1

Experiential learning with Virtual RealityVirtual RealityVREs

VREs by its immersive levels

Educational Objectives

Knowledge Acquisition Process

Experiential learning

Case Study

Immersion and Presence

Immersion and Transfer of Knowledge

Immersion & Presence for Educational Design

Learning Environments and VREs

2

Working definitions: VR

•A computer generated simulation of the real or imagined environment or world – Gaddis 1998

•A monolithic icon for a complex network of ideas – Laurel 1993

•A presence simulation to user as an interface metaphor to a synthesised world - Gobetti and Scateni - 1998

•As a communication interface and as a communication medium

Riva 2001

3

Virtual Reality Categories

•Fully-immersive

•Semi-immersive

•Non-immersive Desktop

Projected

Multisensory special interfaces HMD

Provides multisensory, 3D learning experiences with real time feedback.

Levels of ownership are increased.

Information could be presented in different metaphors.

For the “closed loop” to be educational it needs an educational framework

4

Immersiveness and Presence

Presence

As the illusion of no mediation

Lombard&Ditton

By a context in which social actors may cooperate and communicate.

Riva Molinari Vincelli

Immediate feedback

Fidelity

Community interaction

More intuitive modes of high interaction

Naturalistic interface

Judgement of similarity

focus

Immersion tendencies

involvement

Interface expertise

VR User/s

5

Working definitions II Experiential Learning

An active process in which meaning is developed on the basis

of experience – O’ Neill – 1998

As a constructive process in which the learner is building an internal representation of knowledge, a personal interpretationof experience –Bednar 1991

A multisensory approach to learning that happens nearly all the time, strongly related to communication and social interactions.

A socially mediated process which implies the active construction of meaning - Gaskin Elliot 1999

6

Educational Objectives

•Cognitive developments

•Psychomotor skills

•Socialization

• Identity construction• Personal developments• Emotional developments• Ethical guidelines

•Physical abilities•Coordination•Interfaces expertise

•Writing, Reading,Mathematical skills,etc. •Concepts and generalizations•INFORMATION PROCESSING

•Conceptual frames•Schemes

7

Knowledge acquisition Process

Apprehending phase

Acquisition phase

Storage Phase

Retrieval phase

Transfer of knowledge

Engendered with communication andSocial interaction in a contextual framework.

Gagne

1970

Connection process with the mental Network of ideas

Cognitive Strategies

Cognitive Styles

Metacognitive Strategies

ACTIVE PARTICIPATION

Effective Immersion ?

8

Immersive Tendencies and Transfer

Physical World

Knowledge acquisition process

Transfer of knowledge

User/sImmersivetendencies

Knowledge acquisition process

VREs

Transfer of knowledge

• Involvement• Focus• Concentration• Interface expertise

Presence as a “given”

Presence as a complex event

•On experiential basis

•Enhanced by an educational frames

•As a permanent “default” of experiencing

•Socially and institutionally mediated

9

Case StudyIncidences of subjective immersive tendencies in educational process mediated by VREs.

1st.ITQ2nd.Gaming Session3rd.Educational Activities

8 participants4M 4FUniversity students (21 – 33)

ITQ ( Witmer)The Sims ( Simulation Game)Educational Activity

Method

Materials

Participants

Subject

10

Case Study Analysis ITQ scores Gaming session behaviours ( video data analised)Knowledge and reflections from the educational activities.

Immersive subjective tendencies Metacommets / indexical terms Discourse of educational value

2d non immersive VRESimulation Open Ended Free Will Avatars Identity construction Ethical Dilemmas Decision MakingNetworked realityVirtual conversation

The Sims® by Electronic Art

11

Case Study: Dilemmatic Conflicts & Metacomments

 

•Rationale for money “I had to buy everything.” M,21

•Rationale for money: “This game is the consuming mania.” M, 25

(Incomes) “Go a find a job, lazy woman.” F, 23

“Find a job.” F, 27

•Social Relationship “ I thought they were married.” M, 21“Oh, no more visitors…” M, 24”So, they don’t know each other?” F, 20

•Spatial dilemmas “Where is the living-room ?” M, 33

“It’s too small” F, 20

•Knowledge and skills “I do need a computer, but I don’t have space” F, 20“They need books” F, 29

•Private Property “They are inside in my room, my house, my home.” M, 21

“I hate when they go into the house like this, it ‘s impolite.” M, 25

12

Immersive tendencies

Interface ExpertiseFidelity of the VREs

Meaning Constructions

Enhance the feeling of

presence

Identity Construction

Authorship

Social Interactions

Condition for the experiential quality in

learning process

Condition to effective transference of

knowledge

Case Study: Educational discourse

13

Learning Environments and VREs• Should provide multiple versionsof reality, thereby representing the Natural complexity of the world.

• VREs can provide multiple versions of reality, also add different sensorialOr conditional settings in those realities(e.g.. Low gravity condition., etc)

• Should focus on knowledge construction rather than reproduction

• LEs should present authentic task

• VREs allows for authorship in the representations that the userCreates with interaction with the Env. It could be see as tool to create a representation coded by interactions

• VREs can provide authentic task knowledge developments as a toolFor teleoperations and as simulators

• LEs should provide real world, case based learning

• VREs can provides fully immersive environments and in doing so it promoteto arise the sense of presence.

14

Learning Environments and VREs• LEs should focus on reflective practice

• VREs can provide in association withAI an educational framework to generatesComparative models about problemsolving methods

• LEs should facilitate context andcontent dependent knowledge construction

• LEs should support collaborative construction of knowledge, rather Than encourage competition amongLearners for recognition

• The needs of “creating community” is a priority in VREs and it is improved by framing the VREs as a CMC

• VREs as CMC is developed in order toallow user interactions and utterances tobe presence enough to reach the goal of learning, and an educational framework deliver by a tutor ( human or AI ) coulddirect users participation to the target of generating discourse of educational value.

15

Case Study: Immersion & Presence for Educational Design

Immersive Subjective Tendencies

•Individual Tendencies•Involvement•Focus

•Disconnection from external distractors • Previous immersive situations

Witmer and Singer, 1996

Effective Immersion

Cronin, 1997

• As a required ability

• Control attention and focus

• Exclusion of interferences from the outside world.

Presence as sensory exp.

Presence as a result of psychosocial interactions

Riva, 2001

As a crucial theory frame to design VREs with educational aims