VR Conference 2024
Second Durham Conference on using VR and AR in education
Heard about Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) in education and want to know more? If so, why not come and join us for a day of exploration and discussion about what VR and AR could mean for you.
In this second international meeting of those using virtual and augmented reality in Higher Education coordinated by the Education Lab at Durham Centre for Academic Practice, we’re seeking to continue our engagement with these emerging technologies. The success of the first conference highlighted people’s interest in what these technologies can achieve in learning and research, and to talk about what these could mean for their own practice. This conference is aimed at people who may be about to, or have only just taken, their first steps into exploring virtual reality and augmented reality and want to know more.
Details
- Date: 17th July 2024
- Times: 10am – 4pm
- Format: Online via Zoom
- Closing date for registration: 10th July 2024
Open to all inside and outside Durham
For any accessibility requirements or questions, please email mark.childs@durham.ac.uk.
About the conference
The conference will take place in Zoom, though delegates will have the opportunity to explore a virtual reality environment (either through a headset or through their laptop). The conference will comprise talks, discussions, and posters demonstrating a range of different research being undertaken at Durham and other universities. Joining instructions and a schedule will be emailed to delegates shortly before the event. We have capped this at 70 delegates, and the first conference was filled within a very short space of time, so don’t delay!
If you wish to present a poster at the conference, please contact mark.childs@durham.ac.uk.
Talks
Title: Hands on/Hands off: How Interactivity and Presence Affect Learning in Immersive VR
Speaker: Nicola Fern, Durham Centre for Academic Development, Durham University
Abstract:
Immersive VR (iVR) has great potential as an educational tool in HE; there are numerous studies investigating its use in education and how to extend or apply existing pedagogic approaches to the medium. There is broad agreement on the key affordances of iVR: immersion, interactivity, presence, agency and embodiment, however, as a fast-moving field both in terms of hardware capability and software features, there is confusion as to how to define or categorise iVR experiences. This results in difficulty comparing studies, as terms such as ‘highly interactive’ can mean anything from ‘able to complete an activity’ to ‘can walk around the environment’. Furthermore, the iVR material used in studies often lacks optimisation and specific design for interactivity – with minimal user input, awkward control systems or non-meaningful activities.
In this session, Nicola will discuss the methodology and results from the first study in her PhD, which explores the impact of this variance on learning outcomes in undergraduate participants by comparing a low-interaction iVR app with highly interactive iVR that meets the requirements of interactivity possible with today’s iVR hardware and software capabilities: intuitive control, congruity of action, meaningfulness of action and clear action-consequence. The mixed-methods approach taken compares quantitative measures related to the experiences of the fifteen participants, and further explores the issues through qualitative interviews with a selection of those participants.
Title: Immersive Virtual Reality in the classroom: how VR can be used as a tool for teaching History
Speaker: Emerald Grimshaw, Psychology, Durham University
Abstract:
Developments in Virtual Reality (VR) have given us the ability to create unique learning environments, including travelling back in time to visit Ancient Rome or exploring the stars millions of light years away. VR can provide an interactive, immersive and multisensory learning environment for children. However, there is an incomplete understanding of how the specific features of VR contribute to the success of an VR learning experience. In this talk, Emerald will briefly outline how VR has previously been utilised as an educational tool and then discuss the results from the first study of her PhD. In this study she explored how the inclusion of a dynamic soundscape contributes to learning, engagement and the feeling of presence (“being there”) within a historical VR experience set on the Silk Road 2,000 years ago looking at the experiences of 113 learners age 7-13 years.
Title: “You can’t take the bones home with you”: Using Virtual Reality for Inclusive Teaching in Biological Anthropology
Speaker: Trudi Buck, Department of Anthropology, Durham University
Abstract: Practical activities are a vital element of the teaching and learning experience in Biological Anthropology. The Durham Centre for Academic Development and the Anthropology department are collaborating on the development and use of digital technologies to provide realistic simulations for students who may not otherwise be able to access practical learning experiences. Following the Covid-19 pandemic a mixed reality (MX) mock crime scene was developed to provide crisis resistant and flexible online learning opportunities that also ensured accessibility for all learners. Positive student feedback on this resource stressed the benefit to neurodiverse students to be able to complete the activity at their own pace and take breaks as needed. As one student commented, “you can’t take the bones home with you.” This talk briefly outlines the ongoing assessment of the MX activity and the current project in developmental stage. The new project will produce a virtual reality app to teach students various osteology skills in a VR environment that both communicates a story related to a real archaeological dig site, and allows learners to develop skills outside the confines of the classroom. Included in the design rationale is the desire to provide neurodiverse students a safe and inclusive learning environment to practice in and that can support their needs. Drawing on design and development lessons learnt from these projects, whilst also demonstrating the potential for innovation, this presentation will highlight some of the decision-making requirements when creating online laboratory activities.
Title: Theatre in the Round
Speaker: Alistair Brown, Department of English Studies and James Youdale, Durham Centre for Academic Development, Durham University
Abstract: This talk shares findings from the ‘Theatre in the Round’ project, which sought to understand how 360 video, when experienced through virtual reality (VR) technology, might support higher education students to perceive critical issues in works of drama. Scholars in this emergent field have previously allowed viewers to observe dramatic action through a 360 camera on stage. However, this can also be disorienting, especially when viewed through VR devices; it puts the viewer amid the events rather than behind an imaginary fourth wall, and our reason for being there, and relation to the actors and play’s world, is uncertain. We sought to control this tension and make the experience more immersive by locating a 360 camera diegetically, giving the viewer a credible presence in a scene. In particular, we enabled students to occupy the point-of-view of the actors themselves. This created possibilities for students to compare various points-of-view on the same scene, stimulating literary-critical discussion. Our findings show that the positioning of a 360 camera to embody different points-of-view is pedagogically effective but resource intensive. This also stimulates reflection on the lack of conventions for talking about embodied spectatorship in 360/VR theatre, cinema and film.