The first result of REVEALING is the creation of a model of a Virtual Reality Learning Environment (VRLE) tailored to HEI (higher education institution) education. The VRLE will take the form of 3D virtual classrooms, compliant with VRChat.
It will be made accessible to instructors and students who will be enabled to co-exist in a shared virtual environment, communicate with verbal and non-verbal means and engage in collaborative educational tasks.
The VRLE will feature spaces with neutral design (i.e. carrying no signifiers associated with specific disciplines) and typical layouts used in HEIs lectures (3D Virtual Classrooms, 3D Virtual Auditoriums with standard furniture, whiteboards, projectors etc.) Those spaces will be appropriate for any HEI learning process performed through the VRLE, simulating the experience of a real-world academic lecture.
Moreover, the VRLE will include complementary discipline specific spaces to support educational tasks (e.g. virtual field visits to cultural heritage sites) or access to specialized tools or resources (e.g. human skeletons for anatomy teaching) to further enhance the learning process.
Finally, the VRLE model will incorporate a set of avatars (for participating instructors and students) with diverse characteristics with respect to gender, race, age, body type, etc.
There have been produced 5 VR learning environments which can be found in the VRCHAT app under the account of AndronikiAgel:
- Ancient Greek Technology
- Chimborazo expedition
- Sea Urchins Measurements
- Linear Algebra
- Teriade Museum
The environments underwent pilot testing with HE students and teachers, and its full results can be found here
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.