Interactive Chinese Character Learning in Virtual Reality

Abstract

Learning Chinese characters and characters of Chinese origin is a challenging and time-consuming task for native speakers and second language learners alike. Traditional methods to acquire Chinese characters include repeatedly writing the characters on paper or air writing. In scientific research, computer- and mobile-assisted approaches have been implemented that allow users to be interactively guided through the learning process. The recent advancements and availability of virtual reality (VR) headsets with six degrees of freedom tracking and controllers provide an interesting new platform for education applications. The proposed VR application utilizes novel interaction and visualization methods tailored for VR with guided repetition as well as sound and haptic feedback. The augmentation of air writing further enables motor-based learning and allows for the application to be used as an educational exergame.