Immersive Interaction for Education with Holograms on the Tilt5 Table

Over the last five years, there has been a surge in the number of devices available in the virtual reality and augmented reality space (Brown, 2022). Several products have been launched and the volume of options is reminiscent of the period during the mass adoption of smartphones (Trifunović & Mitrović, 2018). The hope is that with the increase in competition, the technology would become more affordable, even to those in low-income communities. The popularity of the “Metaverse” within the last two years has brought the virtual worlds and associated technologies more into the spotlight (Balica, Majerová, & Cuțitoi, 2022). While there is finally great recognition of the AR/VR sector, some innovators are already moving on to the next logical step, which is Holograms. This technology has not been formally added to the instructional designer’s toolkit. While for the last two years, this author has been researching the technology of Euclideon Holographics, now rebranded Axiom Holographics (Axiom Holographics, 2022); we will be focused on the Tilt5 Table (Tilt Five, Inc., 2022) for this Case Study.

Figure 1 Introducing the Tilt5 Table (Tilt5, 2021)

Autonomous Extrinsic Motivation

Reiser and Dempsey (2017), spoke about the importance of motivation and distinguished between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. While the industry recognizes that intrinsic motivation is preferable, it is not always possible (Peters, 2013). What the instructor must do in those situations is to seek to include some factors that facilitate what is termed Autonomous Extrinsic Motivation. The Tilt5 Table can offer multiple motivational factors to the learner. Autonomous motivation is where the learner can decide how they engage and learn. The learner is allowed to follow their path to understanding and retaining the content (Peters, 2013). The Tilt5 is a marvelous tool to facilitate this type of interaction on the part of the learner. Specifically, because it was intended for use in gaming, the table provides not only great visual fidelity but also six degrees of freedom capable controllers. This would allow learners a highly interactive and thus engaging experience utilizing visuals, audio, and physical interaction via the vibration (haptic) feedback in the wand (controller). That self-regulatory behavior required to interact with the program and complete the task assigned is a great volition strategy that is easily facilitated by this medium (Reiser & Dempsey, 2017).

Affective versus Cognitive

The Tilt5 facilitates instructional designers to take full advantage of multiple educational psychology principles within one activity. Effectively combining the affective domain which consists of the emotional factors surrounding motivation, with the “non-cognitive” motivational factors that also impact motivation (Reiser & Dempsey, 2017, p. 79). The non-cognitive factors typically include the external motivations discussed before, along with others such as social influences, which may be the joy found in being part of a new trend. It may also be the feeling of inclusion from being an integral part of group activity and working directly with others. This brings up the ability to apply Engeström's Activity Model (Róg, 2017), as discussed by Dr. Deason in our week three live session (Deason, 2022). The Tilt5 table can effectively combine all the elements to move the learner to their intended objective and achieve the expected outcome. This is done by providing the medium which allows the instructor to give the learner the tools they need in a structured setting with formalized rules and by dividing the tasks between the group of participant learners so that they must work together towards achieving the objective in a fun and interactive manner(Bicjutko & Goba-Medne, 2020).

Figure 2 Engeström's Activity Theory Model (Gao & Gurd, 2019)

Learner Task Mastery

When learners believe that they would eventually complete a task successfully they are internally driven to pursue that goal. That internal or intrinsic motivation to continue is one of the best forms of learner engagement (Reiser & Dempsey, 2017). This type of engagement has a much higher potential for success than the carrot or stick options typically offered by extrinsic motivational factors (Peters, 2013). The Tilt5 takes full advantage of the gamification element which would allow designers and instructors to capture the curiosity and then full attention of the learners, while also instilling in them the belief that they can complete the tasks assigned, aided by their peers (Hamari, Hassan, & Dias, 2018). The ability to repeat an activity continuously would allow learners to do two critical things, firstly build confidence and secondly, eventually master that skill (Greene, 2012). Having students who have mastered the curriculum being taught is the dream of every instructor and one that is easily achievable utilizing the Tilt5 technology.

