, and problem-solving. Learn more about the importance of Industry 4.0 here.
Examples of VR applications in Vocational Training
Below are three projects developed by Innoarea Projects that illustrate how educational VR is already transforming vocational training across various sectors:
VRProjectX: Vocational Training at Xabec (automotive and industrial maintenance)
The challenge: The FP Xabec school needed to increase practical hours without expanding the machinery inventory or raising risks for students.
The solution: Virtual reality environments that replicate the real automotive and maintenance workshop.
Integration with Moodle: each practice session is automatically recorded, and instructors monitor progress and errors through a web dashboard.
Key results: +35% effective practice time and zero incidents.
The project was awarded by the Directorate General of Vocational Training as an innovative educational initiative.
Read more about the project here.
CONSTRUMADERA VR: Simulator for carpentry and wood construction
The challenge: The National Reference Center for Wood Transformation sought a simulator that would allow practicing structure assembly without relying on large workshops or expensive materials.
The solution: Virtual reality scenarios covering four construction types (light framing, heavy framing, log and wood block walls, large-format structures).
Key results: Pilot validation with Carpentry and Furniture students: 92% satisfaction and improved manual skills reported by instructors.
Read more about the project here.
AUTOPSIES VR Training: Virtual laboratory for anatomopathology
The challenge: Health institutes needed to train autopsy and molecular biology procedures without risking biological material or delicate instruments.
The solution: VR application for Meta Quest with hand tracking, eight progressive modules, and automatic error detection.
Detailed recreation of the laboratory, instruments, and organs to practice everything from sample collection to result interpretation.
Key results: 30% reduction in practical learning time and decreased use of real consumables.
Read more about the project here.
Each of these cases demonstrates that virtual reality in education is not a passing trend, but a strategic tool to create immersive classrooms, increase learning retention, strengthen educational VR, and prepare students for 21st-century professional environments.
Why Innoarea Projects is the ideal partner for your ATECA project
In an educational landscape evolving towards digitalization and hands-on methodologies, having a specialized technology partner makes all the difference between a basic implementation and a true educational transformation. Innoarea Projects is that strategic ally your institution needs to take Aulas ATECA to the next level.
With over 10 years of experience developing immersive solutions, our team has proven its ability to create innovative, functional learning environments aligned with the goals of Education 4.0. We don’t just design virtual reality experiences — we tailor them to the resources and needs of each center, integrating them with platforms like Moodle, optimizing student monitoring, and facilitating teaching.
If you are planning to develop or improve your Aula ATECA and want virtual reality in the classroom to become an effective, engaging, and sustainable tool, let’s talk. At Innoarea, we know how to turn an idea into a real, proven, and award-winning educational solution.
Contact us today and discover how to transform your educational center with cutting-edge immersive technology.