Innovative Exploration of Virtual Simulation Experiments Empowering Ideological and Political Education Teaching

General Secretary Xi Jinping attaches great importance to the reform and innovation of ideological and political education courses, pointing out: “Upholding fundamental principles and breaking new ground to promote the connotative development of ideological and political education course construction, continuously improving the pertinence and appeal of ideological and political education courses.” [1]1 Xi Jinping, “Speech at the Symposium for Teachers of Ideological and Political Theory Courses in Schools,” March 18, 2019. As the most active group in society, college students are at the forefront of using new generations of information technology such as artificial intelligence. For ideological and political education courses to gain vitality from reform and innovation, it is necessary to promptly integrate various new types of information technology into the teaching of ideological and political education courses, enabling them to empower the connotative development of ideological and political education course construction. In recent years, in promoting the innovative development of ideological and political education courses, empowering ideological and political education teaching with virtual simulation experiments has been an important development direction, achieving positive results. At the same time, it is necessary to recognize that in current teaching practice, there are some problems urgently needing breakthroughs, such as more applications for display and fewer for daily teaching, more use in extracurricular activities and less in the main channel of the classroom, use by a small number of teachers while the majority cannot use it, etc., causing virtual simulation experiment teaching in ideological and political education courses to easily become superficial and formalistic. This article, targeting the current actual situation and prominent issues, based on the teaching practice of virtual simulation experiments in the “Ideological Morality and Rule of Law” course at Tsinghua University, deeply analyzes and discusses the development needs, internal mechanisms, and model methods of virtual simulation experiments empowering ideological and political education teaching, in order to promote the deep integration of virtual simulation experiments and ideological and political education teaching, and enhance the pertinence and appeal of ideological and political education courses in the New Era.

习近平总书记高度重视思政课改革创新，指出：“守正创新推动思政课建设内涵式发展，不断提高思政课的针对性和吸引力。”大学生作为社会最活跃的群体，走在人工智能等新一代信息技术使用的前列。思政课向改革创新要活力，需要及时把各类新型信息技术融入思政课教学，使之赋能思政课建设内涵式发展。近年来，在推进思政课创新发展中，以虚拟仿真实验赋能思政课教学是一个重要的发展方向，取得了积极成效。同时，要看到在当前的教学实践中存在着一些亟待突破的问题，如展示性应用多而日常教学应用少、课外活动使用多而课堂主渠道应用少、少数教师使用而多数教师不会用等，使思政课虚拟仿真实验教学容易流于表面化和形式化。本文针对当前的实际状况和突出问题，立足清华大学“思想道德与法治”课虚拟仿真实验教学实践，深入分析和探讨虚拟仿真实验赋能思政课教学的发展需要、内在机制和模式方法，以推动虚拟仿真实验与思政课教学深度融合，提升新时代思政课的针对性和吸引力。

I. The Development Needs of Virtual Simulation Experiments Empowering Ideological and Political Education Teaching

一、虚拟仿真实验赋能思政课教学的发展需要

Virtual simulation experiments, as a comprehensive application product based on modern information technology clusters such as virtual reality, network communication, and artificial intelligence, have played an important role in promoting educational innovation and development. Empowering the reform of ideological and political education teaching with virtual simulation experiments is not only a development requirement for applying modern information technology to ideological and political education teaching but also reflects the era’s need for innovation in ideological and political education driven by the social environment changes in the digital age.

虚拟仿真实验作为以虚拟现实、网络通信、人工智能等现代信息技术群为基础的综合应用产物，对教育创新发展产生了重要的推动作用。以虚拟仿真实验赋能思政课教学改革，不仅是现代信息技术应用于思政课教学的发展要求，而且反映了数字时代社会环境变革对思想政治教育创新的时代需要。

1. Changing with the Times: The Digital Age Calls for Reform and Innovation in Ideological and Political Education Courses

1.因时而变，数字时代呼唤思政课改革创新

With the accelerated innovation of technologies such as big data, cloud computing, blockchain, the metaverse, and artificial intelligence, and their increasing integration into all fields and processes of economic and social development, human society is comprehensively entering the digital age. China has clearly proposed strategic goals of building a cyberpower, a digital China, and a smart society. In the field of education, the digital transformation of education is an important breakthrough for opening up new tracks for educational development and shaping new advantages for educational development. Conforming to the trend of the digital age and promoting educational reform and innovation are inevitable requirements for China’s education to achieve modernization. As a key course for implementing the fundamental task of fostering virtue through education, ideological and political education courses should be based on the era trend of digital development, adapt to the requirements of the digital transformation of the educational environment, actively use digital means to promote reform and innovation, and enhance the sense of the times and effectiveness of ideological and political education teaching. Currently, teachers of ideological and political education courses actively use new means and methods such as virtual simulation experiments to carry out teaching reforms. This is an inevitable requirement for actively standing at the forefront of the digital age and promoting the reform and development of ideological and theoretical education; it is also a practical need to consciously adapt to the profound changes in the educational environment and strive to enhance the pertinence and appeal of ideological and political education teaching.

随着大数据、云计算、区块链、元宇宙、人工智能等技术的加速创新，并日益融入经济社会发展各领域、全过程，人类社会正在全方位进入数字时代。我国明确提出了建设网络强国、数字中国、智慧社会的战略目标。在教育领域，教育数字化转型是开辟教育发展新赛道和塑造教育发展新优势的重要突破口。顺应数字时代潮流，推动教育改革创新，是我国教育实现现代化的必然要求。思政课作为落实立德树人根本任务的关键课程，应立足于数字化发展的时代趋势，适应育人环境的数字化变革要求，积极利用数字化手段推进改革创新，增强思政课教学的时代感和实效性。当前，思政课教师积极利用虚拟仿真实验等新手段、新方法开展教学改革。这是主动走在数字时代前列，推进思想理论教育改革发展的必然要求；也是自觉适应育人环境的深刻变化，努力提升思政课教学的针对性和吸引力的现实需要。

2. Meeting People’s Needs: Intergenerational Changes in College Students Require Innovative Development of Teaching Methods in Ideological and Political Education Courses

2.因人为需，大学生代际变化要求思政课教学方法创新发展

Contemporary adolescent students are called “digital natives” and “digital media aborigines,” deeply influenced by the internet, new media, artificial intelligence, etc., and their thoughts and behaviors exhibit new developmental characteristics under the digital environment. For example, in terms of cognitive characteristics, while accepting fragmented information, the trend of perceptual and visual cognitive development is increasingly significant; in terms of communication activities, along with a significant increase in communication autonomy, the demand for virtual communication and human-computer interaction has further strengthened; in terms of thinking patterns, with the digitalization, networking, and intelligent development of the social environment, interactive thinking, virtual thinking, and creative thinking have significantly improved. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “Ideological and political work is fundamentally about doing people’s work; it must revolve around students, care for students, and serve students.” [2]2 Xi Jinping, “Speech at the National Conference on Ideological and Political Work in Colleges and Universities,” December 7, 2016. Teachers of ideological and political education courses must implement a student-centered educational philosophy and carry out teaching reform and innovation targeting the new intergenerational characteristics of contemporary college students. In particular, it is necessary to study and grasp the new changes in college students’ cognitive laws and acceptance characteristics under the digital environment, actively use new technologies and new means to strengthen the innovation of teaching models and methods in ideological and political education courses, enhance students’ autonomy and participation in the course learning process, and improve the pertinence and appeal of ideological and political education courses. Integrating virtual simulation experiments into ideological and political education teaching can not only make the presentation and transmission of information content more vivid, specific, rich, and diverse, enhancing the infectiousness and sense of the times of ideological and political education courses; it can also fully exert students’ main role, promote students’ deep participation in the teaching process, thereby enhancing the affinity and effectiveness of ideological and political education courses.

