Extended Reality (XR) is the collective term for Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and other forms of ‘immersive technologies’. Tilo Hartmann, professor of Virtual Reality and Communication at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU), introduces the possibilities and benefits of XR in his keynote.
Visiting Mars
Hartmann explains that applying XR in higher education can enhance and improve the learning process. For example, you can visit the planet Mars or study an insect very closely. In addition, he mentions how XR can support observational learning, for example in understanding how something works within anatomy. XR can additionally generate significant added value in collaborative projects, such as architectural planning.
Infancy
In the first session round, Chiara Piccoli and Hugo Huurdeman present the topic of ‘XR in cultural heritage and education’. They took visitors through the digital restoration of potsherds to bring a precious, antique vase back to life. Additionally, they cover a study on the effectiveness and added value of Virtual Reality compared to conventional techniques in the restoration process. This survey shows that the use of VR within the humanities is still in its infancy, but has potential to improve over time. Some respondents expressed their belief that VR and XR will become an important part of the restoration process. In a parallel session Rob Belleman talks about the student projects with VR (in Dutch) that he has integrated into the computer science course that he teaches at the University of Amsterdam (UvA).
Agricultural simulation
The second round includes student Andres Lot Camarena, talking about his involvement in developing a VR serious game. Together with three other students, he worked three months to develop an XR sowing-and-reaping game for the Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM). In the game, you can choose different crops to harvest, the country that you want to plant your crops in and varying climate conditions. The development of this XR game was just as interesting as the final result, also because of the limited budget that the students worked with. Main objectives in developing the game included:
- creating an example of a VR learning environment for students and farmers
- improving the understanding of concepts of sustainable farming practices
Parallel to Andres's workshop, Robbert Brouwer talked about Digital United Training Concepts for Healthcare (DUTCH, website in Dutch).
Practice
The XR inspiration day was well attended. More than 50 participants from diverse backgrounds and disciplines found their way to Amsterdam UMC. One of them is Lennart Immerzeel, trainer for the Skillslab & Simulation Center of the Erasmus MC Academy: "We use XR in our education, especially in training nurses, for example within specialisations in emergency care, intensive care and acute medicine."
At Erasmus MC, Immerzeel already are satisfactorily make use of an application for realistic simulation training. "This morning we visited the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS), where we saw another application. These are mainly apps that let you assess a virtual patient according to a certain methodology. I had hoped to get more information on how to engage students more through XR, but the workshop had a different angle. It does make sense for us that if something needs to be developed, we know where to turn to."
Opportunities and possibilities
Educational consultants Fiona Slond and Job Slagter, from the Technology and Learning Department at UMC Utrecht, also already work with XR. "We have three apps in use in education", says Fiona Slond. "Now it's a matter of paying close attention to whether I hear new things that we can apply in education."
Job Slagter adds: "The presentation we just saw was about making scans of archaeological digs that they recorded in VR. We have digital scans of brain structures, bodies, bones and organs. I would be interested in converting these scans to a VR application."
Fiona Slond: "There were examples in the workshop 'XR in cultural heritage and education' about experiencing historical sites. In medical education, ‘context-related training’ is playing a role, so emphasising the context of the patient during training much more. That does tie in with this. We are aware of the new developments and we want to do something with it."
Developers were also present, such as Sander Sneek, technical director and co-owner of Wonderment by Design, an XR design studio in Amsterdam. When asked if he saw any application during the workshops that he would like to apply in practice, he replied: "I would rather approach it the other way round. We are very curious to see how we can apply our experience within education. Which parties are there locally, nationally or internationally, for whom we can develop educational XR experiences?"
Special Interest Group
The afternoon was organised from the 'Special Interest Group' (SIG) eXtended Reality, a partnership of UvA and VU. The SIG aims to bring together people in the Amsterdam area working on XR in an educational context and exchange experiences and knowledge. The eduXR event was a first step in this. Further developments of the SIG can be followed on their page and via SURF's XR community (in Dutch).
