From Grozny to Jordan: Chechen University Opens VR Lab to Teach Russian
The lab addresses a pressing challenge: Arab students have limited opportunities to practice Russian in an immersive, Russian-speaking environment. Virtual scenarios, in turn, give them a chance to start speaking the language.
In September, Chechen State Pedagogical University (CSPU) tested its new laboratory during an autumn language school for instructors and an internship program for students from the University of Jordan and the University of Baghdad.
The lab has five components: a virtual language environment, a lesson analysis module, a repository of teaching methods, a research module, and a mentoring program. The project is built around VR scenarios and collaborative work among instructors.
Everyday Situations, Recreated in VR
The virtual environment recreates familiar situations, such as living in a dorm, going shopping, or visiting a university dean's office. It also features virtual walks through Grozny and Moscow, as well as a digital replica of a classroom where instructors can practice their teaching skills.
Each scenario comes with an instructional guide, and every lesson follows three stages: preparation, immersion, and review. Students and instructors can access the materials in three ways: through VR headsets, on mobile devices using 360-degree video, or in a web browser. This flexibility makes the program suitable for universities with different levels of technology infrastructure.
The Start of a New Journey
In 2023, researchers at RUDN University proposed using VR to teach Russian as a foreign language. They also developed a model with several levels of immersion. Virtual scenarios are well suited to practicing communication, but the RUDN researchers say the long-term effects of VR still need to be studied separately.
In 2024, a Center for Open Education in Russian opened in Dubai. It was not a VR project, but it marked an important step in developing the broader system. The opening also helped set its direction for years to come. Speaking at the ceremony, Russian Education Minister Sergey Kravtsov said: “Russia's presence in the UAE is helping increase interest in the Russian language and Russian culture, making it important to establish centers where people can study Russian as a foreign language.”
In August 2026, CSPU developed a model for Russian-Arab cooperation. The following month, students from the University of Baghdad and the University of Jordan took part in an internship titled “Russian in Action: Classroom Learning, VR, and Live Communication.” “The end of the internship is not the finish line. It is the beginning of a new journey. Our students will continue to communicate, learn, and build friendships,” said Raisa Buralova, head of CSPU's Department of Russian Language and Language Teaching Methods, summing up the program.
A Library of Teaching Methods
CSPU's lab is being developed under a government assignment from Russia's Ministry of Education and is intended for use in Iraq and Jordan. For other countries, Russia's edtech sector is proposing ways to expand libraries of VR scenarios at institutions that already have VR classrooms, enrich digital learning materials, and provide additional teaching methods and analytics tools. Exporting educational services is another important opportunity. This could include professional development programs, access to digital platforms, and jointly developed courses.
Open Access and Proven Demand
One of CSPU's project's main strengths is the way it combines language-learning scenarios, teaching resources, collaborative lesson analysis, and mentoring. Offering content in three formats makes it more accessible, but wider adoption will still require technical support and instructor training. It is too early to assess the Chechen university's project's commercial potential. Still, it could become a notable example for Russia's IT sector in the educational technology market, particularly if the lab has a reliable technology infrastructure, a clear access policy, and demonstrable demand.
Ultimately, the key measure of success will be the results: how often students speak Russian, how much their language skills improve, and whether instructors can use the platform on an ongoing basis. If these practical, communication-based outcomes can be measured, the model could be adapted for other language pairs and educational programs.
