Virtual+Reality+(Example)

=**Virtual Reality ** =

Ted Jewell

==**Description and Uses of Technology ** == ====Virtual Reality in a way is like a Second Life. Virtual Reality is a fantasy world created on the computer screen that serves a purpose for training and educating the student users. It is no longer limited to science fantasy movies such as; "Star Trek" and "Star Wars". Virtual Reality has become a reality today that is making its way into our classrooms and training centers. "Desktop VR has begun to gain its way and popularity in modern education because its ability to provide real time visualization and interaction within a virtual world that closely resembles a real world." (Lee, Wong, & Fung 2010). ====

====There are two kinds of virtual reality formats known today, they are called non-immersive and immersive virtual reality environments. "The simplest form of virtual reality is a three dimensional image that can be explored interactively at a personal computer, usually by maintaining keys or the mouse. These kinds of VR environments are called "non-immersive" VR environments. "Immersive VR environments" include head mounted displays (HMD), gloves and other hepatic accessories of CAVE displays which constitute a full "immersive" experience for the user." (Gazit, Yair, & Chen 2006). Full immersive virtual reality is being used to train professionals how to perform their duty on a daily basis, and educational virtual reality is being used to help students progress more in their learning. "Winn (1993) suggests that VEs afford a new type of direct learning, which enhances the learners' motivation and their knowledge acquisition." (Gazit, Yair, & Chen 2006). ====

 ====A training based VR is used to train pilots, military personnel, astronauts, surgeons and nurses. "VR has been used commercially in flight simulators for training pilots, and architects have walkthrough VR software, so that their clients can preview buildings by walking through them before they are "set in concrete."" (Zohrab 1996). Training VR helps these individuals train safely behind a computer screen, which is also cost effective in general. Instead of using real equipment like airplanes and helicopters, wasting resources such as bullets and space stations/satellites, using donated bodies, and needles the student trainee can experience the same feel by repeatedly using the VR stimulation program. "In a VE learners can easily and without effort visit places and view objects from different points of view, and can manipulate variables that cannot be manipulated in the real world." (Gazit, Yair, & Chen 2006). ====

====<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">An educational based VR is used to expand the students' experience in the classroom. Usually, educators give verbal descriptions of how things work or they show a flat picture of the object under discussion. No longer will that be needed because the educational VR is shown in rich and deep 3D details how the object works. "VR...which is simulated, interactive, three-dimensional, 360-degree reality in which you can "move around."" (Zohrab 1996). Not only are VR shown in clear 3D details, but it also shows life-like motion as well. "Virtual reality, potentially, can provide a more realistic and more motivating environment for language-learning than a traditional classroom can." (Zohrab 1996). Currently, there is a multitude of Virtual Reality programs that are teaching our younger students how to read, write, problem solve, and understand complex concepts in math and science. ====

==<span style="font-size: 1.3em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Important Findings on Student Outcomes ** == ====<span style="font-size: 1.066em; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Virtual Reality provides upgraded learning for those students who use VR in the classroom. "Recently, Dede et al. (2005) reported that using the MUVE (multi-user virtual environment) increased students' motivation and engagement in the learning activities, improved students' attendance and decreased students' disruptive behavior." (Gazit, Yair, & Chen 2006). Virtual Reality provides "visual" learning in tune with reading and auditory information, which is a step up from traditional learning where the learners sometimes cannot fully comprehend the main picture. "Through VR could support constructivist learning and research has shown a positive array of learning outcomes with desktop virtual reality, for instance, better learning in geosciences, better understanding in physics concepts, and positive effect on learning driving rules and regulations." (Lee, Wong, & Fung 2010). Virtual Reality allows them to remember information better because they receive it using more than one sense to comprehend the information. ====

====<span style="font-size: 1.066em; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Students who use Virtual Reality to learn material were able to recall the presented information from the assignment, which gave them more confidence to perform better on evaluations afterward. This is due to an expanded experience using the virtual reality in a more visual way. "VR allows the learner to be "taken to places,"...without leaving the classroom...VR is about "exploration," while multimedia is about 'information'." (Grove 1996). These students also expressed high interest in the virtual world than the traditional sit back type of class. "Positive effects of virtual worlds on learning include accommodating learning preferences of Net Generation students, enhancing student motivation and engagement, facilitating collaboration and social interactions, providing immersive, experimental learning opportunities, and increased sense of shared presence and experience." (Traphagan, Chiang, Chang, Wattanawaha, Lee, Mayrath, Woo, Yoon, Jee, and Resta 2010). ====

