This study designed and developed a virtual reality (VR)–based instructional website for art appreciation, VirtuArt, and examined the influence of a VR-supported teaching platform on undergraduate art students' learning motivation. A quasi-experimental design was employed, involving 60 undergraduate art students drawn from two intact classes at a public university in China. One class was assigned to the experimental group, which received instruction through the VirtuArt platform, while the other served as a control group and was taught using conventional instructional methods. Learning motivation was assessed using the Instructional Materials Motivation Survey (IMMS). Data were analysed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) to evaluate the effects of the instructional intervention. The results indicate that, after controlling for pre-test differences, students in the experimental group achieved significantly higher scores on overall learning motivation and its sub-dimensions than those in the control group. These findings suggest that VR technology can play a supportive role in enhancing instructional practice in higher art education, and that the VirtuArt platform demonstrates promising potential for fostering student learning motivation.
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