当代青少年学生被称为“数字原住民”“数媒土著”，深受互联网、新媒体、人工智能等的影响，其思想和行为表现出数字环境下的新发展特征。比如，在认知特点上，在接受碎片化信息的同时，感性化、图像化的认知发展趋势日益显著；在交往活动上，伴随交往自主性的显著提升，对虚拟交往、人机互动的需求进一步增强；在思维方式上，随着社会环境的数字化、网络化、智能化发展，交互性思维、虚拟性思维、创造性思维等显著提升。习近平总书记指出：“思想政治工作从根本上说是做人的工作，必须围绕学生、关照学生、服务学生。”思政课教师要贯彻以学生为中心的教育理念，针对当代大学生的代际新特点进行教学改革创新。特别是要研究和把握大学生在数字环境下认知规律和接受特点的新变化，积极利用新技术、新手段加强思政课教学模式和方法的创新，增强大学生在课程学习过程中的自主性和参与度，提升思政课的针对性和吸引力。虚拟仿真实验融入思政课教学，既能让信息内容的呈现和传递方式更加生动具体和丰富多样，增强思政课的感染力和时代感；也能够充分发挥学生的主体作用，促进学生对教学过程的深度参与，从而增强思政课的亲和力和实效性。

3. Moving with the Situation: The Construction of “Grand Ideological and Political Education Courses” Promotes Reform and Innovation in Course Teaching Models

3.因势而动，“大思政课”建设推动课程教学模式改革创新

On the new journey of the New Era, the construction of ideological and political education courses faces new situations and new tasks, and must have new atmospheres and new achievements. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: “We must make good use of ‘grand ideological and political education courses,’ and they must be combined with reality.” “Ideological and political education courses should not only be taught in the classroom but also in social life.” [3]3 A reference to the sensory simulation capabilities of VR technology, commonly discussed in technical literature. The goals and tasks of constructing “grand ideological and political education courses” require reform and innovation in the teaching models of ideological and political education courses, drawing on “large social resources” to expand teaching content, and making good use of the “large social classroom” to strengthen social practice education. Virtual simulation experiments are an effective path for realizing the digital construction of social educational resources and integrating them into classroom teaching, conducive to transforming rich educational resources such as the content of fine traditional Chinese culture, revolutionary culture, and advanced socialist culture, the great achievements of reform and opening up and New Era construction, the struggle practice and bright development prospects of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, into vivid and lively teaching content, injecting new-type educational resources rich in theoretical persuasiveness, technological appeal, and era infectiousness into ideological and political education courses. At the same time, virtual simulation experiments are an important way to promote practical education in “grand ideological and political education courses” under the conditions of the information society. “Ideological and political education originates from the practical activity needs of social practice; social practice is the main source of ideological and political education occurrence,” [4]4 V. I. Lenin, “A Great Beginning,” 1919, on the role of emotion in the pursuit of truth. and practicality is one of the fundamental attributes of ideological and political education courses. Virtual simulation experiments in ideological and political education courses, with the new teaching form of “virtual practice,” assist in the construction of “grand ideological and political education courses,” enabling the digital connection between the “small classroom of ideological and political education” and the “large classroom of society,” making ideological and theoretical education concrete, three-dimensional, perceptible, touchable, and integrating emotion and reason, thereby promoting the connotative development of ideological and political education course construction through the digital expansion of the teaching field and the model innovation of practical education.

新时代新征程，思政课建设面临新形势新任务，必须有新气象新作为。习近平总书记强调：“‘大思政课’我们要善用之，一定要跟现实结合起来。”“思政课不仅应该在课堂上讲，也应该在社会生活中来讲。”“大思政课”建设的目标和任务要求思政课教学模式改革创新，汲取“社会大资源”拓展教学内容，善用“社会大课堂”加强社会实践教育。虚拟仿真实验是实现社会教育资源的数字化建构并融入课堂教学的有效路径，有利于把中华优秀传统文化、革命文化和社会主义先进文化的内容，改革开放和新时代建设的巨大成就，中华民族伟大复兴的奋斗实践和美好发展前景等丰厚的教育资源转化为生动鲜活的教学内容，为思政课注入富有理论说服力、科技吸引力和时代感染力的新型育人资源。与此同时，虚拟仿真实验是信息社会条件下推进“大思政课”实践育人的重要方式。“思想政治教育源于社会实践活动的客观需要，社会实践是思想政治教育发生的主要根源”，实践性是思政课的根本属性之一。思政课虚拟仿真实验以“虚拟实践”的新型教学形态助力“大思政课”建设，使“思政小课堂”和“社会大课堂”实现数字化连接，让思想理论教育变得具象立体、可感可触、情理融合，从而以教学场域的数字化拓展和实践育人的模式创新推动思政课建设内涵式发展。

II. Model Construction of Virtual Simulation Experiments Empowering Ideological and Political Education Teaching

二、虚拟仿真实验赋能思政课教学的模式建构

Virtual simulation experiment teaching places new demands on aspects such as content development and production, application of technical tools, and classroom teaching methods. How to better integrate virtual simulation experiments into ideological and political education teaching, making them an organic component of the teaching process, requires teachers to carry out overall design and systematic planning of course teaching links, constructing an effective teaching model. The teaching team of the “Ideological Morality and Rule of Law” course at Tsinghua University developed and produced virtual simulation experiment teaching projects based on the touching deeds of “father of the two bombs” Deng Jiaxian, “father of the Tianyan” Nan Rendong, and others, [5]5 A definition from Chinese scholarship on ideological and political education theory. [6]6 Deng Jiaxian (1924–1986) was a Chinese nuclear physicist, a key leader of China’s nuclear weapons program; Nan Rendong (1945–2017) was the chief scientist and engineer of China’s Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST). Their “spirits” refer to the patriotic dedication and scientific perseverance they are held to exemplify. which have been widely used in course practice in recent years, continuously exploring the laws and methods of virtual simulation experiments empowering ideological and political education teaching. The teaching team constructed a blended teaching model characterized by small-class teaching, connecting and bridging the main links such as teacher thematic explanations, student virtual experiences, group exchange and discussion, and classroom presentation and reporting, achieving the organic integration of virtual simulation experiments and classroom teaching of ideological and political education courses.

