Hello everyone!
Welcome to Week 8 of the A2 Opportunity forecasts.
For this week, Adam Turpin and I were assigned to explore immersive experiences. We focused on air traffic control training as a springboard to explore the current and future landscape of the use of immersive experiences.
There are 3 mini activities for you to interact with regarding our OER:
- Landing page: Brainstorm ideas about your first thoughts about air traffic control.
- Learning more about air traffic control training: Watch the 360 YouTube video and answer the comprehension questions provided.
- Discussion questions: After going through our OER, you can choose to answer at least one of the questions below.
Discussion questions: Please post your answeres in the comments section below. We also highly encourage you to expand on your peers’ contributions as we collect your responses.
- Immersive experiences and the use of virtual reality have the use to transport students almost anywhere and allow them to limitless experiences without leaving their classrooms. Think about where you are in your workplace. What specific examples can you think of where the use of virtual reality can be employed in your line of work?
- There is talk that, one day, all learning will take place within the “Metaverse”. What are some of the positive possibilities that can come with learning within a virtual learning space? What are some of the drawbacks? Please provided examples of both.
- In terms of training new air traffic controllers using simulators and eventually employing artificial intelligence in creating scenarios for training, what kind of situations can you think of that might be important for an air traffic controller to be familiar with?
- During the COVID – 19 pandemic, air travel was greatly reduced, which ultimately resulted in the adoption of simulators to train air traffic controllers in the absence of real experiences. Later on, organizations realized that simulators can actually create scenarios where new recruits are being trained for emergency situations. What are other professions where the use of immersive experiences may actually prove beneficial in training scenarios?
Here’s the link to our OER: https://sites.google.com/view/etec522airtrafficcontrol/home
We hope you learn something new from our OER. See you in the comments section below.
Happy reading,
Bianca and Adam
( 1 upvotes and 0 downvotes )
Hello Bianca and Adam. Thank you for your OER! First off, I liked how you used ATC to introduce your topic. It got me to think of my old training days as an Air Cadet Officer and how to figure out how to use the flight computer and watching my Cadets become pilots at the local flight school.
Q: In terms of training new air traffic controllers using simulators and eventually employing artificial intelligence in creating scenarios for training, what kind of situations can you think of that might be important for an air traffic controller to be familiar with?
A: I think some scenarios, other than poor weather conditions, an ATC should be familiar with would be the following:
– Hostage Take-Overs
– Low fuel approaches
– Dealing with Military Aircraft
– Dealing with Pilots who may be irritated from having to circle the airport because there are too many planes in a numbered sequence for both landing and taking off
– Vehicles or FOD on runways
Q: Immersive experiences and the use of virtual reality have the use to transport students almost anywhere and allow them to limitless experiences without leaving their classrooms. Think about where you are in your workplace. What specific examples can you think of where the use of virtual reality can be employed in your line of work?
A: As a Careers Teacher, I think that Virtual Reality could serve as a way to introduce students to career searching. It would be a fun experience for them to learn about their potential careers without leaving the classroom. Furthermore, it would be quite an immersive experience as it would take time to take and set up approx. 28 students with job placements they may or may not like.
Again, good job on the OER!
Jeremiah
Hi Jeremiah,
Oh wow, it’s good to know you did the air cadet officer training. For sure, all the scenarios you listed above about ATC being aware of are all valid. Dealing with vehicles and FOD on runways occur on a daily basis. One position in controlling from towers is called ground control and they have to coordinate with the airport staff to check the runway for FODs. We live in Canada and in the winter the airport crew has to constantly “sweep” the runways so that ice won’t pile up. Controllers have to make sure that nothing will be a collision hazard on the runways or taxiways.
With regards to your second contribution about your own practice, I never thought to VR being used in career searching. Is there anything in particular you’d like to see the students do when they do career searching in that medium? I was thinking of having them do certain tasks to see if they like the job or not.
Hi Bianca,
For career searching, I agree with having them do certain tasks but I would go further as to have a small interaction with an employer who would also give them feedback to give them some “real-world” interaction. This could also be done with AI or even through game-based learning. Not too sure how to expand on it more but going back to simplicity, it would again having the students do certain tasks.
Jeremiah
Thank you Bianca and Adam for your OER on immersive experiences, I liked how you used the specific example of air traffic controller to go through the topic. When I looked over the discussion questions #1 caught my eye.
1. Immersive experiences and the use of virtual reality have the use to transport students almost anywhere and allow them to limitless experiences without leaving their classrooms. Think about where you are in your workplace. What specific examples can you think of where the use of virtual reality can be employed in your line of work
in my job we train people in physical, operationally relevant skills that have the potential to be dangerous. There is research to suggest that training in scenarios that are contextually relevant right away can help with the retention and transfer of learning. Being able to have my learners be immersed in situations and environments they most likely will see in a controlled and safe way I think would be hugely beneficial. This paired with other things such as VR and simulations can make things as real as possible while still allowing learners to make mistakes and problem solve
Hi Meagan,
Thank you for contributing to our OER discussion. I’m curious if you’re allowed to share a little bit of the skills that you simulate. In a safety critical environment I agree that learners need enough practice to make mistakes and problem solve.
