(Work-in-Progress) prototype desktop and augmented VR for delivering materials for graphics modeling and animation courses

Abstract

This paper explains the design of a prototype desktop and augmented Virtual Reality (VR) framework as a medium to deliver instructional materials to the students in an introductory computer animation course. This framework was developed as part of a Teaching Innovation Grant to propose a cost-effective and innovative instructional frameworks to engage and stimulate students. Desktop-based virtual reality presents a 3-dimensional (3D) world using the display of a standard desktop computer available in most of the PC labs on campus. This is a required course at this university that has students not only from the primary department, but from other colleges/departments as well. Desktop VR has been chosen as a medium for this study due to the ease-of-access and affordability; this framework can be visualized and accessed with the available computers in PC labs available in university campuses. The proposed research is intended to serve as a low-cost framework that can be accessed by all students. The concepts of 'computer graphics, modeling & animation', instead of being presented using conventional methods such as notes or power point presentations, are presented in an interactive manner on a desktop display. This framework allows the users to interact with the objects on the display not only via the standard mouse and keyboard, but also using multiple forms of HCI such as Touchscreen, Touchpad, and 3D Mouse. Hence, the modules were developed from scratch for access via regular desktop PCs. Such a framework helps effective pedagogical strategies such as active learning (AL) and project-based learning (PBL), which are especially relevant to a highly lab-oriented course such as this course titled 'Introduction to Animation'. Finally, the framework has also been tested on a range of VR media to check its accessibility. On the whole, this proposed framework can be used to not only teach basic modeling and animation concepts such as spatial coordinates, coordinate systems, transformation, and parametric curves, but it is also used to teach basic graphics programming concepts. Hence, instead of a touchscreen, the modules have to be developed from scratch for access via regular desktop PCs. Such a framework helps effective pedagogical strategies such as active learning (AL) and project-based learning (PBL), which are especially relevant to a highly lab-oriented course such as this animation course.