虚拟仿真实验教学对内容开发制作、技术工具应用、课堂教学方法等方面都提出了新的要求。如何将虚拟仿真实验更好地融入思政课教学，使之成为教学过程的有机组成部分，需要教师对课程教学环节进行整体设计和系统规划，建构起有效的教学模式。清华大学“思想道德与法治”课教学团队以“两弹元勋”邓稼先、“天眼之父”南仁东等人的感人事迹为基础开发制作虚拟仿真实验教学项目，在近年来的课程实践中进行了广泛的运用，持续探索虚拟仿真实验赋能思政课教学的规律和方法。教学团队构建了以小班教学为特色的混合式教学模式，将教师专题讲解、学生虚拟体验、小组交流研讨、课堂展示汇报等主要环节贯通衔接，实现虚拟仿真实验与思政课课堂教学的有机融合。

1. Adopting a Small-Class Teaching Model to Enhance the Pertinence of Virtual Simulation Experiment Teaching

1.采用小班教学模式，增强虚拟仿真实验教学的针对性

“Student-centered” is an important concept in educational and teaching reform, reflecting the objective requirement of unifying the laws of teaching and educating with the laws of student growth. Virtual simulation experiment teaching adopts a small-class seminar teaching model, emphasizing the close integration of the teacher’s leading role with the student’s subjective role. The implementation of small-class teaching includes multiple segments such as thematic content explanation, immersive VR experience, student group seminars, presentation and display, peer evaluation, and teacher summary. In the design of teaching content, centered on the main content of each chapter of the textbook “Ideological and Moral Cultivation and Legal Foundation,” the seminar themes are divided into six topics: life value, ideals and beliefs, Chinese spirit, core socialist values, moral power, and the spirit of scientists. Each student independently chooses one of these topics to participate in the small-class seminar of the virtual simulation experiment teaching. To enhance the effectiveness of interaction in small-class teaching, while also considering the number of VR all-in-one devices and teaching venue conditions, the number of students in the virtual simulation experiment small class is controlled at around 15, divided into 5 student groups for seminar activities. During the small-class teaching process, students have a relatively sufficient virtual simulation experience of the teaching content. Teachers can pay attention to each student’s issues and provide guidance and feedback, and the frequency and depth of student interaction and communication are also greatly increased, thereby achieving more targeted personalized teaching. In the course implementation process, the use of virtual simulation experiments places new demands on teachers for improving teaching capabilities. On one hand, teachers must learn and master the relevant knowledge and theories of virtual simulation experiments, understand the usage methods of information-based teaching tools such as VR equipment, and be able to effectively guide students to correctly use teaching equipment for learning experience activities; on the other hand, teachers must enhance their ability to organize teaching content and design teaching processes, skillfully “seamlessly” embedding virtual simulation experiments into the teaching process, invigorating course teaching vitality through model innovation, and enabling digital information technology to better play its empowering role in innovating teaching methods and enhancing teaching effectiveness.

“以学生为中心”是教育教学改革的重要理念，体现了教书育人规律和学生成长规律相统一的客观要求。虚拟仿真实验教学采取小班研讨课的教学模式，注重把教师的主导性和学生的主体性紧密结合起来。小班教学的实施包括专题内容讲解、沉浸式VR体验、学生小组研讨、汇报展示、学生互评、教师总结等多个环节。在教学内容设计上，围绕“思想道德与法治”课教材各章的主要内容，把研讨主题分为人生价值、理想信念、中国精神、社会主义核心价值观、道德力量、科学家精神等六个专题，每个学生自主选择其中一个专题参加虚拟仿真实验教学的小班研讨课。为增强小班教学互动的有效性，同时考虑VR眼镜一体机的设备数量以及教学场地条件等因素，将虚拟仿真实验小班教学的人数控制在15人左右，并分为5个学生小组开展研讨活动。在小班教学过程中，学生对教学内容的虚拟仿真体验较为充分，教师能够关注到每个学生的问题并给予指导和反馈，学生互动交流的频次和深度也大大增加，从而实现更有针对性的个性化教学。在课程实施过程中，虚拟仿真实验的运用对教师提出了教学能力提升的新要求。一方面，教师要学习和掌握虚拟仿真实验的相关知识和理论，了解VR设备等信息化教学工具的使用方法，能够有效指导学生正确使用教学设备开展学习体验活动；另一方面，教师要提升教学内容组织和教学过程设计的能力，善于把虚拟仿真实验“无缝”嵌入教学过程之中，通过模式创新提升课程教学活力，让数字信息技术更好地发挥创新教学方式、增强教学效果的赋能作用。

2. Exerting the Teacher’s Leading Role, Deepening the Content Understanding of Virtual Simulation Experiment Teaching

2.发挥教师主导作用，深化虚拟仿真实验教学的内容理解

The course design adheres to the “trinity” teaching concept of value shaping, ability cultivation, and knowledge transmission, organically integrating virtual simulation experiments into ideological and political course teaching. Through virtual scenario experiences, it guides students to immersively feel the spiritual power of exemplary figures such as Deng Jiaxian and Nan Rendong, stimulating emotional resonance and enhancing value identification. Classroom questionnaire surveys show that most students believe virtual simulation experiment teaching has good effects in enhancing content appeal, improving learning focus, and increasing the sense of learning gain. To prevent the problem of over-reliance on technical means weakening the teacher’s leading role, the virtual simulation experiment course adheres to the concept of unifying leadership and subjectivity in teaching design, emphasizing the exertion of the leading role of ideological and political course teachers in the teaching process. The small-class seminar specifically sets up a thematic lecture segment. Through the teacher’s thematic lecture, students’ cognition of the spiritual pedigree of Chinese Communists is deepened, with emphasis on promoting value identification through theoretical teaching. To this end, the teaching team meticulously develops and produces a series of teaching courseware centered on the themes of each chapter of the textbook. At the beginning of each small-class seminar, the teacher conducts theoretical lectures and case analyses around the corresponding course objectives and content, guiding students to conduct comprehensive understanding and in-depth thinking in conjunction with the course teaching theme. Taking the thematic teaching of Nan Rendong’s spirit as an example, the theme of the first virtual simulation experiment class is “Nan Rendong’s Life Value.” The teacher, centering on the teaching content of Chapter 1 of the textbook “Ideological and Moral Cultivation and Legal Foundation,” “Understanding the True Meaning of Life and Grasping the Direction of Life,” combines Nan Rendong’s struggle in building the “China Sky Eye” to guide students to comprehensively understand and deeply comprehend Nan Rendong’s life pursuit, life attitude, and life values, thereby achieving rational cognition of Nan Rendong’s spirit. This thematic lecture segment is the starting segment of the virtual simulation experiment course. Through the teacher’s easy-to-understand theoretical explanations and rich, specific case introductions, it deepens students’ understanding and comprehension of the virtual simulation experiment course content, laying a cognitive foundation for the in-depth development of subsequent teaching segments such as VR experience and group seminars.

课程设计坚持价值塑造、能力培养、知识传授“三位一体”的教学理念，把虚拟仿真实验有机融入思政课教学，通过虚拟场景体验引导学生沉浸式感受邓稼先、南仁东等楷模人物的精神力量，激发情感共鸣，增强价值认同。课堂问卷调查显示，多数学生认为虚拟仿真实验教学在提升内容感染力、提高学习专注度、增强学习获得感等方面效果较好。为了防止出现过度依赖技术手段而弱化教师主导作用的问题，虚拟仿真实验课程在教学设计上坚持主导性和主体性相统一的理念，注重发挥好思政课教师在教学过程中的主导作用。小班研讨课专门设置了专题讲授环节，通过教师的专题讲授深化学生对中国共产党人精神谱系的认知，注重以理论教学促进价值认同。为此，教学团队围绕教材各章节主题，精心开发制作系列教学课件。在每次小班研讨课开始环节，教师围绕相应的课程目标和内容开展理论讲授和案例分析，引导学生结合课程教学主题进行全面认识和深入思考。以南仁东精神的专题教学为例，第一次虚拟仿真实验课的主题是“南仁东的人生价值”，教师围绕“思想道德与法治”课教材第一章“领悟人生真谛把握人生方向”的教学内容，结合南仁东建设“中国天眼”的奋斗历程，引导学生全面认识和深入理解南仁东的人生追求、人生态度和人生价值观，从而实现对南仁东精神的理性认知。这一专题讲授环节是虚拟仿真实验课程的起始环节，通过教师深入浅出的理论讲解、具体丰富的案例导入，加深学生对虚拟仿真实验课程内容的认识和理解，为后续的VR体验、小组研讨等教学环节的深入展开奠定认识基础。