Another thing that I’m curious about is the amount of time that you and your team possibly spend building the simulation scenarios. In my experience, building simulation runs for learners takes time as Subject Matter Experts need to get involved and SME time is very limited as they need to be pulled out from operations. Maintaining the simulations is also a tricky thing. Does your organization have a separate team to maintain simulation or do you also get involved one way or another when maintaining simulation?
Hi Bianca
We use simulations for a number of skills including weapon systems and intermediate skills. We also use them in reintegration simulations, officer wellness and de-escalation scenarios.
Some of the simulations are created and maintained by the resource provider which saves us some time and manpower but a lot of the simulations are created within our training branch with a unit that is assigned to specific training. There are other agencies that have simulation and VR units where that is the only thing they work to create and maintain. We have other training mandates which leads to capacity issues putting restrictions on how much of our training can be created in this way. We try and use it as much as we can but do have to supplement with other training strategies to compensate for the things you mentioned. Hopefully we can continue to innovate and one day we will have a full time unit
Hi Meagan,
Thank you for replying to my question. I’ve recently been wondering how other organizations maintain their simulation. Being short staffed seems to be one of the recurring themes in operational staff. My organization maintains simulation runs internally so the work is quite a lot.
You’ve mentioned officer wellness as one of the skills being simulated. Could you briefly share a little bit more details about that simulation? This certainly caught my eye.
Yes seems resourcing is always an issue, maintaining your simulation runs would be a lot of work and man power especially if they are constantly changing as ours are.
In terms of officer wellness we have used it in our program where officers are reintegrated back to work after experiencing trauma as part of prolonged exposure therapy. The later part of the process is experiencing the scenario or situation again in a controlled environment which through time can help officers with PTSD.
Hi Bianca and Adam,
This was a very interesting and enjoyable way to approach your topic! Thanks for that!
Question: There is talk that one day, all learning will take place within the “Metaverse”. What are some of the positive possibilities that can come with learning within a virtual learning space? What are some of the drawbacks? Please provide examples of both.
The possibilities are massive! Accessibility and the ability to train larger numbers of students is potentially a game changer for fields that struggle to train enough individuals to meet demand. Students are able to engage with scenarios that may be too difficult or dangerous to teach without simulation. Students can also learn at a pace that may suit their situation and better enable them to accomplish their goals. Potential drawbacks include removing the human factor from situations and replacing it with digital scenarios that may not precisely be as realistic and unpredictable. For instance, analyzing a pilot’s performance using the metaverse may not take human reaction time into account.
Immersive experiences and the use of virtual reality have the use to transport students almost anywhere and allow them to limitless experiences without leaving their classrooms. Think about where you are in your workplace. What specific examples can you think of where the use of virtual reality can be employed in your line of work?
As a teacher, my workplace is precisely those classrooms you refer to. Specifically as a history teacher, the chance to have my students experience architectural wonders, historical locations, government scenarios and more are incredible opportunities.
Good Evening,
Thank you for your insights into our OER. I’m very glad you enjoyed it.
As a history teacher, I can only imagine the possibilities you would have in bringing in immersive experiences into your classroom. Using this kind of technology, there are literally no limits as to how you can immerse your students in their learning. The places you can go, the places in TIME you can visit.
I notice you talking about accessibility early on there. For me personally, that’s definitely something that I think the incorporation of immersive technologies can assist with. In my school, I deal with a number of students that struggle with methods of demonstrating their learning that they themselves may deem “inaccessible”. This definitely opens the door to some amazing ways of allowing more accessible methods of learning. And the fact that it can all be done in a safe manner, immersing them in the environment without leaving the safety of the classroom.
My biggest hope for you is that by seeing our OER and what kind of possibilities that it opens up, that it has peaked your interest to the point where, possibly, you may want to begin exploring methods of employing this into your curriculum and day-to-day instruction.
Hi Steve,
Just chimming in the discussion. I’m glad you enjoyed our OER! I do agree that the metaverse has limitations. We always have to keep in mind what we are simulating and if it improves the learning experience of the students. Having said that, I’m glad you mentioned how VR can be used in your history class. Now that we have the capability to see more details of historical locations and structures, how would you incorporate those into activities students can do in class? For example, I’m interested in architecture and I think that’s a good way to teach and examine how people from the past lived. Architecture can also touch on topics like social class and cultural motifs.
Hello Bianca and Adam,
Thank you for your opportunity forecast on immersive experiences this week. The following question seemed relevant to me as a dental hygiene instructor: What are other professions where the use of immersive experiences may actually prove beneficial in training scenarios? It’s interesting how different air traffic control training is from dental hygiene training, yet they can both benefit from common technology like immersive experiences.
