Abstract: The immersive, interactive and conceptual characteristics of virtual reality technology have given birth to a new learning environment. There are two main forms of VR applications in the education field, namely immersive VR and desktop VR. In order to explore the differences in the learning effects between these two different types of VR, the Kirkpatrick Model was used in this paper as the research framework, 117 first-year university students as the research objects, and the laboratory safety training as the research content to conduct a pretest-posttest control group experimental study. The results indicated that:(1) At the reaction level, there is no significant difference between immersive VR and desktop VR in enjoyment ratings, and immersive VR is more effective in enhancing intrinsic motivation and self-efficacy. (2) At the learning level, there is no significant difference between the two types of VR in the knowledge retention test. (3) At the behavior level, immersive VR is more effective in learning transfer assessment. These findings provide references for the effective application and performance evaluation of VR technology in education and training activities.