Transforming Education with XR for Pedagogy
In today's digital age, immersive technologies such as Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Extended Reality (XR) are playing an increasingly important role in education. With the power to create interactive and engaging learning environments, these technologies have the potential to revolutionise how we teach and learn. One project that aims to harness this potential is the Erasmus+ XR4Ped project.
The XR4Ped Project
XR4Ped, led by the University of Primorska, Slovenia, is a collaborative project that involves several European educational institutions including FHM GMBH, University of Applied Science, Germany; E.N.T.E.R. GMBH, Austria; University College Dublin, Ireland; Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium, and Rakka, Finland. The project aims to tackle the lack of awareness and understanding of digital learning opportunities among educators and foster digitisation in higher education.
The mission of XRforPED is to bridge the gap between the digital world and pedagogy by offering novel learning opportunities. The project aims to conduct surveys, create an analytical Green Paper, develop a study course with immersive learning modules, and establish an XR4Ped Lecture Theatre. The project aims to train 140 lecturers and students through an XR4Ped study course pilot and estimates 500 annual course participants. It also expects that another 2,000 educators will use the open-source self-learning units to train themselves.
To realise these objectives, XRforPED has adopted Mozilla Hubs, a fully open-source virtual world platform that allows users to create and control their own online communities. Mozilla Hubs offers an immersive web experience right from your browser, providing a novel way to connect online. Instead of traditional video calls, participants can gather as avatars in a virtual space, replicating natural conversations with spatialized 3D audio.
Mozilla Hubs is versatile and can be tailored to various needs. It can be used to host virtual events, create digital galleries, build spaces for hobbies, establish classrooms, and even have meetings on a virtual planet. Users can customise their Hubs, choosing environments and avatars that represent their community. Media sharing is also a key feature, allowing users to import and share 3D models, PDFs, images, gifs, videos, and audio with their guests.
Another vital aspect of Mozilla Hubs is its accessibility. It works across devices, meaning that guests can join from any device with a modern browser, without the need for any downloads. This feature makes it an ideal platform for XRforPED's mission, reaching a wide range of educators regardless of their technical skills or equipment.
In the XRforPED Mozilla Hubs room, all materials for the training modules are hosted. These modules include presentations, tutorial videos, best practice examples, and assignments. Instructions on how to use these materials are also provided, ensuring a smooth and engaging learning experience. This virtual space can be used for online teaching and learning, and the materials can be downloaded for in-class use.
XRforPED and Mozilla Hubs together are paving the way for the future of education. By integrating immersive digital technologies into pedagogy, they are enriching the learning experience and equipping educators with the tools they need in a rapidly digitising world. This endeavour promises to bring about a transformative change in education, promoting an inclusive, accessible, and innovative learning environment for all.
Join us on this exciting journey to reshape education, and experience the power of immersive learning with XRforPED and Mozilla Hubs.
Ilmari Huttu-Hiltunen / RAKKA
https://www.xr4ped.eu/