The use of immersive experiences in dental hygiene may prove beneficial in training scenarios. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, dental hygiene students were not able to complete all the clinical requirements. Clinical requirements include hands-on skills performed in a clinical setting, either on mannikins, partners, or actual patients from the community. I believe that immersive experiences would have, at least partially, helped the students complete these requirements.
In the dental hygiene program that I teach in we attempted to implement the “DenTeach” technology last year. This technology is designed for students to experience, learn, and perfect dental techniques. We soon discovered that the DenTeach has been designed more for dental students and doesn’t have features suitable for dental hygiene. If this product is developed to include periodontal instrumentation, then we would consider giving this product a chance. In general, I view technology that allows immersive experiences with dental hygiene instruments a way of overcoming challenges, like school closures during pandemics.
Emma
Hi Emma,
I’ve actually never talked to someone who teaches dental hygiene, therefore, I didn’t realize that this field was heavily impacted by COVID as well. As you’ve pointed out, it is amazing how immersive experiences can be used in multiple fields to help with training.
In terms of simulation, could you elaborate more on what you meant by DenTeach including periodontal instrumentation? I did a quick google search and periodontal instrumentation refers to the instruments like the ultra sonic teeth cleaning machine. Do you mean if the product could allow students to use these instruments on the patients? What kind of activities would you like to see the product would allow the students to do regarding periodontal instrumentation? I’m asking because I’m quite curious to see what kind of skills dental hygienists need to hone while training.
1. My current working environment is hesitant to use AI, and the training facilities are very reluctant to have either staff or students use AI.
2. I know one large setback for anything with technology is that it can alienate certain populations and cause education to be inaccessible for certain people. A benefit is that using this digital space, can mean that more remote locations can have access to learning environments that they would not previously have. Also, the digital space allows for a more hybrid and applicable learning environment, introducing tools that would make the learning more valuable.
3. Terrorism, emergency medical scenarios on planes, re-routing large numbers of planes, technical problems on planes. Basically, anything with increasing complexity in order to prepare (at least somewhat) individuals for uncommon and rare situations that are extremely challenging.
4. Immersive experiences would be beneficial within policing, military, emergency services, emergency management professionals. Ultimately, anything where there is a great expense and risk to human life or safety would benefit from simulators. It gives the professionals ability to practice their skills reducing risk and cost.
Hi Sam,
Thank you for responding to all 3 discussion questions Adam and I provided. Out of curiosity, are you able to share why the organization you work for is hesitant to use AI? Of the top of my head, cybersecurity could be a problem. This is actually one of the major concerns within the organization I work for.
Certainly air traffic controllers need the training to deal with the emergencies you’ve listed above. They need to be calm at all times no matter what is happening on the other side of the line.
Hello Bianca and Adam,
This was an incredibly well-presented website with so many facets of air traffic control that went beyond the general information that most people would probably know. I wonder how you chose this topic as the focus of your “immersive experiences”. Did you have personal experiences with these simulators? The forecasted training market size is absolutely immense so I can imagine this is a field with many people trying to get involved.
The question I chose to answer is:
4. During the COVID–19 pandemic, air travel was greatly reduced, which ultimately resulted in the adoption of simulators to train air traffic controllers in the absence of real experiences. Later on, organizations realized that simulators can actually create scenarios where new recruits are being trained for emergency situations. What are other professions where the use of immersive experiences may actually prove beneficial in training scenarios?
– It is interesting how many facets of life the pandemic affected. One of the largest ones was the speed at which many industries had to adopt technological processes to achieve similar results to in-person activities. With training and education moving online and simulations or AR becoming more common-place, it makes perfect sense that these tools that helped when people could not be in-person have remained after we have returned to a more traditional workspace. For training in emergency situations simulators are clearly a great option because then you are preparing recruits before placing them in controlled, but dangerous situations. My father was a helicopter pilot and I have flown some simulators and it is a low-risk way of preparing and practicing skills that you need to have in an emergency. I believe that immersive experiences are vital to preparing for real-world experiences, however I do believe that practicing the real thing (or as close to the real thing while taking safety precautions) is extremely important. This just improves the skills and knowledge of professionals in a way that has never been feasible in history. For example, my father would be strapped into a helicopter, placed upside down under water, and expected to escape safely. He always said that the introduction of realistic simulators made the experience much less terrifying because he had practiced it 100 times before experiencing the actual simulation.
Thank you for this project! I shared it with my father and he was very impressed.
Interesting story about your father and his pilot training! I’m hopping on to this comment to suggest that the professions that would benefit the most from immersive training are the ones that involve high-risk training/experience.
