The first VR lessons passed in the Russian schools. What results of experiments?

The research was conducted by specialists of the company Modum Lab, the developer of solutions of virtual and augmented reality VRAR (/), both the Center for the neurotechnologies and VR/AR working based on NTI DVFU.

During it on the basis of specially developed rate of VR lessons of the subject "Magnetism" the hypothesis that use of VR in teaching physics allows to reach considerably bigger efficiency of educational process in comparison with standard techniques was checked. It is reached due to visualization which allows children to understand better an entity of physical processes and to apply them at solving of tasks.

Implementation problems VR/ AR- solutions consist not only in still high cost of the equipment and content, but also the insufficient level of study of technologies. Whether implementation will be effective? Whether will cope with technology of the teacher? Whether the technology will justify invested funds? - explains need of a research Carolina Podpletko, the representative of Modum Lab.

Whether will help to reach use of VR considerably of bigger efficiency of educational process?

VR - the assistant in training

School students of the 9th classes from educational institutions of Moscow and Vladivostok, including Physics and Technology faculty lyceum of P.L. Kapitsa, choreographic school, other schools with different specializations participated in a research. The main group of school students studied a subject in a VR format, and control was engaged according to the traditional school program. To understand how virtual reality influences assimilation of material in the short term, operational tests were used, and for assessment of integrated efficiency results of OGE were studied.

As told in Modum Lab company, the average final point according to the test at the main group increased after VR training passing, and at a check group this indicator did not change that allows to speak about existence of effect of a technological format of training. In particular, test results at the main group improved for 28.8%, in comparison with the first testing.

Also accurate communication between VR training and results of OGE was shown. So, the average general point of OGE in the main group was on average 2.5 points higher, than in control. Besides, for 11% the average general point for OGE of a successful half of the main group, than a successful half of a check group was higher. The additional analysis showed that this distinction was caused by a VR training factor.

Positive results of experiments with VR/AR configure developers of the relevant technical solutions on an optimistic harmony.

At the beginning of this academic year of nearly 50 thousand Russian schools in different regions of the country within the Education project received the equipment for work with VR/AR content, - Carolina Podpletko tells. - Such trend gives the grounds to believe that in several years to study difficult disciplines and school students in virtual reality will practice carrying out experiments the hands.

The experiment revealed positive influence of VR technologies on educational process

At schools wait for VR

The teacher's community is configured positively to new methods of teaching.

We very much would like to get acquainted with such technology! I know that somewhere they are implemented. I read, I envy, but we were not lucky – for schools of our city it is the most this fantasy. I hope that in the next years it after all will reach also us", - Lilia Viktorovna, the teacher of physics from Khabarovsk shared with TAdviser.

I think that VR technologies are very useful, in particular, at geography lessons because immersion in virtual reality allows to see the complemented and real picture of the world, - the Muscovite Olga Tishina, the teacher of geography, in a conversation with TAdviser noted.

Her colleague, the mathematician Milena Zotova, adds:

Such modern resource - VR technologies - is close to modern school students who meet it in ordinary life. Besides, it allows school students to build the educational trajectory with understanding of at what level there are modern achievements of science.

The tenth-grader from Moscow Maria Goleneva who handed over OGE on physics in the summer, told TAdviser that she would also like to apply more widely IT when studying different objects:

VR technologies can help very much by preparation for a practical part of examination in physics. Subjects are visually best of all understood and acquired: you see volume model of the events, and not just read the text. And in general it is much more interesting to see military battles, historical actions, chemical reactions, stars and space as though alive, but not on pictures of the textbook.

However on the way to this future there are obvious scale-up problems of this segment of educational methods. Treat them, first of all: creation of the developed libraries of VR occupations and platforms for development of VR rates by forces of teachers, special training of teachers, money for purchase of the corresponding VR equipment and retrofitting of classrooms. Also very high requirements to simplicity and reliability of the equipment used in the classroom are among problems. Forty five minutes are very short term, explain the teacher, it cannot be spent for understanding as why does not work for someone at all.

Not accidental the main achievement of outstanding school teachers it becomes normal a unique technique of teaching, i.e. ability to gain the maximum effect for training of each pupil in a class from the selected number of hours of the school program. But regarding transformation into a reliable standard technique of training VR/AR methods have still more questions, than answers.

