Introduction
Student Engagement and success in the classroom are inevitably tied together (Keller and Deimann, 2018). Shenandoah University has harnessed the power of active engagement through Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and Role-Playing at their Center for Immersive Learning (SCiL). Shenandoah’s revolutionary use of these technologies has proven successful for students, educators, and the workforce. Their experiential film, An Atmosphere of Hate (Shenandoah University, 2018), combines multiple elements of emerging technologies and methodologies in an immersive educational experience. Likewise, their Augmented Reality Chamber (ARC) facilitates interactive training in a virtual environment, bridging the gap between individuals in various locations around the globe. While this appears exclusive to Shenandoah University, these tools are accessible to all learners. The SCiL’s model for creating and incorporating virtual environments, interactive digital tools, and active engagement is a doorway to the next generation of learners and innovative learning.
Virtual Reality in the Classroom
Virtual Reality has been around for nearly four decades (Dede, 2009). While it is not a new technology, the incorporation of virtual reality into the learning environment serves positively to fulfill the major principles of constructivism in education: learning through meaningful experience, learning through problem solving, and learning through social engagement (Wilson, 2018). Virtual Reality simulates the real and imagined stimuli of a given environment and scenario to fully incorporate the user. J.J. Ruscella, Executive Director of the SCiL, states that immersive experience is the key to getting students excited about learning (Shenandoah University, 2020a). The SCiL fully realizes the value of total immersion through the creation of historically based and socially conscious 360-degree experiential films. These projects include—but are not limited to—An Atmosphere of Hate (Shenandoah University, 2018), 18th Century Constitutional Convention Debates (Shenandoah University, 2020a), and The Virtual City (Shenandoah University, 2020b). The SCiL has also created immersive virtual experiences for emergency response training and nurses. According to Mian Sattar (et al, 2020), in their separate study on motivating medical students, all of their simulations resulted in higher levels of engagement and success when virtual reality was utilized. The use of virtual reality—at SCiL and beyond—creates an environment of collaboration, risk taking and problem-solving, and leads to higher levels of competence (Sattar, et al, 2020; Shenandoah University, 2020a).
Role-playing and Active Engagement
Active engagement in problem solving leads to greater understanding and success for the learner (Wilson, 2018). Through the Role Player Workforce (RPW), the SCiL sets educators and learners up for success by implementing role-playing throughout the virtual experience: that is, experiential 360 degree videos and immersive augmented reality realms are populated by trained actors for the benefit of trainees in a variety of fields (Shenandoah University, 2018). This unique arm of the SCiL trains actors and designers to develop real-life and simulated scenarios for nurse training, first responders and law enforcement, and these fields are just the beginning (Shenandoah University, 2018). The benefits are numerous: students serving as role-players learn new skills specific to virtual performance; trainees engage in immersive experiences on a physical, intellectual, critical and social level (Shenandoah University, 2018; Keller and Deimann, 2018); and program designers receive immediate and continuous feedback for program improvement. Moreover, the role-playing virtual experiences encourage creative problem solving, a proven beneficial outcome of other immersive training modules like Second Life (Uribe Larach and Cabra, 2010).
Virtual Storytelling and Engagement
One of the main vehicles for engagement employed at the SCiL is storytelling (Shenandoah University, 2018). Each 360-degree virtual experience starts with a scripted story and seamlessly integrates the user as a character in that story. For instance, An Atmosphere of Hate, a virtual experience simulating a diner sit-in from the Civil Rights Movement, places the user in the seat of an African American peaceful protester. From this perspective, the participant experiences angry customers and workers all around them. As the participant turns around or shifts their view, new characters are introduced. This full immersion elicits an emotional response—participants don’t passively view the story; they feel and live the story personally. This deep connection to the educational experience is engaging, motivating, and results in higher understanding (Tavernise and Bertacchini, 2016).
SCiL’s success in storytelling comes from the student writers and directors. According to J.J. Ruscella, the writers and directors create scripts for the simulation that incorporate multiple surrounding perspectives (Shenandoah University, 2018). This shift allows actors to anticipate the user experience from all angles rather than their own perspective. The students involved in the authentic creation of immersive experiences fully own their experience (Keller and Deimann, 2018).
Conclusion
Shenandoah University’s Center for Immersive Learning (SCiL) is an innovative example of emerging technology meeting ingenuity in education. The SCiL’s goal is to engage participants using a variety of technologies and delivery systems. Through virtual reality 360 experiences, the Role Player Workforce (RPW), and their Augmented Reality Chamber (ARC), SCiL is pioneering new ways of approaching training, the field of performance, and immersive student engagement.
