Virtual Reality-Based Biology Learning Module

Abstract

Virtual reality finds increasingly more place in education, especially through the three-dimensional environments. Although different experiments were performed with 3D virtual learning environments we believe that research in this area is still in its infancy and the perspective are high due to continuous technological advances. Our learning module allows students to more easily understand, by 3D visualizations and animations, the internal structure of the human body, living cells in the human body, bone structure or hearth sections. The 3D experience is completed with a wide range of multimedia elements like text, voice or digital image with animation. The module offers a collaborative learning environment, which contributes to the socialization of the participants. Their immersion in the virtual space, by means of avatars, improves also the attractiveness of the lesson. When a student is on-line in the virtual world, he has several options for learning about any found object and synchronizes this interaction with the teacher. Such options are YouTube, Wikipedia, Power point presentation, Videos, Hyperlinks. The paper presents the results of an experiment with our learning module, which was conducted with a group of 20 students from the ninth grade at a school in Jordan. The experiment aimed to make a comparison between the traditional method of teaching and learning and the virtual environment-based method offered by our module. Students appreciated the immersion in the virtual space, flying through the human body cells. They enjoyed the lesson, also, because they were able to communicate with colleagues during the lesson, each hidden behind an avatar. Last but not least, the lesson in virtual environment does not require their presence in the real class in a fixed schedule.