Teaching Physics Using Social Collaborative Virtual Reality Environments

Lee Armstrong, University of Kent

Using social virtual reality (VR) to engage and teach students in physics education is an uncharted territory. ConVRse, a VR social platform I've been developing, is designed to fill this void. It fosters collaborative learning in custom virtual environments, creating an exciting learning journey for students.

Platform Overview

  • Development: Over the past three years, I've dedicated my efforts to crafting ConVRse — a VR social platform tailored towards education.
  • Engine Details: ConVRse operates on the Unity Game Engine, ensuring seamless experiences across various platforms, from desktop to VR.

Key Features

  • Cross-Platform: ConVRse's cross-platform compatibility enables access from desktops, VR, and standalone VR, allowing for collaborative learning.
  • Immersive Interaction: Users can create unique avatars and environments, and engage in real-time collaboration with peers, facilitating interactive group learning.
  • Scripting Possibilities: ConVRse incorporates scripting for custom experiences — ideal for simulating physics experiments or enabling user interaction with the environment.

Upcoming Research

In my upcoming master's year, I plan to investigate the impact of ConVRse in physics education. The focus may include:

  • Comparing Traditional vs Virtual Reality Labs: Exploring whether social VR labs are as effective as traditional labs and if social interaction enhances knowledge retention.
  • Planting a seed of Engagement: Recognising VR's potential to ignite curiosity and engagement, potentially making complex topics like how the Large Hadron Collider functions more exciting and accessible.

Advantages

  • Enhanced Knowledge Retention: VR offers engaging visualizations and demonstrations, helping build connections between theoretical concepts and real-world applications.
  • Bridge to Abstract Concepts: VR can recreate tangible connections similar to real-world demonstrations, aiding understanding, especially for abstract content.
  • Distance is not a barrier: The use of VR allows students and educators to collaborate together in ConVRse from any location without the limit of distance.

Hypothesis

My hypothesis is that the immersive and social nature of ConVRse will lead to heightened engagement, improved knowledge retention, and a greater passion for learning.

Overall, the goal is not primarily for the students to learn, but to get excited about learning the material in the subject. Therefore they will be more engaged in the traditional teaching methods.

Applications in other disciplines

Some ideas consist of:
  • Physics & Chemistry: Labs and Experiments
  • Computer Science: Programming and 3D Modelling
  • Psychology: Researching psychological Scenarios
  • Medicine: Training for dangerous procedures
  • Forensics science: Crime scenes training

Stepping Beyond Education

  • Assessments: VR environments can be used for assessments, allowing educators to review tasks and student understanding.
  • Sharing Experiences: Easily share VR experiences to foster discussions and collaboration.

Explore ConVRse's potential for transforming physics education and beyond. I hope I've given an exciting glimpse of what is to come on the ConVRse platform.

Thank you for joining me on this journey!