In computer science, teaching complex networking concepts such as virtualisation, multi-tenancy and network slicing can be difficult when students can’t see the systems they are being asked to understand. Slides and diagrams can help but they often leave learners trying to build mental models of processes that remain abstract and invisible.
We tested whether extended reality (XR) could make these concepts easier to teach and easier for students to grasp. As part of the Classroom of the Future initiative within the EU Horizon-funded 6G-PATH project, in collaboration with Aston University and the University of Leicester, we used augmented reality to help students interact with large-scale visualisations of 5G and 6G infrastructure that would otherwise remain hidden behind layers of software and distributed systems.
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Our aim wasn’t to replace lectures or labs but to explore where XR could add value: improving understanding of difficult concepts, increasing engagement and offering a more inclusive and interactive way to teach technical material.
Teaching systems that students cannot see
Networking education presents a pedagogical challenge. The processes involved, such as traffic routing, virtual machine deployment or resource allocation, occur in software environments that mostly remain invisible to learners. Students are therefore expected to imagine complex infrastructure based only on diagrams or text explanations, which can increase cognitive load and lead to fragmented understanding. XR offers a way to externalise these hidden processes by visualising networks as interactive three-dimensional systems.
The Classroom of the Future trials
The first teaching trial was conducted at our university as part of the broader 6G-PATH programme. Twenty-six participants – primarily undergraduate students studying networking modules – took part in the trial alongside teaching staff. Students used Microsoft HoloLens 2 headsets to interact with visualisations of concepts such as virtual machines, containers, virtual switches and multi-tenant architectures. We ran 60- to 90-minute sessions, supported by a live networking testbed and remote computing infrastructure.
Each session followed a structured learning sequence: students were first introduced to the networking concepts and the XR interface, then completed guided interaction tasks before participating in questionnaires and focus groups. The same teaching materials and evaluation protocol were later implemented at Aston University with a further 30 participants, and at the University of Leicester with 44.
What students experienced
For students, the biggest benefit was the ability to interact with systems that would normally remain abstract. Instead of imagining how virtualised infrastructure behaves, learners could walk around network topologies, observe how components connect and see how distributed systems interact across layers.
During focus groups, students frequently described the experience as more intuitive and engaging than traditional lectures. Many reported that visualising systems spatially helped them understand relationships between components more clearly.
For educators, the XR environment provided new opportunities for demonstration-based teaching. Rather than explaining network behaviour through extended verbal descriptions, instructors could guide students through visual representations of how systems operate.
Evidence of improved engagement and understanding
The evaluation combined quantitative surveys with qualitative feedback from interviews, focus groups and classroom observations across all three institutions: 26 participants at UWS, 30 at Aston and 44 at Leicester; 100 in total. Across all three cohorts, participants rated perceived learning efficiency and conceptual clarity as consistently high, with strong agreement that the XR environment helped them understand how virtual systems interconnect.
Students described being able to navigate around a live network topology as a qualitative shift from working with static diagrams. Several of them noted that seeing virtual machines interact spatially made concepts such as multi-tenancy and network slicing “click” in a way that lectures and labs alone had not achieved. Educators reported that the AR environment also changed how they teach – allowing them to guide students through live visual representations in real time.
Participants also generally reported that the structured pre-training, which introduced key concepts before headset use, helped level the playing field for learners with varying levels of prior knowledge.
But they were more cautious when it came to cost. Although participants recognised potential efficiencies such as reusable digital resources and reduced dependence on physical laboratory infrastructure, they were less certain about immediate cost savings, because of the expense of hardware and set-up requirements. Even so, for topics where a physical lab equivalent is prohibitively expensive or technically impossible, immersive visualisation offers a credible alternative.
Lessons for educators experimenting with XR
Although immersive technologies offer clear pedagogical potential, the trial also highlighted important considerations for academics interested in adopting XR in teaching. The initial preparation burden was heavier than anticipated: configuring headsets, aligning content with course materials and designing interaction workflows required significant time investment before the first session.
Some students also needed more scaffolding than expected before they could engage productively with the environment. Without structured guidance, the complexity of the XR visualisations increased their cognitive load rather than reducing it.
Start small and design with purpose
XR works best when it’s matched to a specific pedagogical problem, not deployed as a general enhancement. Begin by identifying one concept where students consistently struggle to build a mental model, then run a short XR pilot on that topic before committing to broader integration.
Avoid introducing headsets without a structured pre-training phase. Students who entered the XR environment without conceptual grounding reported confusion rather than clarity.
Integrate XR into existing teaching workflows
Rather than replacing lectures entirely, XR works best alongside traditional teaching. In this trial, augmented reality sessions complemented lectures and practical labs by helping students visualise concepts introduced earlier in the course.
Prepare for initial workload
Introducing XR into teaching can initially increase preparation time for instructors. Developing learning materials, configuring hardware and designing interaction workflows requires investment during early stages of adoption. However, once developed, digital modules can be reused and adapted for future cohorts.
Focus on conceptual visualisation
XR appears particularly valuable for topics that involve invisible systems, distributed architectures or spatial relationships between components. Networking, cloud infrastructure and cybersecurity education are examples where immersive visualisation can provide clear benefits.
Looking ahead
With teaching trials now completed across all three partner institutions – our university, Aston and Leicester, the 6G-PATH Classroom of the Future initiative has established a cross-institutional evidence base for XR-enabled networking education. The next phase of work will examine objective learning outcomes, long-term knowledge retention and scalability across larger student cohorts.
For educators wondering where to start, the lesson from this three-institution trial is simple: identify the concept your students find hardest to visualise and ask whether XR can make it concrete. That is where the investment is most likely to pay off.
Pablo Salva-Garcia is lecturer in computing and research leader of the Beyond 5G Hub at the School of Computing, Engineering and Physical Sciences, and Ahren Hart is associate lecturer and postdoctoral research assistant for the 6GPATH Project, both at the University of the West of Scotland.
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