3. Implementing a Blended Teaching Segment Design, Enhancing the Effectiveness of Virtual Simulation Experiment Teaching

3.实施混合式教学环节设计，提升虚拟仿真实验教学的效益

Blended teaching is a new teaching model derived from the deep application of modern information technology in education and teaching. It is not only a combination of traditional face-to-face teaching and online teaching but also includes careful design and flexible planning of learning time, learning location, learning environment, and learning activities. In the blended teaching process, “it is necessary to both exert the teacher’s leading role in guiding, inspiring, and monitoring the teaching process, and fully reflect the student’s initiative, enthusiasm, and creativity as the main body of the learning process.” To fully integrate virtual simulation experiments with ideological and political course teaching and leverage the effectiveness of new media and new technologies, the teaching team emphasizes in teaching design the integration of classroom learning and online learning, the combination of traditional face-to-face environments and technology-supported environments, the integration of teacher lectures and student seminars, and the fusion of knowledge mastery and emotional experience, achieving a mixture of multiple teaching elements and exerting the teacher’s leading role and the student’s subjective role. VR experience content is the main feature of virtual simulation experiment teaching and also key material for teachers and students to conduct small-class seminars. Based on typical cases from the textbook “Ideological and Moral Cultivation and Legal Foundation,” the teaching team, together with the technical team, jointly developed and produced VR immersive experience videos of “Deng Jiaxian’s Spirit” and “Nan Rendong’s Spirit,” providing content support for the implementation of virtual simulation experiment teaching; they meticulously designed the teaching process, embedding virtual simulation content into the teaching process, achieving effective linkage between teaching segments such as theoretical lectures, VR experience, problem seminars, and interactive communication, forming an organic combination of various elements of classroom teaching. The teaching team particularly emphasizes closely combining students’ virtual experience with problem seminars, guiding students to shift from emotional experience in virtual scenarios to attention to and rational thinking about real-world issues, thereby achieving the goal of unifying the theoretical and practical nature of ideological and political course teaching. For example, in the seminar interaction segment of the “Deng Jiaxian’s Spirit” virtual simulation experiment teaching, the teaching team designed a series of discussion topics combining the thematic teaching content, students’ actual thoughts, and hot social issues, such as “Please combine Deng Jiaxian’s deeds to discuss the understanding of ‘Science has no borders, but scientists have a homeland,’” “China’s atomic bomb was independently developed by the Chinese, with no foreign participation throughout the process. Facts have proven that key core technologies cannot be learned, bought, or even begged for. Please share your understanding of this issue,” etc. Through the seminars on these topics, students are prompted to think about real-world issues, transforming the theoretical knowledge and emotional experience gained in teaching into in-depth thinking and conscious action, thereby effectively promoting ideological exchange between teachers and students and among students, and enhancing the actual effect of virtual simulation experiment teaching in ideological and political courses.

混合式教学是伴随着现代信息技术在教育教学中的深度应用而衍生的新型教学模式，它不仅是传统面授教学与在线教学的结合，还包含对学习时间、学习地点、学习环境、学习活动等进行精心设计、灵活规划。在混合式教学过程中，“既要发挥教师引导、启发、监控教学过程的主导作用，又要充分体现学生作为学习过程主体的主动性、积极性与创造性”。为了使虚拟仿真实验与思政课教学充分融合，发挥新媒体新技术的效能，教学团队在教学设计上注重课堂学习和在线学习的整合、传统面对面环境与技术支持环境的组合、教师讲授与学生研讨的结合以及知识掌握和情感体验的融合，实现多种教学要素相混合，发挥好教师的主导作用和学生的主体作用。VR体验内容是虚拟仿真实验教学的主要特色，也是师生开展小班研讨的关键素材。基于“思想道德与法治”课教材中的典型案例，教学团队与技术团队共同开发制作了“邓稼先精神”“南仁东精神”的VR沉浸式体验视频，为虚拟仿真实验教学的实施提供内容支撑；精心设计教学流程，把虚拟仿真内容嵌入教学过程，实现理论讲授、VR体验、问题研讨、交流互动等教学环节的有效衔接，形成课堂教学各要素之间的有机组合。教学团队特别注重把学生的虚拟体验与问题研讨紧密结合起来，引导学生由虚拟场景的情感体验转向对现实问题的关注和理性思考，从而实现思政课教学理论性与实践性相统一的目标。例如，在“邓稼先精神”虚拟仿真实验教学的研讨互动环节，教学团队结合教学主题内容、学生思想实际以及社会热点问题设计系列的讨论话题，如“请结合邓稼先的事迹，谈一谈对‘科学没有国界，但科学家有祖国’的理解”，“中国的原子弹是中国人自主研发的，整个过程中没有外国人参与。事实证明，关键核心技术是学不来、买不来更是讨不来的。请谈谈你对这个问题的认识”，等等。通过这些话题的研讨，引发学生对现实问题的思考，把他们在教学中获得的理论知识和情感体验转化为深入的思考和自觉的行动，从而有力地促进师生、生生之间的思想交流，增强思政课虚拟仿真实验教学的实际效果。

III. Exploring the Laws of Virtual Simulation Experiments Empowering Ideological and Political Course Teaching

三、虚拟仿真实验赋能思政课教学的规律探究

Ideological and political courses are key courses for implementing the fundamental task of fostering virtue through education [7]7 Xi Jinping, “Speech at the Symposium for Teachers of Ideological and Political Theory Courses in Schools,” March 18, 2019., undertaking the important tasks of disseminating knowledge, disseminating ideas, disseminating truth, shaping souls, shaping life, and shaping new people. The integration of virtual simulation experiments into ideological and political course teaching can truly play its due role only by closely centering on the goals and tasks of ideological and political courses and practically following the educational laws of ideological and political courses. In the implementation process of virtual simulation experiment teaching in ideological and political courses, the teaching team focuses on exploring and researching the laws of virtual simulation experiments empowering ideological and political course teaching, taking knowledge transmission, emotional cultivation, and value guidance as the focal points, continuously enhancing the effectiveness of education.

思政课是落实立德树人根本任务的关键课程，承担着传播知识、传播思想、传播真理，塑造灵魂、塑造生命、塑造新人的重要任务。虚拟仿真实验融入思政课教学，只有紧紧围绕思政课的目标任务，切实遵循思政课的育人规律，才能真正发挥应有的作用。在思政课虚拟仿真实验教学的实施过程中，教学团队注重探索和研究虚拟仿真实验赋能思政课教学的规律，以知识传授、情感化育、价值引领为着力点，不断提升育人实效。

1. Targeting Students’ Reception Methods, Exerting the Unique Role of Virtual Simulation Experiment Teaching in Knowledge Transmission

