From Digital Reconstruction to Immersive Education: Virtual Reality Cultural Heritage Experience

Abstract. The digital transformation of Cultural Heritage is increasingly shifting from documentation-oriented practices toward immersive, learner-centered educational experiences. In this context, Virtual Reality (VR) represents a powerful medium for enhancing accessibility, engagement, and knowledge acquisition. This paper presents the development of an immersive VR educational experience focused on Roman architecture, using the old theatre of Palmyra (Syria) as a case study. The project aims to transform high-quality digital reconstructions of endangered and partially destroyed heritage into an interactive learning environment, preserving collective memory while fostering cultural awareness. The methodological framework builds upon existing photogrammetric reconstructions of Palmyra, generated through spherical photogrammetry, which are optimized for real-time visualization and integrated into a VR ecosystem developed in Unity. A five-level architecture, based on comprising infrastructure, platform, content, interaction, and application, guides the design process, ensuring both technical performance and pedagogical effectiveness. The virtual environment incorporates semantic enrichment, interactive navigation, contextual information panels, and guided thematic paths to promote experiential and active learning. The study highlights how immersive VR applications can bridge digital reconstruction and education, shifting users from passive observers to active participants. The proposed approach demonstrates the potential of VR-based cultural experiences as inclusive and sustainable tools for heritage education, as an added value that complements traditional, non-immersive teaching methods. Future work will focus on evaluating learning outcomes and user experience through an experimental framework involving students, comparing virtual and real-world educational activities.