Quick Search: Research is a new series dedicated to unpacking some of the emerging research on 3D, VR, and other dynamic visualization technologies. See my introductory article for this series, entitled Good, Better, Best: The Research Chase. In this case, we are highlighting some “planned research” efforts.
Marybeth Green (Associate Professor of Instructional Technology and Graduate Coordinator for the Instructional Technology Program at Texas A&M University-Kingsville) and her colleagues are actively researching the newest phenomena of 3D augmented and virtual reality as it plays out in the K-12 classroom. This story begins with a conundrum.
The Problem. Dr. Green noticed a phenomenon occurring in classrooms using augmented and virtual reality: “We have found is that there is a “wow” factor when people first see 3D images; but this enthusiasm often obscures the quality of the content,” which can be outright poor.
The Backdrop. Dr. Green and her colleagues recently pursued a small grant to purchase as many augmented reality books on the market as they could buy, books that also required the purchase of AR/VR viewing apps. They acquired more than 100 books. Using an iPad, the student could view augmented reality 3D images or even click off the AR image and explore a virtual reality simulation right in the classroom. According to Dr. Green, who is “finishing up putting a list together” of these resources, remarked that about 20-25% of the available AR resources provide students with a combined mixed and virtual reality experience.
Dr. Mary Green, TAMU-KingsvilleThe Discovery. “Initially, pre-service teachers find the content enthralling. When seeing 3D, it is so unexpected; so when they see 3D images emerge, they don’t see the quality of what’s there. It is only after repeated exposures that they begin to examine the content and find its weaknesses. Some of the content is quite good and builds on students’ understanding of the content, but some is hardly worth the effort or price,” explains the researchist. Student teachers appear to be more discriminating, however. “It’s nice, but it doesn’t really help with comprehension or learning—some of the content is a bit disappointing,” she adds. “Teachers are much more appreciative of the content that really does enhance the value and understanding of the textual content.”
The Parry. Dr. Green and her associates identified a workable method to get past the unreasonable ‘wow’ factor of middling quality AR/VR content; they provided teachers with a basic academic rubric that could be used to sift less-than-stellar AR/VR content out of consideration. The rubric appears to be effective. “It enables us to ask the question: ‘Is this content a gimmick or godsend’ ”, she states.
Planned Research: Two Important Deliverables. Dr. Green’s trial and error in this process is now leading to some planned research along two probative dimensions: First, she explains “we are hopeful that through our research we can guide publishers towards some heuristics for creating 3D VR because at this point it seems like they are publishing what they think we need [for augmented reality and virtual reality extensions].” Second, Dr. Green’s team hopes to use these heuristics to develop an even more effective rubric for removing the ‘wow’ factor from resource consideration. Dr. Green laments: “Google cardboard VR is putting people INTO a virtual environment, but there is no inquiry involved.” She is certain that gamifying some of this VR content will also help. Identifying these requirements in a rubric is key in both regards.
The Side Story. Although the efforts of Dr. Green initially involved a small sample of pre-service and student teachers, this semester, the sample of educators-in-training is much larger. And as a result, they are also starting to make some other interesting observations. Anecdotal at this stage, these casual findings are certain to lead to additional research questions for 3D content in the near future. It is beginning to appear that AR/VR resources in classrooms may:
- make it easier for the students to recall their learning.
- enable students to notice things in 3D format that they would not see in the 2D format. (Students then feel compelled to go back to the book to find the answer themselves).
- facilitate comprehension of abstract ideas. (For example, Dr. Green describes a teacher who tried and tried to explain to students what the dark side of the moon was about: acting it out, drawing pictures—but nothing seemed to help the students understand until they saw the 3D image. “All of a sudden it clicked with them.”)
An interesting question and hypothesis she would like to posit in the future is: “Why is 3D effective in the classroom?” Does 3D visual learning reduce the cognitive load on learners?” These are all good breadcrumbs to follow.-Len Scrogan