1.针对学生接受方式，发挥虚拟仿真实验教学在知识传授中的独特作用

The formation and establishment of values depend on the study of relevant knowledge and theories. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out in his speech at the Symposium for Teachers of Ideological and Political Theory Courses in Schools: “Knowledge is the vehicle, and values are the goal; the guidance of values must be embedded in the transmission of knowledge.” [1]1 Xi Jinping, “Speech at the Symposium for Teachers of Ideological and Political Theory Courses in Schools,” March 18, 2019. “Values education must be strengthened by satisfying students’ thirst for knowledge”; “without the support of scientific knowledge, the effect of values education will be greatly diminished.” In the era of digital communication, online information media have become important vehicles for young people to acquire knowledge and grasp theories. The rise and popularity of emerging media such as short videos have further enhanced their preference for intuitive and visual information content in the process of knowledge acquisition. In response to changes in the way young students receive information, ideological and political education courses use virtual simulation experiments to innovate the transmission methods and content forms of ideological and theoretical knowledge, allowing “VR technology to excel in intuitive education.” [2]2 Xi Jinping, “Speech at the National Conference on Ideological and Political Work in Colleges and Universities,” December 7, 2016. In the teaching process of virtual simulation experiments, students wear VR head-mounted displays to enter various virtual scenes, obtaining multimodal information of knowledge content through three-dimensional intuitive experiences and gaining an immersive learning experience. “VR technology has the ability to imitate human perceptual functions such as vision, hearing, and touch.” [3]3 A reference to the sensory simulation capabilities of VR technology, commonly discussed in technical literature. In virtual scenes constructed based on VR technology, students mobilize vision, hearing, touch, and other senses to obtain information and provide feedback, generating a strong sense of immersion and presence. Theoretical knowledge originally confined to textbooks is transformed into vivid, perceptible three-dimensional scenes. Overall, in the teaching process of virtual simulation experiments for ideological and political education courses, the unique role of virtual reality technology in knowledge transmission is brought into play. By enriching multidimensional information modalities and providing vivid and intuitive immersive experiences, it empowers ideological and political education teaching, injects innovative vitality into ideological and theoretical education, stimulates students’ learning interest, improves their concentration in learning, and enhances the effectiveness of classroom teaching.

价值观的形成和确立，有赖于对相关知识和理论的学习。习近平总书记在学校思想政治理论课教师座谈会上的讲话中指出：“知识是载体，价值是目的，要寓价值观引导于知识传授之中。”“要通过满足学生对知识的渴求加强价值观教育”，“没有科学的知识作支撑，价值观教育的效果也会大打折扣”。在数字传播时代，网络信息媒介成为青少年获取知识、掌握理论的重要载体，短视频等新兴媒介的兴起和流行进一步增强了他们在知识获取过程中对直观化、视觉化信息内容的偏好。针对青少年学生信息接受方式的变化，思政课利用虚拟仿真实验实现思想理论知识的传递方式和内容形式的创新，让“VR技术在直观性的教育方面大显身手”。在虚拟仿真实验教学过程中，学生佩戴VR头显设备进入各个虚拟场景之中，通过三维立体的直观体验获取知识内容的多模态信息，获得沉浸式学习体验。“VR技术具有模仿人的视觉、听觉、触觉等感知功能的能力”，在基于VR技术构建的虚拟场景中，学生调动视觉、听觉、触觉等获取信息和反馈，可以产生强烈的沉浸感、在场感，原本停留在书本上的理论知识转化为生动的、可以感知的立体场景。总体而言，在思政课虚拟仿真实验教学过程中，虚拟现实技术在知识传授上的独特作用得以发挥，通过丰富多维的信息模态、生动直观的沉浸体验赋能思政课教学，为思想理论教育注入创新活力，激发了学生的学习兴趣，提高了学生学习的专注度，提升了课堂教学效果。

2. Enhancing Students’ Immersive Experience, Laying the Foundation for Emotional Cultivation in Value Shaping

2.增强学生沉浸体验，为价值观塑造奠定情感化育的基础

Emotions and feelings are a special form of human reflection on the real world, an experience generated by whether objective things satisfy human needs. Emotions play an undeniable role in human cognitive activities. Emotions arise on the basis of cognition, and conversely, they can strengthen or weaken cognitive functions. “Without ‘human emotions,’ there has never been, nor can there be, a pursuit of truth by humans.” [4]4 V. I. Lenin, “A Great Beginning,” 1919, on the role of emotion in the pursuit of truth. In the process of ideological and political education, positive emotions have a catalytic effect on the formation of ideological concepts and moral qualities, achieving the effect of moving people with emotion and educating people through emotion. “Emotional identification is the positive and affirmative emotional experience of the subject of ideological and political education identification with the ideological and political education system.” [5]5 A definition from Chinese scholarship on ideological and political education theory. In a certain sense, the process of teaching virtual simulation experiments in ideological and political education courses is a process of using positive and profound psychological experiences to mobilize students’ emotions, nourish their souls, and thereby enhance their emotional identification. Vivid, intuitive, and lifelike immersive scenarios can make the character stories, historical events, and spiritual culture in textbooks become vivid, concrete, tangible, and perceptible, allowing learners to “be personally on the scene” and gain intense emotional experiences. For the virtual simulation experiment teaching of the “Deng Jiaxian Spirit” and “Nan Rendong Spirit,” [6]6 Deng Jiaxian (1924–1986) was a Chinese nuclear physicist, a key leader of China’s nuclear weapons program; Nan Rendong (1945–2017) was the chief scientist and engineer of China’s Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST). Their “spirits” refer to the patriotic dedication and scientific perseverance they are held to exemplify. it is necessary to enable students to enter historical scenes, follow Deng Jiaxian and Nan Rendong through their growth and struggle journeys, feel their aspirations and passion, perseverance and persistence, pride and joy, and thus generate a strong emotional shock from their personal charm and lofty spirit, laying the foundation for emotional cultivation in value shaping.

情绪与情感是人对现实世界的一种特殊反映形式，是人对于客观事物是否满足人的需要而产生的体验。情感在人的认识活动中具有不可忽视的作用，情感是在认知基础上产生的，反之又可以强化或削弱认知功能。“没有‘人的感情’，就从来没有也不可能有人对于真理的追求。”在思想政治教育过程中，积极的情感对思想观念和道德品质的形成具有催化作用，可以达到以情动人、以情育人的效果。“情感认同就是思想政治教育认同主体对思想政治教育系统积极、肯定的情绪体验。”在一定意义上，思政课虚拟仿真实验教学的过程，就是利用积极而深刻的心理体验调动学生情绪、滋养学生心灵，从而增进学生情感认同的过程。生动直观、形象逼真的沉浸式情境可以让教材上的人物故事、历史事件和精神文化变得鲜活具体、可感可触，让学习者“身临其境”获得强烈的情感体验。对于“邓稼先精神”“南仁东精神”的虚拟仿真实验教学而言，就是要使学生进入历史场景中，跟随邓稼先、南仁东经历其成长和奋斗的历程，感受其壮志与激情、坚忍与执着、自豪与快乐，使学生对他们的人格魅力和崇高精神产生强烈情感震撼，为价值观塑造奠定情感化育的基础。