====<span style="font-size: 1.066em; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Professionals in the fields of military, airline industry, space exploration, and medical were able to excel better in real-life situations after undergoing through Virtual Reality trainings. "Other professions with high-risk performance environments already have successfully incorporated simulation technology into their training and assessment programs. Examples include flight simulators for pilots and astronauts, war games and training exercises for military personnel." (Scalese, Obeso, Issenberg 2007). They showed less fear when performing real world kind of work then those who did not receive any Virtual Reality training. "Simulation-based education allows trainees to hone their skills in a risk-free environment." (Scalese, Obeso, Issenberg 2007). The use of Virtual Reality over and over allowed them to control their learning factor. "Use of simulators...trainees can make mistakes and learn to recognize and correct them in the forgiving environment of the simulation, without fear of punishment or harm to real patients." (Scalese, Obeso, Issenberg 2007). The Virtual Reality environment also allowed the organizations to reduce funding because they did not have to continuously provide resources, machinery, tools, and bodies. ====

==<span style="font-size: 1.3em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Emerging Trends and Open Issues ** == ====<span style="font-size: 1.066em; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The future of Virtual Reality has yet to be finalized and is in the process of being developed and expanded. Virtual Reality is still new in the educational field and further research is still needed on its effectiveness in the classroom. "There is still a lack of research that addresses..."How can desktop VR...enhance learning outcomes" rather than "Does desktop technology influence learning outcomes?" If desktop VR...is to be used to support meaningful learning, then there is a need to examine the relevant constructs and their relationships to help achieve his goal." (Lee, Wong, & Fung 2010) ====

====<span style="font-size: 1.066em; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">One way we will see virtual reality grow, is in "virtual schools" where students will stay home and learn all their courses online, according to the T.V. show 20/20. With budget cutbacks in many schools, schools may start making the leap to produce all their teachings online where students can learn from the comfort of their own homes. ====

====<span style="font-size: 1.066em; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Virtual Reality will continue to make many milestones in helping professionals in the medical, military, psychiatry, space exploration and airline fields. Doctors can safely put on VR head gear and gloves to help them practice in performing a surgery or inserting a needle to draw blood. "VR programs let medical students and nurses practice opening veins to draw blood...before they ever touch a living patient...give the students a literal "feel: for the textures of different tissues and amount of resistance a surgeon would while cutting into them...studies have shown that training with simulators improves surgeons skill in carrying out real operations." (<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; url(http: //www.wikispaces.com/i/a.gif); background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; cursor: pointer; padding-right: 10px;">Science Clarified 2010). Military soldiers can perform thinking and problem solving skills in many environments to help them prepare for teamwork in foreign lands. "Simulations help soldiers learn how to use complex equipment, work together and rehearse missions." (<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; url(http: //www.wikispaces.com/i/a.gif); background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; cursor: pointer; padding-right: 10px;">Science Clarified 2010). Psychologists can see what a patient's mind is going through for specific mental disorders to enable the doctors to help them better. "Some psychiatrists are using virtual reality to learn more about the bizarre worlds inside their patients' minds." (<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; url(http: //www.wikispaces.com/i/a.gif); background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; cursor: pointer; padding-right: 10px;">Science Clarified 2010). Pilots can practice trial flights without wasting gas and other resources. "they can save companies money in the long run by cutting down on the amount of costly real equipment." (<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; url(http: //www.wikispaces.com/i/a.gif); background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; cursor: pointer; padding-right: 10px;">Science Clarified 2010). Pilots who train using Virtual Reality have performed better overall then pilots who train with a real airplane. "A navy study found that student pilots who used Microsoft's Flight Simulator program were 54 percent more likely to obtain above-average scores in real flight tests than pilots who had trained without the program." (<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; url(http: //www.wikispaces.com/i/a.gif); background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; cursor: pointer; padding-right: 10px;">Science Clarified 2010). ====