Conclusion and Justification

Major factors for implementing any technological additions to the toolset of educators are the ease of access, ease of use, and costs associated with the technology. Holographic technology has traditionally been the domain of corporate, governmental, and military organizations due to the high cost of the systems as well as the complex design process for the programs. Recently, the Microsoft HoloLens (Microsoft, 2022) has sought to make the technology more accessible to the education sector, but this cost is still far outside the reach of many institutions. The Tilt5 solution was designed with the intention of use in gaming and is thus priced to compete with game consoles. What makes it more impressive is that it offers the quality and visual fidelity of computer-based VR but can do so connected to a mobile phone. This means that they can be afforded by the average household and easily by educational institutions (Tilt Five, Inc., 2022). When it comes to the ease of use, apart from there being Tilt5-associated developers everywhere, I will end with a quote from a user, “Tilt Five® was easier to get up and running than SteamVR or unity's native AR tools. T5 documentation and examples are clear concise and comprehensive. - Steve Worrall,” (Tilt Five, Inc., 2022).

References

Axiom Holographics. (2022). Education. Retrieved from AxiomHolographics.com: https://axiomholographics.com/industries/education/

Balica, R.-Ş., Majerová, J., & Cuțitoi, A.-C. (2022). Metaverse Applications, Technologies, and Infrastructure: Predictive Algorithms, Real-Time Customer Data Analytics, and Virtual Navigation Tools. Linguistic & Philosophical Investigations, 219-235. doi:https://doi-org.oclc.fullsail.edu/10.22381/lpi21202214

Bicjutko, T., & Goba-Medne, L. (2020, July). English Language Policy in Relation to Teachers and Teacher Educators in Latvia: Insights from Activity Systems Analysis. Acta Paedagogica Vilnensia, 45, 60-76. doi:https://doi-org.oclc.fullsail.edu/10.15388/ActPaed.45.4

Brown, R. (2022). VR Compare. Retrieved from VR-Compare.com: https://vr-compare.com/

Deason, C. (2022, August). IDT520 "Strategies for Learner Engagement" - Week 3. Retrieved from FullSail.Zoom.us: https://fullsail.zoom.us/rec/play/tvI5mPnHt_T56NCYe0WHXAO9CHsPHYypAEiVn_NanzTZk-EMWNxfZjr7ZrZpiaZFZEFinOFnPQZdq9Ul.53vcNpHegu4mkfWe?continueMode=true&_x_zm_rtaid=or-JUSFWQYiLvep9z8ji6Q.1660837374177.5eb95a086b8b6169df28d9819d3fb00b&_x_zm_rhtaid=670

Gao, T., & Gurd, B. (2019). Organizational Issues for the Lean Success in China: Exploring a Change Strategy for Lean Success. BMC Health Services Research, 19(1), 1-11. doi:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-019-3907-6

Greene, R. (2012). Mastery. USA: Penguin.

Hamari, J., Hassan, L., & Dias, A. (2018, March). Gamification, quantified-self or social networking? Matching users’ goals with motivational technology. User Modeling & User-Adapted Interaction, 28(1), 35-74. doi:https://doi-org.oclc.fullsail.edu/10.1007/s11257-018-9200-2

Microsoft. (2022). Microsoft HoloLens 2. Retrieved from Microsoft.com: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/hololens

Peters, D. (2013). Interface Design for Learning: Design Strategies for Learning Experiences. New Riders. Retrieved from https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/interface-design-for/9780133365481/

Reiser, R. A., & Dempsey, J. V. (2017). Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology (4th ed.). US: Pearson Education. Retrieved from VitalSource.com: https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/books/9780134237039

Róg, T. (2017, March). Cultural Noticing, Language Learning, and Sources of Tension During a Study Abroad Experience. Journal of Intercultural Communication(43), 1. Retrieved from https://search-ebscohost-com.oclc.fullsail.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ufh&AN=122748069&site=ehost-live

Tilt Five, Inc. (2022). The Tilt Five® Holographic Gaming System . Retrieved from Tiltfive.com: https://www.tiltfive.com/the-system

Tilt Five, Inc. (2022). Tilt Five® Developer Portal! Retrieved from TiltFive.com: https://www.tiltfive.com/developers

Tilt5. (2021, November 15th). Tilt Five - Gaming With Tabletop Holograms! Retrieved August 16th, 2022, from Youtube.com: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fzr-IeyWj40

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