As you mentioned, practicing escaping an upside down, submerged helicopter can be rather dangerous for someone who has never had this experience. A simulator is a safe way to build up that experience. Other examples of jobs with high-risk scenarios include military training, law enforcement, firefighting, space exploration, etc. Immersive experiences could provide limitless experience within these fields for the trainee in order to build confidence and proficiency within their line of work.
As I write this post, I’m starting to wonder if there is a risk of people developing too much confidence if these simulations can become commonplace. As mentioned in previous posts, even the best simulations are not as valuable as experience in the real world. If someone becomes an expert at running into a simulated burning building and saving the desperate family’s baby, maybe they could develop a level of confidence that doesn’t match their level of skill of navigating ACTUAL burning buildings in the real world.
Hi Nik,
Yes, I do agree with your comment regarding simulation vs. real world experience. Simulation with air traffic control training is a good tool but students do also undergo a period of on-the-job training before they are certified and get their controlling license.
Hi Nathalie!
I work as an instructional design support for Air Traffic Services learning. I’ve had some experience with the simulators shown in the 360 YouTube video about air traffic control training. When picking the topic, Adam and I agreed that we should use a specific area of training to showcase immersive experiences. Adam first chose music education as that’s his field and I chose air traffic control training. We gave ourselves a week to compile possible things we can talk about in our field of interest. After re convening, we both decided to focus on air traffic control as it’s not a field that a lot of people are exposed to or would talk about.
Thank you for sharing our website to your dad! I’m not sure how many people outside our class would ever see our OER so I’m glad he liked it. I also liked that you brought up the topic of realistic simulators. For sure, electronic simulators can never help student pilots escape their aircraft when submerged under water. As Nik said with his reply jobs with high-risk scenarios need this in order to build confidence. One prominent example comes to mind with the US navy. They’ve built a compound which houses a huge pool which can simulate high waves from the ocean. I can only imagine the amount of money needed to maintain such infrastructure.
If you’re interested it’s called the indoor ocean. I saw it on YouTube a few years ago.
Here’s the link: https://youtu.be/YKx1Rbqpaog?si=IzxggpOD8moiE4Jv
Hello, Adam and Bianca,
I would like to start by saying I liked this approach to your topic on immersive experiences. I was very interested in seeing how air traffic control has changed with technology and embraced virtual, augmented, and mixed reality. This was also a very interesting subject of air traffic control. After this, I probably could not become an air traffic controller, but I can understand a bit about what they do.
Now, I would like to give my answer to this question:
Immersive experiences and the use of virtual reality have the use to transport students almost anywhere and allow them to limitless experiences without leaving their classrooms. Think about where you are in your workplace. What specific examples can you think of where the use of virtual reality can be employed in your line of work?
One of my first thoughts about virtual reality was back in the COVID-19 pandemic when large crowds were not allowed. To still allow the students to experience some of these places, we used an app with 360-degree photos of these places on their VR headsets so they could view them. This got me to think about being able to visit more famous landmarks that were far away instead of needing to spend a lot of money and time in arranging a trip there. Additionally, in the context of STEM education, I found a space app for VR headsets, and I think that it could be used not only to see the planets but also to get a better idea of the vastness of space and how big or small things really are.
Hi Daniel,
I could not agree with you more the possibilities of exploring so many different sights with the help the immersive experiences. Also, I think that’s incredible that each of your students has access to their own VR headsets. That definitely makes the concepts easier to access for each member of your class.
I have certainly had my eyes opened to the concept of air traffic controlling myself. It’s something that, sadly too often, I feel gets overlooked. Its importance, however, is something that cannot be more overstated. But definitely a profession that can benefit immensely from the implementation of immersive experiences and embedded AI.
The COVID-19 pandemic changed so much of how we do what do. It has forced so many of us to adapt, even to this day in our, I dare say, “post-pandemic world”. But the technological insights brought on by it have certainly been of a great benefit, and in many ways, has allowed us to further our thinking.
Thank you so much for your insights! I’m glad you enjoyed our OER!
Hi Daniel, I share the same thoughts with you here about VR in terms of its ability to bring students to landmarks that they would otherwise find difficult to see in real-life. An extension to this thought is that VR can potentially help students learn more effectively by bringing them to specific timelines and locations. For example, I had challenges memorizing historical events for my history exams, and difficulty memorizing the years they occurred. However, when I live through real events, it is impossible to forget (I imagine even when I am 80 I will probably remember the COVID pandemic started in 2019). So VR can help students learn history immersively by not only bringing them to the historical event locations, but also bring them to live through the events virtually.
A little bit unrelated to VRs, but Minecraft created an educational division where it helps students learn immersively. For example, they created lessons for Exploring Ancient Egypt (https://education.minecraft.net/en-us/resources/history-and-culture-subject-kit/ancient-egypt). The immersive gamified learning seems very interesting and students who already play Minecraft, or other video games, must find it an easy and fun transition to learn academic knowledge in their games!
