Experimental study on consumer-technology supported authentic immersion in virtual environments for education and vocational training
Despite significant and rapid technology improvements, educators have frequently failed to make use of the new opportunities to create more authentic learning scenarios. Virtual worlds offer an attractive proposition to create 3D representations of real business environments to provide an authentic...
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| Format: | Conference Paper |
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Otago Polythecnic
2014
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| Online Access: | https://app.box.com/s/016cdyv8dq1pp0yhp1vw#/s/016cdyv8dq1pp0yhp1vw/2/2704865198/23032569800/1?&_suid=1419299757775013498089491340942 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/2778 |
| _version_ | 1848744045645398016 |
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| author | Reiners, Torsten Wood, L. Gregory, S. |
| author2 | B Hegarty |
| author_facet | B Hegarty Reiners, Torsten Wood, L. Gregory, S. |
| author_sort | Reiners, Torsten |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Despite significant and rapid technology improvements, educators have frequently failed to make use of the new opportunities to create more authentic learning scenarios. Virtual worlds offer an attractive proposition to create 3D representations of real business environments to provide an authentic learning activity for higher education students to take part in. However, the controls and displays are still clunky and unnatural, reducing the opportunity for students to immerse themselves in the event and focus on experiential learning. To overcome this challenge we examine the role of using a headset display that allows the user to change perspective with a flick of the head, improving their ability to ‘feel’ part of the environment, and thus increase their immersion in the activities that they are engaged in through more realistic control and improved perspective in the virtual environment. A series of experiments are conducted comparing the technology to established technologies and the level of control exerted by the learner (e.g., they either ‘control’ or they ‘passively observe’ as someone else controls). These experiments provide evidence that consumer-technology can improve immersion and equip educators with an affordable instrument to present classes that learners ‘take more seriously’. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T05:55:13Z |
| format | Conference Paper |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-2778 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T05:55:13Z |
| publishDate | 2014 |
| publisher | Otago Polythecnic |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-27782023-02-13T08:01:36Z Experimental study on consumer-technology supported authentic immersion in virtual environments for education and vocational training Reiners, Torsten Wood, L. Gregory, S. B Hegarty J McDonald S.-K. Locke Gartner’s Hype Cycle Second Life virtual worlds Despite significant and rapid technology improvements, educators have frequently failed to make use of the new opportunities to create more authentic learning scenarios. Virtual worlds offer an attractive proposition to create 3D representations of real business environments to provide an authentic learning activity for higher education students to take part in. However, the controls and displays are still clunky and unnatural, reducing the opportunity for students to immerse themselves in the event and focus on experiential learning. To overcome this challenge we examine the role of using a headset display that allows the user to change perspective with a flick of the head, improving their ability to ‘feel’ part of the environment, and thus increase their immersion in the activities that they are engaged in through more realistic control and improved perspective in the virtual environment. A series of experiments are conducted comparing the technology to established technologies and the level of control exerted by the learner (e.g., they either ‘control’ or they ‘passively observe’ as someone else controls). These experiments provide evidence that consumer-technology can improve immersion and equip educators with an affordable instrument to present classes that learners ‘take more seriously’. 2014 Conference Paper http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/2778 https://app.box.com/s/016cdyv8dq1pp0yhp1vw#/s/016cdyv8dq1pp0yhp1vw/2/2704865198/23032569800/1?&_suid=1419299757775013498089491340942 Otago Polythecnic fulltext |
| spellingShingle | Gartner’s Hype Cycle Second Life virtual worlds Reiners, Torsten Wood, L. Gregory, S. Experimental study on consumer-technology supported authentic immersion in virtual environments for education and vocational training |
| title | Experimental study on consumer-technology supported authentic immersion in virtual environments for education and vocational training |
| title_full | Experimental study on consumer-technology supported authentic immersion in virtual environments for education and vocational training |
| title_fullStr | Experimental study on consumer-technology supported authentic immersion in virtual environments for education and vocational training |
| title_full_unstemmed | Experimental study on consumer-technology supported authentic immersion in virtual environments for education and vocational training |
| title_short | Experimental study on consumer-technology supported authentic immersion in virtual environments for education and vocational training |
| title_sort | experimental study on consumer-technology supported authentic immersion in virtual environments for education and vocational training |
| topic | Gartner’s Hype Cycle Second Life virtual worlds |
| url | https://app.box.com/s/016cdyv8dq1pp0yhp1vw#/s/016cdyv8dq1pp0yhp1vw/2/2704865198/23032569800/1?&_suid=1419299757775013498089491340942 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/2778 |