Teaching VR in VR
Prof. Dr. Bernd Fröhlich
M.Sc. Anton Lammert
M.Sc. Tony Jan Zöppig
M.Sc. Ephraim Schott
M.Sc. Sebastian Mühlhaus
| Degree | Study Programme | Examination Regulations | ECTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| M.Sc. | Computer Science for Digital Media | PV18 and lower | 15 |
| M.Sc. | Computer Science for Digital Media | PV20 | 12 |
| M.Sc. | Computer Science and Media | all | 15 |
| M.Sc. | Human-Computer Interaction | PV17 and lower | 15 |
| M.Sc. | Human-Computer Interaction | PV19 | 12/18 |
Motivation
Since the pandemic, distance learning, teaching and training services have thrived. Last semester, we took our first steps towards exploring techniques for immersive teaching and learning of virtual reality concepts in virtual reality. Our vrEDUsys Unity teaching framework supports live teaching in VR as well as recording and playback of lectures in VR. Compared to regular teaching methods, this gives students first-hand exposure to virtual reality concepts. As a result, students have a greater awareness of usability issues and possible usage scenarios of virtual reality technology and 3D interaction concepts.
In this project, we aim to explore and develop further tools to support students and teachers in learning and teaching in virtual reality. Our research will start with reviewing and designing different concepts for virtual classrooms to address the following questions: What is the best way to combine knowledge transfer and hands-on experience in an interactive virtual environment? To what extent can gamification be used to foster a deeper understanding of different virtual reality techniques and concepts?
During the project you will be encouraged to design, develop and prototype your own concepts. The results of this project can be incorporated into the next iteration of our vrEDUsys Unity teaching framework and may be experienced by many future students.
Hardware
You will gain 24/7 access to our well-equipped lab at Schwanseestraße 143. Should pandemic counter measures limit the accessibility of our infrastructure, we will in all cases supply you with state-of-the-art hardware and boost your journey into immersive virtual worlds.
For the duration of the project, each participant will be supplied with an Oculus Quest 2 HMD. If necessary, we will also hand out desktop workstations to meet any additional hardware requirements, which your own machine cannot handle.
Apart from deploying your applications using this hardware, we strongly encourage you to explore related VR applications in the wild!
Requirements
As well as willingness to work in a team, and enthusiasm for learning about multi-user VR application development, you should have the following competencies:
- solid programming / scripting skills (C#, C++, Python or similar)
- affinity for VR and games
Additional advantages are experience in:
- Unity3D development
- 3D modelling
- social VR development
If you are in doubt as to whether you fulfil the requirements, or if you have any further questions regarding the project, we are happy to have a discussion with you at the project fair on 3rd of April.
Assessment
The final assessment of your work will be conducted based on the project contributions of every team member, including:
- Quality and innovation of your practical results
- Active participation in the project during and in between weekly meetings
- Intermediate and final project presentations
- Documentation
If you are interested in social virtual reality and want to dive deeper into the design and development of a virtual classroom - join us!