Immersive technologies in higher education: faculty profiles and barriers to integration

This study analyzes the barriers perceived by university faculty in integrating immersive technologies (AR, VR, and MR) into higher education. 

Despite their pedagogical potential, these technologies face technical, pedagogical, economic, institutional, and ethical/social obstacles. 

A quantitative, non-experimental approach was used, based on an online survey of 775 faculty members from Spanish and Ibero-American universities with experience in XR technologies. The instrument included sociodemographic variables and 23 items on perceived difficulties, analyzed through Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA). 

The MCA identified four faculty profiles: 

1. critical and experienced, 
2. average or transitional, 
3. technopositive or innovative, and 
4. selectively critical. 

Economic difficulties were the most prominent, followed by pedagogical and technical ones. Perceptions varied according to age, gender, disciplinary area, and institutional context. Discussion: Barriers are not homogeneous and are shaped by structural and cultural factors. Technical and economic challenges are more prevalent among older faculty or those in under-resourced institutions. Pedagogical and ethical concerns are especially relevant among faculty in the humanities and social sciences. Institutional resistance to change also emerges as a key obstacle. 

The study highlights the need for differentiated training and institutional support strategies. It recommends advancing toward longitudinal and qualitative research to deepen the understanding of these perceptions and the impact of educational innovation policies.

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How to Cite: Cabero-Almenara, J., Palacios-Rodríguez, A., Barroso-Osuna, J., & Siles-Rojas, C. (2026). Immersive technologies in higher education: faculty profiles and barriers to integration. RIED-Revista Iberoamericana de Educación a Distancia, 29(1), 161–184. https://doi.org/10.5944/ried.45535