‘ENGAGE’ing in a VR space ; an educator’s ‘reality’ reflection
Recently, and during a one-hour timeframe, I was lucky to visit a futuristic museum atrium, a cutting-edge research laboratory, a library to listen in on a lecture on magnetism, dropped into the deep blue ocean to learn about sharks and their anatomy, before visiting the surface of Mars to watch an explorer machine take a rock sample. However, I didn’t leave my chair at home for any of these visits, they all took place via Virtual Reality!
As part of the HCI Virtual Labs project which is ongoing across Maynooth University, Dundalk Institute of Technology, University College Cork, Dublin City University, and Technological University of the Shannon - Athlone campus, some members of the team have been engaging with the potential of virtual reality (VR) as a learning and teaching tool. This technology is more prevalent in certain disciplines, however in the above project, we are looking at it in terms of its potential in the bio/chemical spaces. I’ve previously come across a science/molecular focused team in UCC led by Jerry Reen who used VR on their award-winning ELEVATE project, and was fortunate to see both Jerry speak to this work several times, as well as hear student testimonials to its benefits for learning in the molecular sciences. In addition, on the Virtual Labs project and the associated team, we are very aware of international experts such as Stephen Hilton in UCL who is a global leader in this space. The aforementioned Jerry, and Stephen, both presented at a recent event in DCU organised by our project’s academic lead there, Aoife Morrin. In the VR session being reflected on here, it was arranged again by Aoife and her colleagues in DCU, while facilitated by the incredibly helpful Barry Haughey who virtually brought us on our journey using the ENGAGE VR 'professional metaverse' platform. He even took some VR group photos! Below you can read some of my initial reflections on the session and technology….I did notice my neck and shoulder muscles got a great workout during the VR event though (see my 30 second video below!). My reflections on this experience...
User experience
Very intuitive, user-friendly, awe-inspiring and more. Of course, 'going' to such a space was new to me, as well as meeting with multi-institutional colleagues virtually in VR as opposed to Zoom/Teams…..and I tend to like ‘tech’…so it all added up to be something quite special, different. Yes, it is flashy, and expensive, but is there potential for certain projects/objectives? Well in my view, yes, the experience can lend its hand to supporting interaction, engagement and learning in certain ways. Is the technology and the user experience for everyone though, that's something else to consider. Regarding devices, for this meeting I used a Meta Quest 2 headset with joysticks. Learning, teaching and training potential Considering it from a learning point of view, one can literally 'go' anywhere and 'be' anywhere to get an in context, real world environment to learn. You could even ‘teach’ and ‘learn’ from mars, or under water if associated topics were relevant - such as with the anatomy of a shark example, or Mars rock sampling I outlined above. In relation to VR, a term I heard recently from John Milne of NIBRT was that "simulation builds muscle memory" and this is quite relevant here, as from an industry training point of view, a VR simulation could be designed and run to support inductions, training and minimise any deviations occurring at a later stage. In the science industry, particularly in the biopharma space, I had come across the term ‘digital twin’ quite often. Here, this is more than possible also, allowing people to work on a digital twin of piece of equipment for example, either in parallel or before, the real thing. From a teaching point of view, and reflecting on the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) CAST guidelines, one could certainly identify scope for new modes of engagement, action, expression as well as representation. I like it from the multiple modes of engagement point of view too, as providing a new way to learn here, a new way to ‘see’ things could really assist learners with learning concepts normally drawn in a textbook, or on a white board. I appreciate animations, videos etc. are helpful to complementing these aspects too, however there is scope for VR to even add yet another dimension. Possibilities are quite endless, as in theory, you can create or visit any ‘space’, for any context, for any learning experience. An immersive experience For the user, it’s a fully immersive experience….and time in VR might be an issue for some. I’ve read that it can be quite disorientating and people need to be conscious of that (this was pointed out to us at the beginning of our session). I think its integration into the norm is going to be dependent on several factors, but the headset (Meta Quest 2 in my instance) can begin to feel quite heavy over time. I find the adding the rubber seal provided does help with comfort over sessions such as the one outlined here. I also experienced accessing this particular session via my laptop computer, just to compare - and the difference was vast. Via the laptop, I felt like more like I was playing a game from the outside, as opposed to feeling immersed and ‘in’ the actual space with others. Hard to fully describe, but being immersed in the VR space via a Meta headset was much better experience in my view. Akin to playing, and in the middle of a match versus, watching it from the sidelines. This is important to be aware of, especially if you have people joining your sessions via desktops. Still, it’s worth considering the desktop approach might help someone who is not a fan of VR, has no access to a headset, or doesn’t enjoy the immersive experience, but still wishes to take part and/or learn. Returning to real life When you take off your headset, you are firmly back in the real-world, normality, with your feet on the ground. You certainly feel like you have 'gone' somewhere. Interestingly, time went by so quickly with all the learning and varying environments on our tour. I was amazed how quickly time passed by. My thoughts going forward...
I must admit, I felt fascinated after the above experience, and my brain was trying to even process all the possibilities around this technology from a learning and teaching point-of-view. But will we be meeting in VR spaces in the near future using our speaking avatars? Potentially. People/students/colleagues could meet in these spaces to learn aspects, or practice aspects, in real world scenarios and environments. Upskilling events, or micro-credential courses could have elements around this to engage learners in various ways to learn and support each other, or even to train on 'digital twins' pieces of equipment to prepare for on-site, in-person training.
My mind did wonder as to how widespread this may actually become. Access to headsets, the cost of headsets, the digital divide, strong Wi-Fi access and capable batteries in headsets are all important for both use as a platform with others, and functionality. We were told at this event how 'Roblox' is going to VR soon. My children are big Roblox fans, and have their own avatars there, their own houses designed, use their own currency etc. already….but will a move by Roblox and other such gamification platforms, to VR push the next generation to this technology faster? Does higher education have to consider this generation coming to classes in a few years time being used to communicating and spending time in a VR space. Will aspects of teaching and learning need to adapt in every discipline? It will be fascinating to follow this journey. In addition, to enhancing the visual experiences of VR, apparently, haptic gloves and more user-friendly visors are being developed, so that changes in tech might make it less of a heavy device to use over longer periods of time too, as well as removing the need for the joysticks allowing your hands to engage with, and use equipment etc. like you would in the real world. Is being in a VR space for lengthy periods of time healthy for one’s wellbeing? Certainly food for thought here also. We spoke a lot during the COVID pandemic about digital wellbeing and our disconnect from society and normality....but here, post pandemic, could a further disconnect from reality occur with VR, and could this have consequences if it is overused, over-engaged with, or ‘over-lived’ in? This certainly needs some consideration by creators, educators, society, and the user. FYI - since my VR meeting, and most likely from my account set up, I’ve been invited to a Fatboy Slim concert - in virtual reality! |
Ronan BreeEducation Developer,Science Lecturer, Archives
March 2023
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Any opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer.
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