Study on Learning Effectiveness of Virtual Reality Technology in Retail Store Design Course

Abstract

Information and communication technology is regarded as a crucial tool in the field of education. The Retail Store Design course in Shunde Polytechnic includes industry–education integration and a project-oriented teaching approach. Various types of retail store design projects are introduced through different channels, and project-based teaching is implemented in accordance with a market-oriented design studio workflow. The interactive nature of virtual reality technology can transform conventional teaching from passive into active learning, thus improving teacher–student communication and information transmission in the classroom. This study adopted virtual reality technology as a tool to facilitate teaching and learning. A 720° virtual reality training system was developed using Photoshop and the 720yun application to provide students with a virtual survey experience for the retail store construction site before remodeling. The Retail Store Design course of Shunde Polytechnic was used as an example to evaluate the system according to three aspects: onsite survey accuracy, onsite survey speed, and learning enjoyment. Participants were recruited from students enrolled in the Retail Store Design course at Shunde Polytechnic; a set of objective and subjective questionnaire measurements were designed and distributed to the aforementioned students. The results demonstrated that virtual reality yielded more satisfactory learning achievements compared with conventional teaching methods. Using virtual reality technology for the virtual survey of construction sites in the Retail Store Design course was extremely valuable and effective for students.