Design of a Virtual Reality based Pedagogical Framework

Abstract

In this study, we designed and implemented a virtual reality-based pedagogical framework. The framework can be altered to be used for any laboratory-based class such as biology, chemistry, and physics. The framework has four main modules: Interface, Companion, Virtual Reality Scene, and Online Dashboard. The “Interface” module allows for the human computer interaction. The “Companion” module is based on voice recognition and replaces a laboratory assistant. The Online Dashboard acts as a user interface for teachers to create virtual laboratory scenes and upload them to the Virtual Reality Scene. We carried out a usability study and asked five faculty members with different backgrounds to carry out five tasks. The results showed that all the subjects had a positive experience with the virtual reality based pedagogical framework. The subjects mentioned that they expect virtual reality to be part of education in the near feature, especially for laboratory classes and that the pandemic has proved that VR is the future.