Virtual Reality (VR) is potentially revolutionizing education by offering immersive and interactive learning experiences. Here’s an elaboration on the two main points regarding the boldness of VR and Augmented Reality (AR) in education:
Learning in Dangerous or Risky Situations: VR provides a safe environment for students to experience and learn from inherently dangerous or risky scenarios in the real world. For example, in fields like medicine, trainee surgeons can practice complex surgeries without any risk to actual patients. Similarly, firefighters can undergo training in simulated environments to handle high-risk situations like building fires or hazardous material leaks. By immersing students in these environments, VR enables them to gain practical experience and develop skills in a controlled setting, ultimately enhancing their confidence and competence when facing real-life challenges.
Exploring Impossible Places to Learn: VR transcends physical limitations by transporting learners to impossible or inaccessible locations. In subjects like biology, students can delve deep into microscopic worlds or explore intricate anatomical structures that would otherwise be impossible to visualize. For instance, learners can journey inside a cell to observe its organelles and functions firsthand, or they can navigate through the human digestive system to understand the process of digestion. By providing an immersive experience, VR makes learning more engaging and memorable and facilitates a deeper understanding of complex concepts by allowing students to interact with them in previously unimaginable ways.
I don’t know if they solved this problem. I have a beautiful VR headset at home, but unfortunately, it gives me nausea and headaches. My husband and kids love it.
Thank you for sharing your OER. As others mentioned, I enjoyed the focus on a topic that allowed us to see the specific application of an immersive experience. It was a bonus that ATC immersive experiences are something we all probably knew existed, but never had the opportunity to explore. Aside from the technology and immersion, your resource sparked some more digging about ATC and I learned a couple things I thought I’d share. I ended up watching a neat video on what it takes to be a NAV Canada ATC (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qC_adpMf8KA). I also spiralled and checked out their salaries and learned that a trainee makes about $50k a year (more than an occasional teacher) and full time tower or center employee can make up to $170k a year. Neat!
Q: Immersive experiences and the use of virtual reality have the use to transport students almost anywhere and allow them to have limitless experiences without leaving their classrooms. Think about where you are in your workplace. What specific examples can you think of where the use of virtual reality can be employed in your line of work?
A: In my previous explorations of educational immersive experiences, I have only tinkered with VR headsets and their applications to science and social studies. Most of these experiences were with Google Cardboard and an iPad. The lessons were OK at best and challenging to implement in the grade 4-6 classroom for a variety of reasons.
This week, I took the opportunity to make a connection between immersive experiences and how they might impact the neurodiverse students I work with, specifically students on the autism spectrum. Prior to exploring the OER and to my own research, I believed that both of these populations could stand to benefit from immersive experiences but might be limited by the use of headsets, especially if they have coexisting challenges, such as seizures.
Education for students on the spectrum often incorporates visual schedules, social stories, and picture albums to depict classroom transitions, events with friends/family, or other daily routine situations. This is often done through photo albums, videos, or illustrations. Many students with autism are visual learners.
VR WITHOUT THE HEADSET
Immersive Reality (https://www.immersivereality.co.uk/) in Manchester, UK creates immersive room experiences similar to what one may have experienced in popular travelling exhibits – think Disney, Jurassic Park, or Stranger Things. Immersive Reality focuses on providing experiences for children with autism to experience VR without the use of headsets. The technology allows purchasers to turn rooms into sensory rooms that can be interacted with. This can be done by use of touch or by a controller. The idea is that the educator can transform a room into any space, event, or situation that may cause anxiety, such as entering the gym or getting on the bus, and safely allow students to interact with the environment. There are limitations to this type of technology, including space and money, but the prospect of using it with my neurodiverse students is super exciting.
If anyone is interested, there is a great article here: https://www.theautismpage.com/immersive-reality/
WITH HEADSETS
Floreo
This product creates immersive experiences with lessons designed for students with autism. There is a coaching application that allows educators to guide their learners through the experiences as well. This application would work well with students who are able to remain calm when wearing a headset and respond to verbal instruction. I could absolutely see a couple of my students really enjoying this, especially since they enjoy Minecraft so much.
https://portal.floreovr.com/whyfloreo
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/14/business/virtual-reality-autism-children-telehealth-floreo.html
OTHER FINDINGS
The Canadian Armed Forces, Officer Cadets and Naval Cadets used an immersive experience to gain new understanding of some possible ways neurodiverse people navigate situations. This program was designed to give the military an opportunity to develop empathy and deeper understanding of the lived experiences of people they might be interacting with in their profession.
https://everitas.rmcalumni.ca/neurodiversity-experimenting-with-immersive-virtual-reality/
Hi Andrew!
I’m glad you found NAV CANADA’s site. Not a lot of people know about the company and they sure do pay well. However, the controllers do work in stressful conditions and getting the proper compensation is key with retaining their workforce.
