In their first Teacher article, Curriculum Designer Dr Susan O’Donnell and Project Manager Adrian Rayner at VR Learning & Design Hub, Cairns Southern Corridor, gave an overview of virtual reality (VR) technology, its use over the decades in several industries, and its growing popularity in schools. In this follow-up they discuss the essential elements of a successful VR program in education.
The year 2019 was a milestone for three Education Queensland secondary schools in the Southern Corridor of Cairns; when the principals of Bentley Park College, Gordonvale State High School and Woree State High School agreed to work together to harness VR’s potential for enhancing student engagement in learning. And so, the ‘Cairns Southern Corridor Virtual Reality Curriculum program’ was born!
A synergetic partnership of technology and education ‘know-how’ is a feature of the team that has taken on the mission. The goals of the VR Project are unequivocal:
- To support young people to reach their potential in a global technological world;
- To develop them as 21st Century learners and great Virtual Citizens with the skills and competencies needed for the realities of employment, now and into the future;
- To help teachers develop confident skills in using VR in an Immersive Pedagogy;
- To develop and produce world-class curriculum aligned software and resources.
This is a team prepared to take a chance, face the risks and learn by doing. By critically reflecting on experience and learning through trial and error, we have created concepts and processes that are essential elements of our Immersive Pedagogy framework.
Early into the work, we realised that the VR experience was about more than engagement. After all, a good movie and a few snacks would engage most students quite happily … but it’s not learning! VR cannot be an outcome in itself but needs to be a tool that creates meaningful, authentic and integrated learning opportunities when fully embedded with the curriculum. It should not become merely a fun activity, a thrill or a novelty: ‘It should be pointed out that VR is no silver bullet: we must be wary of the tempting novelty of technology and its initial hype’ (Hu-Au & Lee, 2017).
In short, it’s all about the learning!
The $64,000 question of course is – How do we make that happen?
Five pillars of success
Right place, right space
We believe that there are several features that work together to create a successful VR learning-centred space. Whilst mobile VR technology has its merits, a dedicated learning place can become an integrated valued asset within the school, a familiar stimulating space for teachers and students alike.
A complex VR set-up process can deter those with limited background in technology. Our hardware choices are made for their easy-to-use features. Our software design is primarily shaped by the context of education, encouraging and supporting learners (including teachers!). Our one-click VR launch is appreciated, as is our straightforward software controller instructions. Students quickly take on board a rule that is consistently reinforced across all modules that ‘if it’s yellow, you control it!’.
Safety is non-negotiable. All software has a standardised visual and audio safety barrier that flags when a student strays out of the VR interactive learning zone. Developing our own software allows us to address common VR issues like motion sickness by ensuring consistently high frame rates. We also omit the use of locomotion that traditionally moves the user to the content and, instead, we bring content to the student. Prior to VR use, students learn My Behaviour in Virtual Reality protocols to ensure their safety and the safety of others.
By educators, for education
Our learning program is developed by educators for education. Home-grown, it is built on educators’ understanding of the unique context of schools. Whilst good commercial VR products are available, our program is fully informed by and embedded in the Australian Curriculum, its priorities, processes and content. As Christine Youngblut observes: ‘The pedagogy is not embedded in the virtual world but provided by means of associated textual materials’ (Youngblut, 1998).
VR works best when used in conjunction with a Guided Inquiry-based approach to learning which ‘allows learners to explore, discover, and discuss ideas to come up with meaningful information’ (Yahaya, 2006). Students need to have the freedom to direct their own learning, the opportunity to think, problem-solve and explore at their own pace; to discover the unexpected, to take risks, and to learn through trial and error. In short, they need to be free to engage wherever they are or wherever they choose to be in their learning. After all, teaching is an intent but the student is the agent of learning.
Towards immersion
Our program provides a range of interconnected standalone activities which reflect and embed the unit-wide nature of the VR software. Students rotate through centres of interest (stations) set up around the learning space, including the VR immersive experience.
Worksheets provide focus, challenge and choice in an overall sense but particularly in the VR learning zone; problem-solving tasks for students in collaborative and dynamic interaction with partners, ‘taking turns to guide the interaction, record observations or experience the virtual world’ (Youngblut, 1998). The outcome is an immersive learning experience which caters for varying abilities, interests and strengths, opening up the potential for successful development of knowledge, understanding and skill.
Setting up for success
An impediment to innovation is often teacher anxiety about subsequent demands on time, workload and energy. In response, we have produced ready-for-use learning materials providing everything a teacher might need. This includes an Australian Curriculum Alignment map, software specifically designed for Australian Curriculum units, and a comprehensive range of student learning materials.
Currently, 18 fully completed VR modules are available for use in Years 7-10, covering units in English, Humanities, Science, Maths, Health and PE and Music, with many more on the ‘drawing board’. They have a flexibility that caters for different class sizes, abilities (especially in literacy), behavioural challenges, individual learning entry points, needs and interests. The inclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures is a priority.
Teachers who feel technologically inadequate or challenged by the change of role from instructor to facilitator may shy away from the introduction of VR in their teaching. The provision of professional development is vital. Building up teacher skill and confidence increases the likelihood that their students will have a rich meaningful VR experience. To this end, we provide a wide range of professional development opportunities to support staff.
Productive partnerships
Our work has been significantly enhanced by the productive partnerships established with school leaders, Heads of Departments and teachers. We have valued teacher insights, wisdom and content knowledge in the design process. Thanks to them, the VR project has been acknowledged by being named as Regional Winner of the Education Queensland Showcase 2021 Awards for Excellence in Schools. This article is dedicated to all of those colleagues (they know who they are) who have generously walked this journey with us.
Stay tuned: The final article in this series will explore the positive impact that the use of virtual reality in education has made on student learning and engagement in schools in the Cairns Southern Corridor.
References
Hu-Au, E., & Lee, J. J. (2017). Virtual reality in education: a tool for learning in the experience age. International Journal of Innovation in Education, 4(4), 215-226.
Yahaya, R. A. (2006, July). Assessing the effectiveness of virtual reality technology as part of an authentic learning environment. In Sixth IEEE International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies (ICALT'06) (pp. 262-264). IEEE. 10.1109/ICALT.2006.1652420 Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/224638666_Assessing_the_Effectiveness_of_Virtual_Reality_Technology_as_part_of_an_Authentic_Learning_Environment
Youngblut, C. (1998.). Educational Uses of Virtual Reality Technology. Retrieved from https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Educational-Uses-of-Virtual-Reality-Technology.-Youngblut/dd4aea86abe7e279d7e2005ebba0b4fe1a4bcf8a
As a leader, when you introduce a new piece of technology into your school, year level or faculty programs, how do you set up for success? How do you build the confidence and skills of teachers and students in using this technology? Do you provide ongoing opportunities for training and professional development?
