The crisis in learning had students go to online learning and schools close around the world. Students could no longer experience learning in a classroom, field trips, social interactions were limited in person and travel stopped. The technology of virtual reality has been evolving for many years and the global pandemic has changed how we experience the world, with the new innovations in multisensory virtual reality we are able to access experiences that are fully immersive and it offers solutions to the challenges we are facing.
My forecasting project closely examines the opportunities of multisensory virtual reality technology. It looks at the evolution of virtual reality and explores the new possibilities of multisensory experiences in virtual reality and how it will change how we experience the world and also offer solutions as we continue to adapt to life after the global pandemic. I think it offers exciting possibilities in all aspects of life and in education.
For my OER, I have used the term ‘5S’ Virtual Reality to represent the five senses in multisensory VR.
Please watch my short introduction video below and then access my OER here.
Hi Asha, The idea of multisensory virtual reality is novel to me, but I already am buzzing with ideas of “outstanding visualizations that aren’t possible in the traditional classroom”. I agree that special and early education is all about learning through experiences but I would argue this extends to older students; experiential learning for all ages is extremely valuable. Unfortunately for secondary students, because of the time and space constraints of the classroom, experiential learning through field trips is a major headache. Because of the way a typical secondary school is set up with the block system, it is disruptive for a student to go on a field trip with a class; they often have to miss other classes to do so, which upsets other teachers. The emergence of multisensory VR in the classroom is a great work-around – it would allow for amazing, multisensory, life-life virtual field trips. The possibilities are endless!
Hi, Asha. Thanks for a beautifully laid-out OER. I loved the idea of how multisensory VR can be used for anxiety or addressing fears, and being able to virtually touch items in a museum would be fascinating. Being a Shark Week junkie, I would love to be able to use multisensory VR while watching some of those shows and getting to touch the sharks! From an application outside of schools, there could be several ways that multisensory VR could be used for training within nursing or other healthcare specialties.
Bring back Smell-O-Vision! It sounds like the FeelReal VR add on didn’t end up making it off the ground unfortunately. I couldn’t quite pick out if their video was a spoof or for real, but it appears that it was trying to get crowdfunding that didn’t succeed. Beyond smell, there is plenty of room left for more sensory additions to immersive experiences. I am curious if you came across anything about how additional sensory cues could get rid of some of the nauseating feelings that some experiences create? My understanding is that most of our balance is a combination of what we see along with the balance cues from our inner ear and based on our place in space. I wonder if something like the Tesla suit that you shared would provide enough sensory feedback to help with this barrier in VR. Class VR has a great concept. Our school district looked into it extensively along with a few other technologies. The concept is really great and they are slowly making improvements to their devices and experiences. In the end we chose to go with something more mainstream for reliability and support. I would like to see more educational experiences in the VR/AR/MR realm. This may only happen if a big distributor gets on board though.
Thanks for your feedback and great questions! I did find that the immersive experience of VR can sometimes cause nausea for some people and there is a lot of information out there as to why and what possible solutions may be. Some recommend frequent breaks, shorter periods of time, anti nausea medication 30 mins prior, proper positioning of headset etc…in terms of what I’ve read it seems that the disconnect between your body being stationary and your brain thinking it’s moving often causes this but some of the research I did around this it seems that many recommend shorter periods of use and then increasing so you can help you body/brain get used to it. It’s very exciting to hear your school considered this an option and I agree with you that once a big distributor gets on board we’ll be able to do that, as we have with notebooks and ipads for students when once those seemed impossible to have in a classroom and we watched everything on a big tv that was rolled into the room!
Hi Asha, What a cool idea!! there’s a much cited factoid that smell is the sense most deeply connected to memory. Even now, your project brought me back to the Disney world experiences that had a smell component. 15 years later! I’m sure we all can “picture” the smell of one of our relatives homes from our childhoods. I can see this kind of impact being felt in students as they learn about a great deal of different topics – perhaps in geography class in the smell of the rainforest, or in science, smelling different compounds they might be using. As an overall experience (larger than just the smell component) you effectively lay out some of the issues facing VR in the classroom. Surely it can never replace face to face, but it can definitely offer a novel experience that will stick in the minds of students for years to come. I think its great that you mention this tool could be used as an force of inclusivity. Including more and more senses into learning make its accessible to more and more students. Great job!
Thanks Sage! I also find that I recall more experiences that have a smell associated with them so I think multisensory VR offers a lot of possibilities in that regard and in looking through the other OER’s, especially those relating to dementia I thought it would have intriguing applications in therapy use perhaps or daily living to help those with dementia, brain injuries or memory loss. I agree that it will never replace face to face but I think that student would be intrigued by the technology and as we are continually seeking out spaces in schools as alternative learning environments for students for breaks when they need them, this might be a good alternative to create a space in your classroom where students can still access that quiet space when needed or for other students who need a body break, are working on projects etc. I think that you’re right, including more senses does make it more accessible to different kinds of learners.
