THI Learning LABVR is a part of the Raumlabore project by the Stifterverband and Dieter-Schwarz Stiftung. This project developed and assessed a collaborative multi-user VR environment to demonstrate the benefits of future-oriented learning spaces designed with students in mind. Students actively participated by creating their environments and providing feedback through various evaluations.
THI Learning LABVR consists of a lobby where students can choose the learning area they want to use. We offer different kinds of learning environments for students to utilize. Additionally, students can create their learning nuggets to be implemented into the learning environment. The main part of THI Learning LABVR is Creativo, a virtual multi-user non-domain-specific learning area with biophilic design elements. Click here for more pictures.
Benefits of VR
VR has proven to be a highly promising tool for enhancing and expanding higher education, especially in STEM subjects. The major problems with the use of VR are the low level of experience that students bring with them and the resulting inhibitions, as well as the high specificity of most environments and the resulting low number of possible users.
That is why we created THI Learning LABVR a large learning environment that can be used by many students across and within the different majors. This includes a variety of smaller specific learning nuggets that cover topics like UXD concepts or German language learning. Our Creativo environment can be used by any student, regardless of major, in groups of up to five people, and has been shown in a study to be significantly more usable than the UEQ-S in terms of hedonic quality.
Education
To integrate THI Learning LABVR, students have many ways to use it. One option is regularly offered Open Lab Days, where students can book time slots to use the environment. Furthermore, the environment has been integrated into the daily education at THI. Students can use the environment and create their own within various projects and courses. In addition, students can use the THI Learning LABVR to conduct research for their Bachelor’s and Master’s theses, as can be seen in the publications.
Employees: Franziska Hegner, Luca Schreiber
Project Duration:
October 1st, 2022 – June 30th, 2024
Funding:
Publications and Research
Schreiber, Luca, Riener, Andreas, Weißenberger, Markus, and Shah, Tanmesh. Design and Evaluation of a Multifaceted Virtual Reality Learning Environment, IEEE Pervasive Computing Magazine, pp. 6, June 2024, DOI: 10.1109/MPRV.2024.3380788
Schreiber, Luca, Weißenberger, Markus, Riener, Andreas (2024) Creativo: Design and Evaluation of a Multi-User Collaborative Learning Environment in Virtual Reality. In: iLRN 2024 – 10th International Conference of the Immersive Learning Research Network, Conference theme: “Tech4Good” June 2024
Shah, Tanmesh (2024). The Potential of Virtual Reality in Improving Student’s Memorization and Understanding of Complex Learning Content: Concept Development and Empirical Validation. Master thesis, THI (main supervisor: Prof. Dr. Andreas Riener).
Shah, Tanmesh, Riener, Andreas (2024). “The Potential of Virtual Reality in Education: Bridging Engagement and Knowledge Retention in STEM Subjects”, Interaction Design & Architecture(s) (IxDA), Special Issue: STEAM teaching and learning: advances beyond the state of the art, No. 62 (Autumn 2024), pp. 29, (under review).
Shah, Tanmesh, Riener, Andreas (2024). The Potential of Virtual Reality in STEM Education: Insights from an Empirical Study, in: iLRN 2024 – 10th International Conference of the Immersive Learning Research Network, Conference theme: “Tech4Good” June 2024.