I’ve never used Google Cardboard before. What particular lesson did you use it in? How did you design your lesson? I like the creation of classroom materials so I’m always curious about how teachers design their lessons.
In terms of other use of immersive technology, serving neurodivergent students is something that I’ve not thought about. It’s such a great tool to get students more comfortable with the environments you listed. I also particularly liked the resource regarding the Armed Forces and the its initiative to use immersive experiences to develop empathy. I think it’s something that we all need given that we don’t really know how they perceive the world.
Oh I can’t remember the lesson – it might have even been pre-pandemic. It was through Google Cardboard which now seems to be replaced by ARVR (https://arvr.google.com/) and would have been a Google Expedition (see older example of a resource) https://sites.google.com/view/virtuarealities/vr-resources/google-expeditions). During the pandemic, many of us teaching online would do Arts & Culture lessons with virtual field trips (https://artsandculture.google.com/explore) – I am sure you can imagine how we might use them to start exploring art forms, artists, and then have students using digital tools of choice to explore the styles.
Well done all. Really like the case study approach.
I focused on this question: “What are other professions where the use of immersive experiences may actually prove beneficial in training scenarios?”
Every closely related to your example, I believe commercial pilots make extensive use of simulator training both during certification and as an ongoing professional development task. And I would expect that astronauts do as well. Anything with a fairly complex but contained environment (like the cockpit of a plane or a control tower) could yield itself well to this.
Parsing out the need, high stakes situations are definitely one criteria. I think the need for fast response is another; aviation issues need to be dealt with quickly, and referencing manuals or calling for assistance are not viable. Finally, if the frequency of severe problems is low, simulation practice is more valuable to develop the needed response. So we are more likely to see immersive experiences used for training fire fighters than accounts.
I find it really interesting that current technology is bringing the cost/quality ratio of simulations down significantly. Modest priced computer simulations for aircraft or racing cars have ridiculously high graphical and technical fidelity these days. The biggest gap seems to be in the input/output format (i.e. does the real thing move around and have buttons, as opposed to a computer keyboard). But there are enthusiasts building their own at home simulators that probably rival the commercial ones available a couple decades ago.
Here’s a video of one here: https://youtu.be/Z4jNJbiYjCE?si=5Gb-9sbeU8eHkDtb
I could imagine that in the future we’d see a spiraling of immersive technology, similar to how education tends to spiral back through topics over successive grades. So maybe intro students in air traffic control programs would be expected to complete a larger portion of simulation work on home based computer software to hone basic tasks, then moving to more time on the sophisticated (and expensive) simulations with instructors present.
Devon
Hi Devon,
I’m glad you liked the direction we took for this project! 🙂
Regarding you last comment about future simulation work with air traffic control students, there’s definitely a market for portable simulators that students can use on their own. I think this helps students to have more practice time as they don’t have to take turns waiting to use the simulator in the schools. One particular simulator I’ve seen is to practice with phraseology. Phraseology is the set words or phrases that air traffic controllers must say when they’re talking with pilots. A lot of instructors complain that students sound really “bad” when they first start. Some typical complaints are stuttering and overall lack of confidence when delivering transmissions. One reason could be is that students are still composing the proper phraseology in their head.
If you’re interested to check out a phraseology tool, Adacel technologies has a product. Here’s the link to their brochure: https://assets.website-files.com/5da4a6db96a90c18957991b0/64b024a31cbddba2236b9d1c_ADACEL_ICE_Brochure_230705%20-Web.pdf
Hello Bianca and Adam,
Wow, that was an excellent presentation on Air Traffic Control and Immersive Technology. I honestly found myself navigating your site forgetting that I was looking at a project, as I was instead just transported into a real website full of information. I especially enjoyed the ‘Immersive Experience’ portion of the site as it was very clear to see that a lot of work and data was plugged into it. I love anything immersive. I have found that throughout the years I have wanted more and more to find more opportunities to use this in education some way.
This leads me to your discussion question: Immersive experiences and the use of virtual reality have the use to transport students almost anywhere and allow them to limitless experiences without leaving their classrooms. Think about where you are in your workplace. What specific examples can you think of where the use of virtual reality can be employed in your line of work?
Before the pandemic, and quite a while before the influx of technology in schools, I remember being an educational assistant and was part of an in class field trip one day. The students were asked to proceed to the gym in which a tent, completely covered top to bottom, was waiting there for them. Inside, a camera and projector that had the ability to shoot around the tent (not quite 360 degrees) showed them the surface of Mars. It was sensational. I recall leaving that gym filled with ideas of possibilities. The immersive experience, although not 3 dimensional, was such an awe inspiring moment for those students. I would love to integrate more of these opportunities with students in the form of 360 degree VR or tents that transport them to places they would only dream of to travel to. The amount of inspiration and fascination that it would give to the students would be, excuse the pun, outof this world! To be able to take them to the Roman Colosseum, the Greek Parthenon or even the surface of the moon would open so many more windows to creative aspects of education. Not only would I be educating students on ancient Egypt, but I could show them the pyramids, the Nile or the tombs of ancient leaders. I get really excited about this possibility and feel that it’s not quite that far away from being more of a reality in our education programs around the country. Here’s hoping 🙂
Again, great job on your presentation! Thank you for sharing.
