Search for: All records

Awe is a transformative emotion associated with positive educational and psychological outcomes, and is caused by experiences of vastness that induce accommodation. Vast VR scenes have been found to elicit awe. We examined self-reported causes of awe among grade 3–8 students — a previously unstudied age group regarding awe — in a virtual environment portraying entities over 20 orders of magnitude from atom to Sun. Most students reported feeling awe, around half specifically enough to be coded based on a priori categories drawn from the literature. Vastness of scale (including both large and small entities, and large differences in scale) was the most common cause of awe. Surprisingly, no student responses were related to accommodation. Vastness of evolution and degree of immersion were identified as novel causes of awe. Thus, even young children can experience awe in VR, opening possibilities for productive VR in education at the elementary school level. 

Feedback-based iterative refinement is important in the development of any human-computer interface. The present work aims to evaluate and iteratively refine an immersive learning environment called Scale Worlds (SW), delivered via a head-mounted display (HMD). SW is a virtual learning environment encompassing scientific entities of a wide range of sizes that enables students an embodied experience while learning size and scale. Five usability experts performed think aloud while carrying out four interactive tasks in SW and compared three different design options during A/B testing. Improvement features based on the feedback from an earlier SW usability evaluation as well as HMD-specific features were examined. Usability experts completed the post-study system usability questionnaire, the NASA task load index, and a bipolar laddering survey that collected subjective perception of specific SW features. Results show that the progress panel (an improvement feature) was informative while the instructions (another improvement feature) caused clutter. The experts indicated clear usability preferences during A/B testing, which helped resolve three sets of theory-usability conflicts. The overall assessment of SW paved a path for theory-usability balance and provided valuable insights for designing and evaluating usability in immersive virtual learning environments. 

Students have misconceptions of size and scale cognition as they confuse molecules and cells. The team deployed a virtual reality (VR) learning tool, namely Scale Worlds, for K-12 students to use at school. The present work aimed to examine the experience and perception of immersive technology, and logistical challenges of integrating Scale Worlds into a science class. Ten students and three teachers were included in this study with informed consent. Scale Worlds was introduced as part of a science class and then semi-structured interview was conducted. Students’ experience with VR technology included physiological discomfort, psychological nervousness and uncertainty of technology, personal abilities and unfamiliarity, and hardware latency. However, students perceived Scale Worlds to be a useful tool that helped them visualize entities of different sizes, and allowed them to work collaboratively. Teachers expressed desire for more exciting content in Scale Worlds and further usability enhancement, as well as need for additional material preparation time. The team planned to return to the same middle school for another round of in-field study after addressing some of the reported challenges. 

Virtual reality (VR) is increasingly utilized in education, yet its effectiveness can vary due to potential distractions and excessive workload. Prior research suggests that virtual signaling elements can enhance learning in VR environments. However, the effectiveness of different design elements for specific learning content and their impact on learner workload remain understudied. This study examines the influence of graphic armatures, multimodal cues, and numeric measures on scale learning in Scale Worlds, a VR learning environment for exploring scientific entities across multiple scales. Preliminary results indicate that numeric measures notably enhance learning outcomes by providing direct scale representations. It shows that different virtual elements can variably affect learners’ scale learning outcomes and behaviors and can lead to varying levels of workload. This study underscores the importance of aligning the design of virtual elements with educational objectives and ensuring they induce an appropriate level of workload for learning in VR learning environment. 

Virtual reality (VR) has been widely used for education and affords embodied learning experiences. Here we describe: Scale Worlds (SW), an immersive virtual environment to allow users to shrink or grow by powers of ten (10X) and experience entities from molecular to astronomical levels; and students’ impressions and outcomes from experiencing SW in a CAVE (Figure 1) during experiential summer outreach sessions. Data collected from post-visit surveys of 69 students, and field observations, revealed that VR technologies: enabled interactive learning experiences; encouraged active engagement and discussions among participating students; enhanced the understanding of size and scale; and increased interest in STEM careers. 

While scale cognition and learning is a crosscutting concept that pervades science and can aid students in making connections across disciplines, students struggle to conceptualize and consider scales that go far beyond their everyday world experience. Virtual reality technology affords embodied learning experiences, which enable students to physically engage in learning activities in an environment with rich information. Scale Worlds is a virtual learning environment implemented in an immersive CAVE, which portrays scientific entities of a wide range of sizes. A user can scale themself up or down by powers of ten, in order to experience entities from an atom to the Sun. This paper reports on an expert-based usability evaluation of Scale Worlds, including three sets of A/B testing, by five usability experts. Outcomes of the usability evaluation will inform the refinement of Scale Worlds. The evaluation provides insights for usability evaluation and design in immersive virtual environments.