Performance in Pedagogy

Ethical and Pedagogical Dilemmas Shaping Virtual Survivor Testimony

Abstract

Digital first-person testimonies have become increasingly more available and utilized to engage students. However, with its increase, digital first-person testimonies are facing significant ethical and pedagogical challenges, especially within the field of Holocaust Education which has historically relied on survivor testimony (Ballis, et. al., 2025; Marcus, et. al., 2021; McGregor, et. al., 2022; Tirosh & Mikel-Arieli, 2023; Traum, et. al., 2015; Walden, 2021). With the era of living survivors rapidly coming to an end, understanding the role of digital first-person testimonies within Holocaust Education is paramount. This article summarizes the work of a larger empirical study on the use of  Virtual Interactive Holocaust Survivor Testimony (VIHST) in place of live Holocaust survivor testimony at the National Holocaust Centre and Museum (UK). The overview of the findings answers two research questions concerning the implementation of VIHST at the National Holocaust Centre and Museum (UK): 1) How do stakeholders perceive the value, utility, and challenges of learning from and with VIHST? 2) What are the interactional forces shaping pedagogical decisions around the use of VIHST in museums?