Hi Carlo,
I’m so glad that you enjoyed our OER so much! I’m glad that you were able to envelope yourself into the presentation so deeply.
I whole heartedly agree with you! The applications that can be presented to students through the use of immersive experiences is virtually limitless. There’s so much that can be learned that and so many ways that the educational experience can be brought more to the student level. One thing that I find difficult, even at the best of times, is getting my students to buy in to certain concepts. We absolutely need to discover new ways of delivering these concepts. Bringing your students to another PLANET is such an awe inspiring thing. It must have been so amazing to see your students experiencing that. To bring this technology into an educational setting has an unlimited number of benefits.
Mhy biggest hope for you is that you never cease to dream, and continue to come up with new ways to provide the immersize experience to your students. Keep on dreaming, and keep them dreaming as well. I look forward to, hopefully, one day hearing just how far you, or all of us, have come in being able to deliver a deeper student experience through immersive technologies.
Hey Adam,
Much appreciated! I look forward to the dreams as well! Hoping to get the buy in with these little guys as this technology in schools becomes more and more normalized and hopefully affordable (I am dreaming)! Wishing you the best, thanks again for the great site, so well done.
Carlo
Hi Bianca and Adam,
Thanks for your well-structured and informative OER! It seems crazy how much of this immersive learning is happening already. I had a former student of mine who is currently in university come visit me and he said in his engineering co-op he built a VR training tool for civil engineers to analyze bridges. He also helped build another tool where a doctor looking at a screen can operate an ultrasound that is held by a mechanical hand anywhere in the world. I think this industry will truly explode over the next decade!
I’ve picked this question to answer:
“Immersive experiences and the use of virtual reality have the use to transport students almost anywhere and allow them to limitless experiences without leaving their classrooms. Think about where you are in your workplace. What specific examples can you think of where the use of virtual reality can be employed in your line of work?”
As a science and physics teacher I have though a lot about how amazing it would be to show my students things visually. The learning experience would be so much more powerful, engaging, and understandable if students could experience things visually in first person. Some of my favourite ideas are:
Whoop! I accidentally sent my comment early and I don’t see a way to edit it.
To continue, some of my favourite science VR teaching ideas are:
– Students are in a VR experience or game where magnetic and electrostatic fields are visible all around them. They are in a puzzle where they need to move magnets or charged objects around to have the fields interact in a certain way to achieve a goal
– Students are inside the human body like a Magic School Bus episode, looking at the heart, lungs, DNA, or any other internal part of human biology.
– Students are in space and able to move around on a large scale to see the orbits of planets or the details of each planet. (Side note – the Space Explorers immersive experience on now in Vancouver is incredible! https://theinfiniteexperience.world/vancouver)
– Doing experiments with expensive or dangerous components could be simulated with virtual lab equipment. As others have said, high risk activities are great for VR because they can be experienced with no real danger.
This is just the tip of the iceberg – this area has so much potential and I sincerely hope we see a significant growth of immersive experiences in education in the coming years!
Hi Braden!
Thank you for sharing what your previous student has been up to. It’s truly fascinating that one kind of technology can be used in different industries. The remote operation one is quite impressive. I’ve always seen immersive experiences as a tool to improve our abilities to inspect spatial dimensions and I can see how VR is really useful to inspect bridges. This saves time and moreover this lessens the safety risks involved when inspecting bridges.
As an educator, I like learning about how different teachers teach and their lesson ideas. Your lesson about the Magic School bus inside the human body reminded me of my Biology 11 class. I remember having troubles memorizing the steps how blood gets oxygenated in the heart. I’ve watched YouTube videos to help me memorize where the blood flows but a VR experience could definitely make it more impactful. Now that we have this technology, do you think prescribed learning outcomes should also be rewritten for classes? I’m thinking with the use of VR there’s a richer visual environment and it’s not enough to just ask students to enumerate the steps of oxygenation of blood in an exam.
Hello! Thanks for a great OER. The layout and descriptions and artifacts used to present the information were laid out really well. It was easy to follow and I agree that ATC was a great way to demonstrate the use of simulators. The evidence to provide to show the growth and future outlook of ATC in regards to simulation was convincing for sure. I will sort of answer both discussion questions 1 and 2 at once.
1. Immersive experiences and the use of virtual reality have the use to transport students almost anywhere and allow them to limitless experiences without leaving their classrooms. Think about where you are in your workplace. What specific examples can you think of where the use of virtual reality can be employed in your line of work?
