Virtual Reality mediated instruction and learning
Michael Melatti, Kyle J. Johnsen · 2017
Several prominent media theories support the use of Virtual Reality (VR) in education, however, there are few examples to draw from due to barriers in implementation. Current generation, mainstream virtual reality systems have largely removed these barriers, allowing for evaluations to now take place. The focus of this research is to identify the opportunities of VR interfaces with respect to how students learn challenging spatial concepts, and to discover what computer mediated communication in VR looks like in a classroom or lecture setting. In this study, we designed the VR software tools which instructors could use to develop their own style of lecture. This paper follows the development process and the pivotal discoveries that led to the refined design modifications and implementation of our application called "VR Classroom". The results of the study provide a viable tool for instructors to create lectures in VR. The results also raised questions about how students could better learn in VR, how future technologies could solve these questions, and how the VR tool will grow in the teaching community.