{"id":25204,"date":"2018-06-19T22:43:51","date_gmt":"2018-06-19T22:43:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.kurzweilai.net\/?p=317570"},"modified":"2018-06-22T06:04:06","modified_gmt":"2018-06-22T06:04:06","slug":"are-virtual-reality-and-augmented-reality-the-future-of-education","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hoo.central12.com\/fugic\/2018\/06\/19\/are-virtual-reality-and-augmented-reality-the-future-of-education\/","title":{"rendered":"Are virtual reality and augmented reality the future of education?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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People learn better through virtual, immersive environments instead of more traditional platforms like a two-dimensional desktop computer: That sounds intuitively right, but researchers at the\u00a0College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences<\/a> at the University of Maryland (UMD) have now supported that idea with evidence.<\/p>\n

The researchers conducted an experiment using the \u201cmemory palace\u201d method, where people recall an object or item located in an imaginary physical location, like a building or town. This \u201cspatial mnemonic encoding\u201d method has been used since classical times, taking advantage of the human brain\u2019s ability to spatially organize thoughts and memories.*<\/p>\n

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Giulio Camillo’s Theater of Memory (1511 AD)<\/p><\/div>\n

The researchers compared subjects’ recall accuracy when using with a VR head-mounted display vs. using a desktop computer. The results showed an 8.8 percent improvement overall in recall accuracy using the VR headsets.**<\/em> <\/em><\/p>\n

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The two virtual-memory-palace scenes used in the experiment (credit: Eric Krokos et al.\/Virtual Reality)<\/p><\/div>\n

Replacing rote memorization
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\u201cThis data is exciting in that it suggests that immersive environments could offer new pathways for improved outcomes in education and high-proficiency training,\u201d says\u00a0Amitabh Varshney<\/a>, PhD., UMD professor of computer science. Varshney leads several major research efforts on the UMD campus involving virtual and augmented reality (AR), including close\u00a0collaboration with health care professionals<\/a> interested in developing AR-based diagnostic tools for emergency medicine and in VR training for surgical residents.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs Marshall McLuhan pointed out years ago, modern 3-D gaming and particularly virtual-reality explorations, like movies, are \u2018hotter\u2019 than TV, while still requiring participation,\u201d said Western Michigan University\u00a0educational psychologist Warren E. Lacefield, Ph.D. \u201cThat greatly enhances the \u2018message,\u2019 as this formal memory study illustrates with statistical significance.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Inside the Augmentarium***, a revolutionary virtual and augmented reality facility at UMD (credit: UMD)<\/p><\/div>\n

Learning by moving around in VR<\/strong><\/p>\n

Other research suggests the possibility that \u201ca spatial virtual memory palace — experienced in an immersive virtual environment — could enhance learning and recall by leveraging a person\u2019s overall sense of body position, movement and acceleration,\u201d says UMD researcher and co-author Catherine Plaisant<\/a>. A good example is the obsessive AR game Pok\u00e9mon GO<\/a>, which combines the fun and hyperfast learning one doesn\u2019t experience in conventional education.<\/p>\n

While walking (or running around) in VR sounds like fun, it\u2019s currently a challenge (ouch!). But computer scientists from Stony Brook University, NVIDIA and Adobe have developed a clever way to allow VR users to walk around freely in a virtual world while avoiding obstacles. The trick: the system makes imperceptible small adjustments in your VR-based visual reality during your blinks and saccades (quick eye movements) — while you\u2019re (unknowingly) totally blind.<\/p>\n

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Eye fixations (in green) and saccades (in red). A blink fully suppresses visual perception. (credit: Eike Langbehn)<\/p><\/div>\n

In other words, it messes with your mind. For example, a short step in your living room could make you believe you\u2019re taking a large stride in a giant desert or planet — without knocking over the TV.<\/p>\n

That system will be presented at SIGGRAPH<\/a> August 12–16 in Vancouver. Watch out for the VR walkers.<\/p>\n