2.There is talk that, one day, all learning will take place within the “Metaverse”. What are some of the positive possibilities that can come with learning within a virtual learning space? What are some o f the drawbacks? Please provided examples of both.
I think of science courses and particularly doing chemistry labs. It would be cool to have a virtual laboratory, stocked with chemicals and compounds used for a lot of basic chemistry experience often found in middle and high school labs in addition to glass ware and various lab equipment. Virtual environments could be a safe and affordable way to experience chemistry processes and procedures without the need for highly specialized labs and equipment in schools. Simulations like this could improve equity and accessibilty for students who may not have access to such resources or have mobility challenges moving around such spaces not designed in accessibile ways. In fact this has been created already and is available on Meta Quest.
Some of the positive possibilities that come with learning in a virtual space is connection between students and institutions at a distance, access for students of northern communities and deeper community connections general. Additionally, safety and cost can be factors as well. An investment in simulation technology can be money spent to enhance curriculum across a vast array of topics and subjects, where as investment in specific specialized things like labs and equipment may in some ways provide diminished return on investment.
Here is a short video on VR Chemistry Lab.
https://youtu.be/o9KLfFKWRRM
Hi Bianca and Adam,
I really appreciate the focused approach you took with your OER, zooming in on a specific topic. Well done.
There is talk that, one day, all learning will take place within the “Metaverse”. What are some of the positive possibilities that can come with learning within a virtual learning space? What are some of the drawbacks? Please provide examples of both.
I think one of the most possibilities possibilites of the Metaverse is feedback and its direct integration into learning tasks. I found that to be one of the most interesting parts of your OER. The feedback for the air traffic controllers is not a separate step or something that comes after, but is provided immediately within the context of the task itself. If the learner uses the correct phrase, it is passed on to the pilot. If they do not get the correct phrase, they are notified. Such integration of feedback allows for continuous guidance, ensuring that learners can assess their progress and make necessary adjustments.
One downside of the Metaverse is the potential loss of personal connection. While the virtual environment can provide tailored feedback and instruction, it may lack the depth and authenticity of real human interactions. Building relationships with people can have an immensely positive influence on the overall learning experience, and this aspect might be missed in a purely virtual setting.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, air travel was greatly reduced, which ultimately resulted in the adoption of simulators to train air traffic controllers in the absence of real experiences. Later on, organizations realized that simulators can actually create scenarios where new recruits are being trained for emergency situations. What are other professions where the use of immersive experiences may actually prove beneficial in training scenarios?
There are several professions where immersive experiences can be helpful in training scenarios. For example, in the medical field, virtual reality simulations can provide realistic practice scenarios for medical students and professionals to learn surgical procedures, patient diagnosis, and treatment protocols. Similarly, virtual reality can be used to train soldiers and officers in combat scenarios and decision-making exercises. Police officers can benefit from virtual reality scenarios for de-escalation techniques, firearms training, crisis intervention, and decision-making under pressure. For firefighters and emergency responders, simulated environments can be helpful to practice responding to various types of emergencies, including fires, natural disasters, and hazardous materials incidents. Lastly, aviation technicians can use virtual reality training to practice diagnosing and repairing aircraft systems, without the need for physical aircraft. These immersive training experiences can help trainees learn more effectively, remember their training better, and provide a safe environment to learn from mistakes.
I loved this OER topic Well Done!
Hi Bianca and Adam,
Really enjoyed reading through your OER. Was interesting from an outsider’s perspective of a field mostly unknown to those not directly involved.
My answers to your discussion questions:
1. I would like to use the virtual reality to do campus tours or even course samplers (auditing).
2. Positives of working in the Metaverse: saves time and money and more data can be tracked. Drawbacks: For my line of work, we already experienced a huge movement back to in-person meetings/training/presentations after the pandemic, even at great cost and long-distance travel. I am involved in competitive sales, so I think it is evidence that people (companies/institutions) that are not in person forming actual relationships will be at a competitive disadvantage to those trying to do it online, even though technically the technology is there, it is not as effective for certain products that involve a lot of trust. We also moved the onboarding of new students online during the pandemic which we managed well, but that too, in the end an overwhelming number of people wanted to go back to in-person. So, while I think the Metaverse will be used, I don’t think it will compare to in-person when it comes to any type of learning in which forming trust, relationships and social bonds is important.
3. I don’t know the air traffic control industry, but I guess there are manuals mapping out 1000 different things that could ‘go wrong’, each with decision trees, everything from security concerns to infrastructure failures. I think AI would likely be instrumental in carrying out these types of multivariant scenarios in simulators and reacting to the decisions of the simulation operator.
4. I believe other key areas where AI and virtual simulators will be extremely useful are anything that involves things that are very technical and very high risk in the real world.
I could see them being very useful in the medical field, both research and procedural operations, in space travel, war games, industrial design and engineering.