3. Grasping the Laws of Student Growth, Exerting the Value-Guiding Function of Virtual Simulation Experiment Teaching

3.把握学生成长规律，发挥虚拟仿真实验教学的价值引领功能

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “Ideological and political education courses focus on shaping students’ values; this must be firmly grasped.” [7]7 Xi Jinping, “Speech at the Symposium for Teachers of Ideological and Political Theory Courses in Schools,” March 18, 2019. The teaching of ideological and political education courses emphasizes value guidance, shaping students’ correct values. The unity of value and knowledge is a basic principle in the construction of ideological and political education courses, among which “value, as the essential attribute of ideological and political education courses, runs through the entire process of their education and teaching.” The guidance of students’ values in ideological and political education courses must be embedded in knowledge transmission, theoretical analysis, emotional cultivation, and practical development. In classroom teaching, it is necessary to explain profound theories in simple terms, guide students step by step, convince them with reason, and move them with emotion, leading students to achieve the organic unity of knowledge, emotion, intention, and action. The teaching of virtual simulation experiments in ideological and political education courses follows the laws of the formation and development of people’s ideological and moral character, using the advantages of information technology to enhance teaching effectiveness in the process of knowledge transmission and emotional cultivation. Ultimately, it aims to shape students’ values and implement the fundamental task of fostering virtue through education. [8]8 “Fostering virtue through education” (立德树人) is a core principle of Chinese education policy, emphasizing moral character development as the fundamental task of schooling. Based precisely on this goal requirement, the content design of virtual simulation experiment teaching must reflect specificity, focusing on issues that students care about and their actual ideological conditions, responding to students’ real concerns, and strengthening the integration of theory and practice. In the implementation methods of virtual simulation experiment teaching, attention should be paid to combining the unified requirements of the course objectives with the flexibility and diversity of implementation methods, so that virtual simulation experiments better present teaching content, are more conducive to stimulating students’ initiative, and undergo diversified exploration in the teaching application process to serve the realization of teaching goals. In the arrangement of links in virtual simulation experiment teaching, it is necessary not only to immerse students in virtual scenes to feel the power of thought and spirit, producing a teaching effect of “spring breeze transforming rain, moistening things silently,” but also to conduct exchanges and discussions on students’ hot ideological issues, thereby internalizing ideological theory in the mind and externalizing it in action. In summary, the innovative exploration of virtual simulation experiment teaching in ideological and political education courses ultimately rests on value guidance, making ideological and theoretical education full of affinity and appeal, pertinence and effectiveness.

习近平总书记指出：“思政课重在塑造学生的价值观，这一点必须牢牢抓住。”思政课教学重在价值引领，塑造学生正确的价值观。价值性和知识性相统一是思政课建设的基本原则，其中“价值性作为思政课的本质属性，贯穿其教育教学的始终”。思政课对学生价值观的引领，要寓于知识传授、学理分析、情感熏陶、实践养成之中，在课堂教学中做到深入浅出、循循善诱、以理服人、以情动人，引导学生实现知情意行的有机统一。思政课虚拟仿真实验教学遵循人的思想品德形成发展规律，在知识传授、情感化育的过程中利用信息技术优势来提升教学效果，归根结底是要实现对学生价值观的塑造，落实立德树人根本任务。正是基于这一目标要求，在虚拟仿真实验教学的内容设计上要体现针对性，注重从学生关注的问题以及他们的思想实际出发，回应学生的现实关切，加强理论和实践的结合。在虚拟仿真实验教学的实施方法上，注重把课程目标的统一要求和实施方法的灵活多样相结合，使虚拟仿真实验更好地展现教学内容、更有利于激发学生的主动性，在教学运用过程中进行多样化探索，服务于教学目标的实现。在虚拟仿真实验教学的环节安排上，既要让学生沉浸在虚拟场景中感受思想和精神的力量，产生“春风化雨、润物无声”的教学效果；也要针对学生的思想热点问题进行交流讨论，进而思想理论内化于心、外化于行。总之，思政课虚拟仿真实验教学的创新探索，最终落脚于价值观引领，使思想理论教育富有亲和力和感染力、针对性和实效性。

IV. Innovative Paths for Virtual Simulation Experiments Empowering Ideological and Political Education Teaching

四、虚拟仿真实验赋能思政课教学的创新路径

With the vigorous development of a new round of information technology revolution, continuously promoting innovation and reform in education and teaching through modern information technology has become a trend of the times. This requires us to constantly sum up experience, grasp the laws, and promote the deep integration of modern information technology with ideological and political education teaching. To promote the deep application and innovative development of virtual simulation experiments in ideological and political education teaching, attention should be paid to constructing new teaching models to enhance teacher-student interaction; integrating into the construction pattern of the “Grand Ideological and Political Education Course” to exert the role of practical education; and strengthening platform construction and method research to enhance teachers’ network education capabilities.

随着新一轮信息技术革命的蓬勃发展，以现代信息技术持续推进教育教学改革创新成为时代趋势，这就要求我们不断总结经验、把握规律，推进现代信息技术与思政课教学深度融合。推动虚拟仿真实验在思政课教学中的深度应用和创新发展，要注重构建新型教学模式，增强师生互动；融入“大思政课”建设格局，发挥实践育人作用；加强平台建设和方法研究，提升教师网络育人能力。

1. Constructing New Teaching Models, Enhancing Teacher-Student Interaction

1.构建新型教学模式，增强师生互动

Interaction and communication between teachers and students are effective pathways to enhance the educational outcomes of ideological and political courses. Teachers are the subjects of “teaching,” and students are the subjects of “learning.” Whether virtual simulation experiment teaching can achieve its maximum effectiveness hinges on better leveraging the roles of both teachers and students, constructing a teaching model with teachers as the guides and students as the main body. On one hand, virtual simulation technology provides teachers with new information-based teaching tools and means, conducive to improving teachers’ teaching capabilities and strengthening their guiding role in the teaching process. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “The key to running ideological and political theory courses well lies in the teachers, and the key lies in unleashing teachers’ initiative, enthusiasm, and creativity.” [9]9 Xi Jinping, “Speech at the Symposium for Teachers of Ideological and Political Theory Courses in Schools,” March 18, 2019. Conducting virtual simulation experiment teaching in ideological and political courses is not about weakening the guiding role of teachers, but about enhancing teachers’ guiding capacity by expanding teaching carriers, enriching teaching content, and innovating teaching scenarios, thereby further improving the effectiveness of teacher-student teaching interaction and ideological exchange. Therefore, in teaching design, the content of virtual simulation experiments should be organically embedded into the teaching process, making it an integral component of the blended teaching of ideological and political courses, constructing a teaching model where segments such as teachers’ thematic lectures, virtual simulation experiments, student group discussions, and teacher-student exchange and summarization are interconnected. This allows teachers to play a guiding role throughout the entire teaching process, ensuring the realization of the political guidance and value-leading functions of ideological and political courses. On the other hand, virtual simulation experiment teaching is conducive to mobilizing students’ initiative and enthusiasm for participating in ideological and political course learning, enhancing educational outcomes by strengthening students’ subjectivity. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “Adhere to a student-centered approach, increase research on students’ cognitive patterns and receptive characteristics, and unleash students’ subjective role.” [10]10 Xi Jinping, “Speech at the Symposium for Teachers of Ideological and Political Theory Courses in Schools,” March 18, 2019. Virtual simulation experiments possess technical characteristics such as immersion, interactivity, and imaginativeness, which are deeply favored by the younger generation as “digital natives.” Their application in ideological and political courses can stimulate students’ learning interest and initiative. In virtual simulation experiment teaching, teachers should play the roles of guides, listeners, and inspirers, allowing students to engage in deep experience within virtual historical and cultural scenarios, or using virtual roles to enable students to feel the charm of theory in the interaction between the virtual and the real. This allows ideological theories and value concepts to enter students’ perception and thinking processes in a more vivid, emotionally integrated form and manner, generating stronger appeal and affinity. In summary, in the process of virtual simulation experiment teaching in ideological and political courses, the principle of unifying guidance and subjectivity must be adhered to. While students enter virtual simulation scenarios for active learning and exploration, teachers should provide effective guidance, interact and communicate with students, particularly paying attention to individual differences and interactive needs, being able to listen to students’ thoughts, feel their emotions, respond to their ideological confusions, and effectively stimulate students’ enthusiasm for expression and participation, thereby enhancing the targetedness and effectiveness of ideological and political course teaching.