I’m in agreement with Sage – loved that you touched on how multisensory VR can be used to advanced goals of inclusivity. Indeed, I feel as though your project opens up questions concerning ‘ability’ more broadly, with the potential to break down barriers that the physical classroom creates, and reinforces through curriculum. This can change curriculum, change assessments, change the very space and place where learning takes place.
Great topic Asha 🙂 There’s a lot of interesting information here. I learned quite a few things – TESLA suit! who knew? I really liked how you introduced the topic with the videos as explanations on “how it will change how we experience the world/travel/live”. I recommend reviewing your OER on a mobile device. Your OER was easy to view on my laptop, however, I did have some difficulty viewing the information on my iPad and iPhone. I think it was a combination of the layout and the amount of information (including videos).
Thanks Megan, I agree and the TESLA suit is especially futuristic but I knew in starting to research what Elon Musk was innovating for the future that it would provide some interesting technology that others hadn’t thought of yet! Thanks for the feedback about the mobile device, I did assume most people would access it on a laptop as I find that is what I’m most comfortable using if trying to read through other OER’s in the class but I’ll reconfigure some of the mobile aspects so that it is more accessible, thanks!
Smelling VR; very nice. I love that you dove into the cultural aspects of travel. I often reflect on the fact that we who grew up with the internet have a vastly different experience of travel than our parents did due to the democratization of travel information on the internet. I can experience other parts of the world in high def video whenever I want and can probably find out some very nuanced details. This MR is even more immersive than that and I love that world that we are heading towards.
Thanks Michell and I agree, especially as travel continues to be difficult and the rules are constantly changing with Covid, I think that multisensory VR will be used by more people that are choosing to stay home in the near future and it does allow you to fully experience different places and get a truly immersive experience while also learning more about different parts of the world. I think the multisensory VR is definitely the wave of the future in VR and I would personally love to try it!
Thank you Asha for showing us the future! As a teacher, I am also drawn to the “possibilities and limitations in schools” section. Especially the inclusion of VR, holograms, other mixed virtual realities. I have always believed that the school weekly schedule should be designed in a way that students get regular class instruction and individualized instruction. This OER illustrates a potential concept that would help make my view of a perfect education schedule a reality. For example, students would receive regular class instruction mondays, wednesdays, and fridays (traditional environment), but on tuesdays and thursdays students would have individualized AI holographic instruction (still with the teacher there of course) but in small cubicles. This individualized instruction would guide them through concepts of their interest or important life skills like knowing how to search through google, how to troubleshoot technology, how to fully use microsoft programs, how to properly manage finances, or simply begin learning about the desired career path. I personally wish their had been more time at school to learn these things and have an adult (more specifically a teacher) to take the time to guide me through these life skills. I know they teach this through CareerEd but it is not effective at all with one instructor. What a wonderful future this would be!
Hi Miguel, thanks for your feedback and you came up with such innovative ideas for how to use multisensory VR in the classroom that I hadn’t considered! I think your framework for individualized instruction would work well especially as it does build necessary life skills and increases their technical knowledge. I know more parents are wanting schools to offer these more practical subject areas like finance, careers and it would be a great way for students to immerse themselves in those experiences and learn to navigate some of those adult life skills!
Hi Asha,
I enjoyed exploring the possibilities that you brought up in your forecasting project. I was particularly drawn to the “Possibilities and Limitations in schools” section. I liked the idea of outstanding visualizations in that students would be able to experience artifacts in a way that may not be possible in a real-life setting. They could virtually hold and examine an artifact to get a sense of scale and texture which a museum would not allow. While we speak of barriers in terms of the VR devices barriers such as glass cases also exist while visiting locations such as museums. The possibility that students could immerse themselves in the place and time the artifact came from could be very meaningful and be further enhanced by smell and sound creating authenticity and greater understanding.
I also could not help but think about how another benefit may be the possibility to allow a greater number of student experiences. The logistics and liability concerns of field trips could be mitigated through the use of this technology which may result in a willingness for the educator to create a greater number of experiences for thier students.
Thanks for your feedback and I agree that I think it does offer a lot of alternatives for students. I have also found personally that I remember more from immersive experiences when touring museums or art galleries so I think it has valuable applications there as well for students. I think it is worth exploring the multisensory VR within the classroom if we’re able to navigate the cost and technology but in doing my research I found that there are now a lot of different options for purchasing the technology so it is a great option to consider for students especially around field trips or classroom experiences. Thanks!