Specifics of motivation

In popular materials the statement which in the nonprofessional environment is considered indisputable is often used: VR technologies in comparison with traditional forms of education make stronger motivating impact. But it is not a so universal axiom, Natalya Dmitriyeva, the teacher from Khabarovsk told TAdviser:

The differentiated approach to the school students, students or adults getting additional education is necessary. It is better to use high technologies which assume high extent of individualization of educational process in universities or as exercise machines for people who want to develop further in the selected profession. Because these people have a steady motivation to training. And for present school students, especially, if it is not specialized school, multimedia "features" will be more likely the distracting moment.

Teachers say that when polls of school students show high degree of their desire to apply technologies of virtual reality at school lessons, it is necessary to look more deeply - what is actually wanted by children: more profound knowledge or next computer toy?

The motivation to training is very thin thing, - Natalya Dmitriyeva continues. - Very thin edge separates pros and cons of application of virtual reality at school lessons: very not easy to achieve real motivation to the doctrine using VR, but it is very simple to start up money of school for wind in an unsuccessful experiment.

Opinions of teachers on application of VR in training differ

Features of training in the immersive environment

Advantages of VR and AR technologies are often mentioned in a context of so-called immersive training which assumes immersion of the trainee in some simulated environment. Such approach, certainly, is extremely useful to knowledge acquisition and skills for situations which cannot be repeated easily in student's laboratory. For example, the nuclear reactor or the operating room where unique surgery is performed. However immersive technologies inevitably conduct to game scenarios of interaction of characters, and it is in every sense new reality.

On the one hand, game process which by determination should be coherent continuous, integral, interactive and fascinating, has huge didactic potential. On the other hand, randomnesses inherent to games in the choice of specific routes of passing of a training material are in a conflict with strict requirements of the training program where terms and volumes of the studied material are accurately painted.

Implementation of technologies of e-learning should not become end in itself, - Artem Feshchenko managing educational and scientific laboratory of computer training aids of the Tomsk state university emphasizes. - Their application can be justified only by achievement of new quality of training and new opportunities for pupils. Tools should not become end in itself, the careful and weighed approach at implementation of all new in education is necessary.

According to Inga Yashkova, the elementary school teacher from Moscow, the best place of VR – at elementary school where the game factor is important:

At elementary school similar technologies very much would be useful at lessons of the world around. It would be very interesting to children to learn the world through such combination of study and a game.

Who will be a teacher?

One more important consequence of implementation of technologies of e-learning – gradually decrease in volume of direct communication of the teacher and trainee: the teacher is replaced with interactive content, and the pupil interacts not with the living personality having, in addition to other attributes, the authority any more, and with her simplified virtual model. In the immersive environment the role of the teacher in general comes down to "offscreen" preparation of the scenario of a game lesson. This fact in itself requires additional judgment, but not in terms of technologies any more.

In my opinion, in school education the most important is a human factor. If the person who was called a teacher has technologies, but there is no desire to help children to understand the new phenomena, nothing sensible will turn out, - Natalya Dmitriyeva shared with TAdviser opinion. - And vice versa: the good teacher of physics using standard experiences will perfectly explain an essence of the happening physical processes and will show on examples from surrounding life. It basic concepts of school physics, but not depth of the quantum world for the fourth year of the relevant university.

The Tomsk researchers of immersive solutions for training note:

"Pedagogical situations" in virtual 3D - Wednesday occurs much more, than in real audience or a webinar. The teacher's avatar very often is not associated students with the identity of the teacher that generates the atmosphere of excessive informality and freedom of expression during the occupation.

Feshchenko emphasizes:

In case of excessive hobby for a form to the detriment of contents the effect of such "training" can be the return.

In other words, the question of a role and the place of the teacher when training using VR rates – not idle time is also far from the final decision. From the practical point of view, it is not obvious, what is simpler and more effective: create the ideal thematic VR trainer or the known methods to increase attractiveness and prestigiousness of a profession of the school teacher. But from the research point of view, it, of course, very relevant direction of scientific research.

In general, researchers of problems of informatization of school education agree in opinion that the most real way is implementation of fragments of VR/AR technologies in the traditional scheme of a school lesson in a format of short sessions (5 – 7 min.) or in the form of simulators. The bigger volume of VR/AR will be effective, experts, in the conditions of additional education which allows much more flexible structure of educational process consider.

It is possible to implement such technologies based on engineering classes or separate elective occupations (at the choice of pupils) which, however, are not at each school, - Kirill Sakulin, the school teacher of history and the right from Moscow noted in a conversation with TAdviser.

The effective technique of training is the next call which faces VR/AR training methods at school today. It is the territory of the most interesting scientific search. Let's monitor reports from research fields.

The source of a photo is Modum Lab

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