Education in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics is moving towards more inquiry-based and creativity-stimulating pedagogies. Part of a curriculum based on such pedagogies should be challenging learning activities that engage students in investigation. At the same time, it is imperative that such activities are developed and validated in collaboration with the teachers who will incorporate them in their lesson planning. In this project, educators, researchers, and developers from Singapore and the Netherlands are working closely to develop innovative tools that assist biology education. Model-based and virtual reality-enabled solutions are
Some Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) subjects in secondary schools or high schools, such as biology, physics, or mathematics are considered tough to students. It is due to the lack of tools to visualise details or effects in the learning process, with traditional learning materials of textbooks, blackboards, and static models. The classroom education is evolving with the technology advancements. Development works in three-dimensional (3D) graphics rendering, virtual and augmented reality (VAR) have been reported to provide interactive visualisations for classroom education. Teaching of the subject of biology is one of such examples in the classroom education which could benefit to the emerging technologies with different types of supportive tools. This project is developed to apply virtual and augmented reality technology-enhanced learning (VARTEL) in biology education of secondary schools. Pilot study has been performed with the collaborating secondary schools. The VARTEL technologies developed in the research project can be rolled out to more mainstream schools in Singapore and other countries.
In 1981, Nanyang Technological Institute was established in Singapore to train engineers and accountants to keep up with the fast-growing economy of the country. In 1991, the institute was upgraded to Nanyang Technological University (NTU). NTU holds the rank for world's top young university for six consecutive years according to the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) world university ranking. Virtual Reality (VR) research began in NTU in the late 1990s. NTU's colleges, schools, institutes, and centers have contributed toward the excellence of VR research. This article briefly describes the VR research directions and activities in NTU.
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