Beyond the Hype: Faculty Practices and Challenges in Adopting XR in Higher Education

Background: The growing presence of digital natives in higher education has intensified the demand for immersive and technology-enhanced pedagogies. Extended Reality (XR), encompassing Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed Reality, offers opportunities for experiential learning, yet empirical evidence on how faculty adopt these technologies remains limited. Purpose: This study examines professors’ perceptions of XR adoption, focusing on feedback strategies, pedagogical redesign through the SAMR model, and institutional conditions that support sustainable use. Methods: A survey was conducted with 40 professors from diverse disciplines at a Brazilian university equipped with a dedicated XR center. Data were collected through 24 items combining closed and open questions, and analyzed using descriptive statistics and qualitative content analysis. Results: Faculty reported benefits including increased student engagement (67.5%), conceptual understanding (60%), and collaboration (55%). Most activities were classified at the Modification or Redefinition levels of the SAMR model, indicating pedagogical transformation. Feedback strategies were mainly taught by the professor (72.5% immediate verbal feedback), while student-centered approaches such as peer feedback (25%) and guided self-assessment (20%) were less common. Despite infrastructure and training challenges, 75% of respondents intend to continue using XR. Conclusion: The study highlights XR’s potential to promote active and experiential learning when supported by institutional infrastructure, faculty training, and intentional pedagogical design. By extending previous work, it contributes a deeper understanding of how XR practices evolve from experimentation to sustainable integration in higher education.