师生之间的互动和交流是提升思政课育人成效的有效途径。教师是“教”的主体，学生是“学”的主体，能否使虚拟仿真实验教学发挥出最大效用，关键在于更好地发挥师生的作用，构建以教师为主导、以学生为主体的教学模式。一方面，虚拟仿真技术为教师提供了新型的信息化教学工具和手段，有利于提升教师的教学能力，增强教师在教学过程中的主导作用。习近平总书记指出：“办好思想政治理论课关键在教师，关键在发挥教师的积极性、主动性、创造性。”开展思政课虚拟仿真实验教学，不是要削弱教师的主导作用，而是要通过拓展教学载体、丰富教学内容、创新教学场景来提升教师的主导能力，进一步提升师生教学互动和思想交流的效果。因此，在教学设计上要把虚拟仿真实验内容有机嵌入教学过程之中，使之成为思政课混合式教学的有机组成环节，构建起教师专题讲授、虚拟仿真实验、学生小组研讨、师生交流总结等环节相互衔接的教学模式，从而发挥教师对整个教学过程的主导作用，保障思政课的政治引导和价值引领功能的实现。另一方面，虚拟仿真实验教学有利于调动学生参与思政课学习的主动性和积极性，通过增强学生的主体性来提升育人成效。习近平总书记指出：“坚持以学生为中心，加大对学生的认知规律和接受特点的研究，发挥学生主体性作用。”虚拟仿真实验具有沉浸性、交互性、构想性等技术特性，深受作为“网络原住民”的青少年一代的喜爱，在思政课中加以应用可以激发学生的学习兴趣和主动性。在虚拟仿真实验教学中，教师要发挥引导者、倾听者、启发者的作用，通过让学生进入虚拟仿真的历史文化场景中进行深度体验，或利用虚拟角色使学生在虚实互动中感受理论的魅力，从而使思想理论和价值观念以更为形象生动、情理交融的形态和方式进入学生的感知和思维过程之中，产生更强的感染力和亲和力。总之，在思政课虚拟仿真实验教学过程中，要坚持主导性和主体性相统一的原则，在学生进入虚拟仿真场景进行主动学习探索的同时，教师要开展有效引导，与学生互动交流，特别是要关注学生的个体差异和互动需求，能够倾听学生的想法，感受学生的情绪，回应学生的思想困惑，有效激发学生表达和参与的热情，从而增强思政课教学的针对性和实效性。

2. Integrate into the Construction Pattern of the “Grand Ideological and Political Course,” and Realize the Role of Practical Education

2.融入“大思政课”建设格局，发挥实践育人作用

With the widespread application of artificial intelligence and other information technologies in various social fields, the deep integration of modern information technology and ideological and political education is an inevitable trend. The application of virtual simulation experiments in ideological and political course teaching is a developmental requirement for the reform and innovation of ideological and political courses in the information age, and an effective pathway to strengthen practical education in ideological and political courses. Whether recreating historical and cultural scenes or simulating real physical spaces, virtual simulation technology can create new types of practical experience fields for ideological and political course teaching, allowing students to immerse themselves comprehensively and achieve the effect of practical education. For example, in the virtual simulation experiment teaching of the “Spirit of Nan Rendong,” [11]11 Nan Rendong (1945–2017) was the chief scientist and chief engineer of China’s Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST), known as the “China Sky Eye.” by recreating Nan Rendong’s search for and selection of the Dawodang site deep in the mountains of Guizhou and simulating the construction process of the “China Sky Eye,” [12]12 The “China Sky Eye” (FAST) is the world’s largest single-dish radio telescope, located in Guizhou Province, China. students can experience the construction and achievements of a major national project and the spirit of scientists in the process of Chinese-path modernization. Compared to organizing students to conduct on-site visits and practices in Guizhou, virtual simulation experiment teaching is not constrained by time or space, and its educational coverage is broad, achieving practical teaching effects while saving significant costs. Therefore, widely conducting virtual simulation experiment teaching is an important pathway to advance the construction of the “Grand Ideological and Political Course,” and is a significant manifestation of the organic combination of the “small ideological and political classroom,” the “big social classroom,” and the online cloud classroom in realizing the function of practical education. In the process of advancing the construction of virtual simulation experiment courses, first, appropriate thematic content for virtual simulation experiments should be selected. Teachers should focus on targetedness in selecting thematic content, basing choices on course characteristics and teaching content to select theoretical content suitable for creating virtual scenarios, as well as corresponding historical events, character stories, etc. For example, the “Situation and Policy” course can be designed around current political hot issues, while the “Basic Principles of Marxism” course can create content based on concepts and principles in teaching. “Virtual simulation has unique advantages in enhancing interactivity, restoring historical scenarios, reducing social practice costs, and sublimating practical teaching content… Correctly embedding it into the overall teaching framework has a multiplier effect on improving the overall teaching effectiveness of ideological and political courses.” [13]13 Internal citation from the original text; source not specified. Second, the process of virtual simulation experiments should be carefully designed. Virtual simulation experiment teaching in ideological and political courses is an organic combination of educational content and information technology. The application of technology must serve the effective transmission of teaching content, closely integrating systematic and in-depth theoretical instruction with subtle situational immersion to achieve the goals of virtual simulation experiment teaching. From the current practice of virtual simulation experiment teaching in ideological and political courses, there are deficiencies to varying degrees in aspects such as content production quality, experimental interaction design, teaching resource support, and course evaluation methods. Further development requires deepening the integration of information technology and teaching content, forming a joint effort among teaching teams, development teams, and management teams, using high-quality educational content, exquisite development technology, and effective teaching design to attract students to immersive experience and deep participation, and enhancing the effectiveness of virtual simulation experiment teaching through the combination of explicit education and implicit education.

随着人工智能等信息技术在社会各领域的广泛应用，现代信息技术与思想政治教育的深度融合是大势所趋。虚拟仿真实验在思政课教学中的运用，是信息时代思政课改革创新的发展要求，是加强思政课实践育人的有效路径。无论是再现历史文化场景，还是模拟现实物理空间，虚拟仿真技术能够为思政课教学创设新型的实践体验场域，让学生全方位沉浸其中，达到实践育人的效果。例如，在“南仁东精神”虚拟仿真实验教学中，通过再现南仁东在贵州大山深处寻找并选定大窝凼以及模拟“中国天眼”的建设过程，让学生感受大国重器的建设及其成就、中国式现代化进程中的科学家精神。相比组织学生到贵州开展实地参观实践而言，虚拟仿真实验教学不受时间、空间的限制，而且教育对象覆盖面广，能够在节省大量成本的条件下达到实践教学效果。因此，广泛开展虚拟仿真实验教学是推进“大思政课”建设的重要路径，是“思政小课堂”、“社会大课堂”、网络云课堂有机结合发挥实践育人功能的重要体现。在推进虚拟仿真实验课程建设过程中，一是要选取适宜的虚拟仿真实验主题内容。教师在主题内容的选择上要注重针对性，立足课程特点和教学内容选择适合创设虚拟场景的理论内容以及相应的历史事件、人物故事等，如“形势与政策”课可以针对时政热点问题进行设计，“马克思主义基本原理”课可以根据教学中的概念、原理进行内容创设。“虚拟仿真在增强互动性、复原历史情景、降低社会实践成本、升华实践教学内容等方面独具优势……正确地将其内嵌到教学整体中，对思政课的整体教学效果的提升具有事半功倍的效果。”二是要精心设计虚拟仿真实验过程。思政课虚拟仿真实验教学是教育内容和信息技术的有机结合，技术应用要服务于教学内容的有效传递，把系统深入的理论传授与潜移默化的情景熏陶紧密结合，才能实现虚拟仿真实验教学的目标。从当前思政课虚拟仿真实验教学的实践情况来看，在内容的制作质量、实验的交互设计、教学的资源支持、课程的评价方法等方面尚存在不同程度的不足，进一步的发展要在信息技术与教学内容的深度融合上下功夫，形成教学团队、开发团队、管理团队的工作合力，以优质的教育内容、精湛的开发技术、有效的教学设计来吸引学生沉浸体验和深度参与，通过显性教育和隐性教育相结合提升虚拟仿真实验教学的效果。