As technology continues to evolve and become more readily available, the SCiL anticipates more and more interaction in virtual environments. Anyone with a cellphone can access content created by SCiL; those with access to virtual reality headsets can go even deeper. Grab your device and dive in.
References
Dede, C. (2009). Introduction to Virtual Reality in Education. Themes in Science and Technology Education, 2(1–2), 7–9. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ1131323&site=ehost-live
Keller, J.M. & Deimann, M. (2018). Motivation, volition, and performance. In R.A. Reiser, & J.V Dempsey (Eds.), Trends and issues in instructional design and technology (4th ed.) (pp. 78-86). New York, NY: Pearson
Sattar, M. U., Palaniappan, S., Lokman, A., Shah, N., Khalid, U., & Hasan, R. (2020). Motivating Medical Students Using Virtual Reality Based Education. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning, 15(2), 160–174. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v15i02.11394
Shenandoah University (Producer). (2018, January 11). An Atmosphere of Hate. [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.su.edu/scil/
Shenandoah University (Producer). (2020a). Constitutional Convention Debates. [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.su.edu/scil/projects/constitutional-convention-debates/
Shenandoah University (Producer). (2020b). The Virtual City. [Website]. Retrieved from https://www.su.edu/scil/projects/the-virtual-city/
Tavernise, A., & Bertacchini, F. (2016). Learning through Drama: Guidelines for Using Storytelling and Virtual Theatres in Classrooms. Journal of Education Research, 10(2), 163–174. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=124123938&site=ehost-live
Uribe Larach, D., & Cabra, J. F. (2010). Creative Problem Solving in Second Life: An Action Research Study. Creativity & Innovation Management, 19(2), 167–179. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8691.2010.00550.x
Wilson, B. (2018). Constructivism for Active, Authentic Learning. In R.A. Reiser, & J.V Dempsey (Eds.), Trends and issues in instructional design and technology (4th ed.) (pp. 61-67). New York, NY: Pearson
Virtual Reality and Roleplaying at the Shenandoah Center for Immersive Learning (SCiL)
Aroused due to a perceived gap in current knowledge/ Meaningfully Related to Goals
Students from the history and drama departments at Shenandoah University collaborated to create an immersive historical reenactment of a 1960s lunch counter sit-in. Everyone involved had a hand in the success of the “film” or immersive experience and had some connection to the success of the project. The first video describing how the project came about, who was involved, and what it was could not have prepared me for the awkward, ratchet, beauty that was the answer to the question; Who do we need? What do we need? How do we need to do this…
Virtual Reality and Roleplaying use in the Shenandoah Center for Immersive Learning (SCiL) has several benefits to students. It increases student engagement, it increases motivation to learn, and it increases long-term learning.
Student Engagement
The way that Shenandoah using Virtual Reality (VR) is a little different than what people often associate the idea of VR with. VR is often thought of as a tool where the “player” creates action and sees a corresponding response in the virtual world. While this is exciting and engaging, the research available for how it benefits learners is still limited.
SCiL uses VR in a similar way that cinema is used. Cinema or film to enhance learning has a long history of increasing engagement. With…
Immersive learning
SCiL uses augmented reality and virtual reality as a tool that educators can utilize to engage their audience. It takes the learning environment to a new level. Immersive learning allows teachers to collaborate with other professionals in a way that is new to the educational platform. By designing an interactive learning environment that is conductive to learners who can interact with their learning environment. It is no secret that traditional classroom has a new meaning with the use of technology in the classroom.
Creative approach
Educators have always looked for new ways to create an engaging learning environment. Immersive learning provides educators with a creative solution for asynchronous learning in real time teaching. It has the potential to…
Peer Response by Dave Kobliska
Twenty-five years ago, I was unwittingly involved in a research study on virtual reality (VR) at the Walt Disney resorts in Orlando, Florida. While waiting in line for another attraction, the group of young people I was with was approached by a park worker and asked if we’d be interested in trying out a new “ride” they were developing. It turned out to be a prototype for Aladdin’s Magic Carpet Ride under development by a team of Imagineers including the late Randy Pausch. In true Disney style, they were not so much interested in showcasing an innovative new technology as they were in exploring its power for storytelling (Pausch et al., 1996). The SCiL project…
Virtual Reality and Roleplaying at the Shenandoah Center for Immersive Learning (SCiL)
Peer response by Tyla Bowers
Virtual reality has probably gotten a bad rap over the years when compared to how addicting it has proven among young people. This blog post, however, sheds new light on the advancements made in virtual reality and the possibilities of a future where roleplaying becomes a virtual teaching tool. I was very surprised to learn that VR has been around for 40 years. The concept of virtual reality as a motivational tool for training and teaching make the case for its staying power as a viable form of technology. It addresses the concept that motivation is promoted when a learner’s curiosity is aroused…