This case study explores the integration of Virtual Reality (VR) and AI chatbots (ChatGPT) in two advanced undergraduate Spanish courses at a U.S. university. Motivated by the rapid advancement of generative technologies, the research examines how educators can adapt to these innovations rather than be marginalized by them. Using an evolutionary lens, it investigates how VR and AI complement existing instructional practices and how students perceive their linguistic and cultural value. A mixed-methods analysis of student reflections reveals that VR enhances spatialized cultural immersion, while AI offers accessible conversational practice. However, students also reported challenges with interface complexity and the need to critically evaluate AI responses. The study proposes a pedagogical framework outlining the complementary roles of VR and AI across different stages of engagement. The core argument is that AI represents a structural shift in language practice, feedback, and learner agency, emphasizing task authenticity, process-oriented assessment, and the distinction between learning support and task outsourcing. The findings aim to inform ethical and practical decision-making in modern language education. While primarily addressing foreign language educators and students, the insights also benefit engineers and developers designing VR and AI tools for language learning.

This case study demonstrates that VR and generative AI are not self-executing magic bullets, but they are transformative tools when placed within a pedagogical, critical, and ethical framework. The student voices at its center reveal a complex reality: these technologies can foster deep cultural connection, democratize language practice, and stimulate critical thinking, yet they simultaneously introduce new challenges in usability, authentic communication, and intellectual integrity. The primary contribution of this work is the synthesis of these lived experiences into a practical, actionable framework for educators. This framework provides a roadmap, moving from defining the distinct yet complementary roles of VR and AI, through a developmental model for staging student engagement, to concrete classroom guidelines, a sample lesson plan, and an ethical foundation built upon the collective wisdom of leading international institutions. It promotes an evolutionary approach where technology is deliberately adapted to serve sound, humanistic pedagogy, not the reverse.

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