A Virtual Reality Kit: An Innovation for Learning About History

Abstract

Virtual historical models allow school students to explore otherwise inaccessible places. Students may, however, gain greater educational benefit from constructing their own models, than from exploring ready-made models. Nevertheless, sophisticated models are complex and could be frustrating for students to build. A virtual kit may permit students without VR experience to build a more sophisticated model, in a shorter time, without frustration, but still require more attention to detail and give more sense of achievement than a supplied model. Two grade 7 students, without VR experience, assembled an Ancient Egyptian villa from prefabricated virtual sections. In contrast to conventional manipulation of objects on a two-dimensional computer screen, the students had to learn to think in three dimensions, and to be more accurate than in normal art work. A video record of the students' assembly of the virtual kit revealed that they improved in their ability to read plans, to visualize the layout of the building, and to deal with two dimensions simultaneously when aligning parts of the building. The students reported that they learned more from working with VR than from illustrations of Ancient Egyptian buildings. They maintained a high level of engagement in spite of some difficulties in working with VR. The innovation of the virtual kit appears potentially useful in education and other fields, and should be further explored.