====<span style="font-size: 1.066em; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Tests are currently being run to see if it will help soldiers who return home from a war who are suffering PSTD (posttraumatic stress disorder) syndrome to be cured using Virtual Reality. "The current generation of military personnel may be more comfortable participating in a virtual reality (VR) treatment approach then traditional talk therapy, as they are likely familiar with gaming and training simulation technology...Sixteen of the 20 completers no longer met DSM criteria for PSTD at post-treatment on a self-report measure of PTSD." (Rothbaum, Rizzo, & Difede 2010). ====

====<span style="font-size: 1.066em; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">More than 60 experts in virtual reality were asked many questions in a personal interview and given surveys to complete about their future expectations of simulation and virtual environments in their opinion. "This paper reports the main results of a peer study on future trends in distributed simulation (DS) and distributed virtual environments (DVE) - two of the most important areas in the discipline of simulation...the survey was officially conducted during the period from September 15, 2007 until October 15, 2007." (StraBburger, Schulze, & Fujimoto 2009). Some predictions of how virtual reality can or will be applied in the future according to these experts are of a wide range. "An enhancement of video conferencing technologies...by integrating the video feed into the virtual world, better communication between project participants, upgrade to 3D web, real time decisions, feedback for developing interpersonal skills for management and teamwork, operation and maintenance life cycle phase of a product, expanded use in the military sector and defense community, areas of emergency and security management, homeland security, and global environment problems, globalization, try before you buy, increase in secure high bandwidth and fast network/communication technologies, expansion of Second Life in terms of business meetings, Decision Support Systems, Virtual Training Applications, Space Exploration, Virtual Meetings, Industrial Supply Chain Simulation, Emulation, Virtual Travel at Street Level, Real Estate and Home Design, Cultural Education, Sales Activities." (StraBburger, Schulze, & Fujimoto 2009). ====

====<span style="font-size: 1.066em; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In closing, Virtual Reality uses are growing at the same pace that our technology is growing. More creative ways to apply Virtual Reality is being developed overnight. The only thing left is for educators and researchers alike to continue to study the lasting effect of Virtual Reality on learning, training, and in the business setting. ==== ====<span style="font-size: 1.066em; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">﻿ ==== ==<span style="font-size: 1.3em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">References ** ==

<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Traphagan T.W., Chiang Y.V., Chang H.M., Wattanawaha B., Lee H., Mayrath M.C., Woo J., Yoon H.J., Jee M.J., & Resta P.E. (2010). Cognitive, Social, and Teaching Presence in a Virtual World and a Text Chat. Computers & Education 55, An International Journal, 923-936.

<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Lee, E.A., Wong, K.W., & Fung, C.C. (2010). How Does Desktop Virtual Reality Enhance Learning Outcomes? A Structural Equation Modeling Approach. Computers & Education 55, An International Journal, 1424-1442.

<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">StraBburger, S., Schulze, T., & Fujimoto, R. (2008). Future Trends in Distributed Simulation and Distributed Virtual Environments: results of a peer study. In Proceedings of the Winter 2008 Simulation Conference, 231-253.

<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Scalese R.J., Obeso V.T., & Issenberg B. (2007). Simulation Technology for Skills Training and Competency Assessment in Medical Education. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 23(1), 46-49.

<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Rothbaum B.O., Rizzo A.S., & Difede J. (2010). Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy for Combat-Related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 1208, 126-132.

<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Grove, J. (1996). VR and History - Some Findings and Thoughts. VR in the Schools (Volume 2, Number 1, June 1996). Retrieved from <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; url(http: //www.wikispaces.com/i/a.gif); background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; cursor: pointer; padding-right: 10px;">[]

<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Zohrab, P. (1996). Virtual Language and Culture Reality (VLCR). VR in the Schools (Volumne 1, Number 4, March 1996). Retrieved from <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; url(http: //www.wikispaces.com/i/a.gif); background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; cursor: pointer; padding-right: 10px;">[]

<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Gazit, E., Yair, Y., Chen, D. (2006). The Gain and Pain in Taking the Pilot Seat: Learning Dynamics in a Non Immersive Virtual Solar System. Virtual Reality (2006) 10:271-282.

Reviewed By: (Danny Scheetz, Tuncer Akbay)