3. Strengthen Platform Construction and Method Research, Enhance Teachers’ Network Education Capabilities

3.加强平台建设和方法研究，提升教师网络育人能力

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “Reform and innovation are the spirit of the times; young people are the most active group; the construction of ideological and political courses must seek vitality from reform and innovation.” [14]14 Xi Jinping, “Speech at the School Ideological and Political Theory Course Teachers’ Forum,” March 18, 2019. Virtual simulation experiment teaching is a developmental form of the deep integration of modern information technology and the construction of ideological and political courses, and is an important path to enhancing the pertinence and affinity of ideological and political education. To advance virtual simulation experiment teaching in ideological and political courses, first, it is necessary to address the needs of teaching reform and innovation in ideological and political courses by further strengthening the development of virtual simulation experiment courses and the construction of application platforms. Different types of teaching cases should be excavated according to the content and characteristics of each ideological and political course, and immersive experiential teaching models should be created in combination with new technological forms, providing resource support and technical support for teachers to actively use modern information technology to promote teaching reform. Facing the needs of resource sharing among universities in the eastern, central, and western regions, inter-school collaboration, and the integrated construction of ideological and political courses in universities, middle schools, and primary schools, it is necessary to explore the establishment of mechanisms for the promotion, application, and coherent connection of virtual simulation experiment teaching examples. Relying on the development, construction, and teaching application of virtual simulation experiment courses, a collaborative system for content development, teaching application, inter-school sharing, and connection between universities, middle schools, and primary schools should be established, empowering the high-quality development of ideological and political courses. Second, in view of the current application status, theoretical research should be strengthened to promote the improvement of the methodological system for virtual simulation experiment teaching in ideological and political courses. On the basis of sorting out and analyzing the development process, basic types, and main characteristics of virtual simulation experiment teaching in ideological and political courses, the difficulties and bottleneck problems faced by ideological and political course teachers in carrying out virtual simulation experiment teaching should be discussed, effective models for carrying out virtual simulation experiment teaching should be explored, and factors affecting the effectiveness of virtual simulation experiment teaching should be analyzed. Systematic research should be conducted around teaching design and process models, student learning motivation and cognitive patterns, teaching feedback and evaluation methods, and the application and improvement of teaching resources, clarifying the concepts and methods of virtual simulation experiment teaching that meet the teaching objectives and requirements of ideological and political courses. Third, in combination with the requirements for the development of ideological and political course teachers’ online education capabilities, the capacity building of teachers to carry out virtual simulation experiment teaching should be strengthened. In May 2024, during the fifth collective study session of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: “Improve the ability to educate people online, and solidly do a good job in school ideological and political work and ideological work in the Internet era.” [15]15 Xi Jinping, “Speech at the Fifth Collective Study Session of the Political Bureau of the 20th CPC Central Committee,” May 29, 2024. The online education capability of ideological and political course teachers is reflected in two aspects: the ability to use network technology for education and the ability to educate based on the network environment. For virtual simulation experiment teaching, on the one hand, ideological and political course teachers must enhance their ability to use virtual simulation technology to carry out teaching, including the ability to use virtual simulation technology to develop teaching content, expand teaching carriers, innovate teaching methods, and implement teaching management and evaluation. On the other hand, they must enhance their ability to play a leading role in fostering virtue through education based on the network environment, including the ability to conduct teacher-student exchanges and ideological interactions in virtual scenarios, and the ability to implement theoretical education and practical education. The improvement of ideological and political course teachers’ abilities is the foundation and guarantee for enhancing the effectiveness of virtual simulation experiment teaching. On the basis of actively learning and mastering knowledge related to virtual simulation experiments, teachers should gradually elevate their virtual simulation experiment teaching capabilities from the level of applying information tools to the level of deep innovation aimed at constructing teaching models, and from the level of creating new educational and teaching spaces to the level of building a good ecology for online education, always grasping the forefront of Internet innovation and development, and promoting the high-quality development of ideological and political course construction.

习近平总书记指出：“改革创新是时代精神，青少年是最活跃的群体，思政课建设要向改革创新要活力。”虚拟仿真实验教学是现代信息技术与思政课建设深度融合的发展形态，是提升思想政治教育针对性和亲和力的重要路径。推进思政课虚拟仿真实验教学，首先，要针对思政课教学改革创新的需要，进一步加强虚拟仿真实验课程的开发和应用平台建设。要根据各门思政课的内容和特点挖掘不同类型的教学案例，结合新技术形态打造沉浸式体验教学样态，为教师积极利用现代信息技术推进教学改革提供资源支持和技术支撑。面向东中西部高校资源共享、校际协作以及大中小学思政课一体化建设等需要，探索建立虚拟仿真实验教学课例的推广应用和贯通衔接机制。依托虚拟仿真实验课程开发建设和教学应用，建立起内容开发、教学应用、校际共享、大中小学衔接的协作体系，为思政课高质量发展赋能。其次，针对当前应用现状加强理论研究，推进思政课虚拟仿真实验教学方法体系的完善。在梳理和分析思政课虚拟仿真实验教学的发展历程、基本类型和主要特征的基础上，探讨思政课教师开展虚拟仿真实验教学的难点与瓶颈问题，探索开展虚拟仿真实验教学的有效模式，分析影响虚拟仿真实验教学效果的因素，围绕教学设计与过程模式、学生学习动机与认知规律、教学反馈与评价方法、教学资源应用与完善等开展系统研究，明晰符合思政课教学目标要求的虚拟仿真实验教学理念和方法。再次，结合思政课教师网络育人能力发展要求，加强教师开展虚拟仿真实验教学的能力建设。2024年5月，习近平总书记在中共中央政治局第五次集体学习时强调：“提高网络育人能力，扎实做好互联网时代的学校思想政治工作和意识形态工作。”思政课教师的网络育人能力体现在运用网络技术的育人能力和基于网络环境的育人能力两个方面。对于虚拟仿真实验教学而言，思政课教师一方面要提升运用虚拟仿真技术开展教学的能力，包括运用虚拟仿真技术开发教学内容、拓展教学载体、创新教学方法以及实施教学管理和评价等能力；另一方面要提升立足网络环境发挥立德树人主导作用的能力，包括在虚拟场景中开展师生交流和思想互动的能力、实施理论教育和实践育人的能力等。思政课教师能力的提升是增强虚拟仿真实验教学效果的基础和保障，教师要在主动学习掌握虚拟仿真实验相关知识的基础上，将虚拟仿真实验教学能力逐步从信息化工具的应用层面提升到以教学模式的构建为目标的深度创新层面，从创设新型教育教学空间的层面提升到构建网络育人良好生态的层面，始终把握互联网创新发展前沿，推动思政课建设高质量发展。

(The authors are professors and doctoral supervisors at the Center for Moral Education Research, Tsinghua University)

（作者系清华大学高校德育研究中心教授、博士生导师）

Online Editor: Ma Jingren

网络编辑：马京仁