VR Education – 4 x Keys to Successful Implementation

(A snippet from the previous artcile...)

"Virtual reality is the 'ultimate empathy machine.' These experiences are more than documentaries. They're opportunities to walk a mile in someone else's shoes. It’s exactly what Designer’s need!" Chris Milk

In an essence, that is it!

If you have read my last articles, we already know that empathy is one of the most crucial assets in learning and teaching. VR is an extension of this. It is an incredible tool to enhance attributes of what we experience. As Chris Milk so eloquently said it, "VR is the ultimate empathy machine".

How?

Let's look around... the students in your classroom are currently learning about 'Space' and they are reading a textbook section about each planetary system or designing a pencil box to be built in the woodwork shop! Or they are looking at the human anatomy on the prescribed biology text that has pictorials on a flat page.

Instead, just imagine for a second - your students are soaring around the rings of Saturn and inside the NASA International Space Station - looking and interacting on 360-full immersive VR! Or maybe (just maybe!) your students are interacting and dissecting the Iron Man suit and designing upgrade features - creating the next Tony Stark of our generation (Marvel fans will get that!). Maybe even exploring the human body at 1:1 scale and learning about each organ, while being able to view an operations theatre for a heart transplant in an interactive VR simulation

Virtual reality (VR) presentations have proven to be more than just novel visual aids for education. They’re powerful learning tools. Research shows that retention rates rise when students or job trainees use virtual reality to immerse themselves in a lesson or scenario.

What are some of the high-level capabilities of VR?

1. Exploration
2. Gaming & Entertainment
3. Design & Manufacturing
4. Education
5. Safety & Simulation
6. Immersive Training
7. Lifestyle

Let’s take a look at some key attributes for schools to consider before investing and entering in to the world of VR:

(Disclaimer: This article is not written to promote a certain product or brand.)

Firstly, there are many products and brands out there with VR becoming almost a mainstream technology, accessible to everyone for everyday use. It is now almost a house-hold product for your living room! Some of the more well-known products are:

However, one is not better than the other for educational purposes. It will be 100% dependent on how this 'tool' is utilised within your school and your students. To assist with this, there are 4 x key criteria to consider before investing in VR applications within your school.

1.     The Tech

Ask yourself - are your students wanting to overlay information (Augmented Reality – AR), versus an immersive experience (Virtual Reality – VR).

If you are exploring AR, then a product such as a Microsoft HoloLens would be suitable to overlay information on the existing world. This is also now being widely adapted within many industry practices and therefore preparing your students for the future of work with important skill sets.

If you are looking for an immersive experience, VR is the way to go. Jump on spaces that are out of the classroom/school. Fly through space, visualise equations or experience things that are not available within the classroom.

2.     Use

Next, define your use further. Is it specifically for gaming purposes? Experience? Interaction? View 360 videos/film & studio? Immersive/group collaboration classroom? Once again, this will help tailor the product use to your student’s learning experience requirements

Ask yourself, what is the primary purpose and intention behind the use of VR for your students? Is it an introduction to VR experience? Is it for esports? Is it for maths/bio/STEaM? This will instantly narrow down your choice based on the usability of the products which currently exist in the market. For example: If you simply want to give an introduction in to VR or to ‘look around’ a space that they have designed. An ‘Oculus Go’ is a cost—effective and powerful machine suitable for that scenario. However, this has limited interactivity capabilities as well as group collaboration limitations. If your students were to interact heavily (actually design in VR / perform tasks etc.), a ‘Quest’ or ‘Rift’ would be more suitable - or even a Samsung Gear.

3.     Apps

Next, based on your defined use/s and preferred technology – jump on to the various platforms app stores/websites to understand what applications are available. A school can invest in VR equipment, however, due to the limitations of existing applications/functions the technology and the tools may become redundant or go un-used very quickly.

Similar to choosing between OS or Android for your phones, there are various selections of applications available through the different brands and products.

Ask yourself, what type of specific applications do I need my students to use? Will they be using it for Science/Maths/Design purposes? Or, is it a viewing tool for design subject? What about Film & Studio as 360-video viewer? It could even be a VR Art class where your students can paint/mould in VR - This will heavily influence the type of product to purchase.

4.     Budget

Of course, this is a factor! Entering VR in education for a school can be a very expensive exercise. With some headsets requiring upwards of $3000+ / student, budget is always a big concern. However, based on your requirements considered in points 1, 2 and 3, you may find that using something as simple as ‘Google Cardboard’ (where students would use their own smart phones to access VR) or an ‘Oculus Go’ for a bit more refined/immersive experience is sometimes more than sufficient. These are as low as $79-$369 for a top of the range Oculus Go (see image below of students using this product).

The important thing to know is that, whether you are in public, private, independent education – there is a solution to implement VR within your school one way or another!

What can we expect in VR in the near future within classrooms?

• Complete Virtual Classrooms. This is exciting…
• Self-Learning

This is why my team is always researching the latest tech in VR and creating (classroom ready) learning and development content for our hardworking teachers, around Australia! Help them grasp, understand and facilitate this valuable technology in shaping the future innovators of tomorrow.

VR Mastery with Inspired Education Australia - Video

Want to learn more? PM me and reach out.