Immersive Narrativesin Educational Virtual Reality

Abstract

Immersive virtual reality (IVR) is rapidly being adopted in classrooms because of thepotential benefits to learning it affords. However, there are still many gaps in ourunderstanding of the various types of educational IVR and how they uniquely impactlearning. One effective method of designing an IVR experience to improve learningoutcomes is to include a narrative. However, if narrative IVR is to be widely adopted inclassrooms, more needs to be known about how it benefits learning and how it should bedesigned to maximise these benefits. This research focuses on investigating the cognitive andaffective learning outcomes of utilising narrative IVR in education, making theoreticalcontributions through the publication of empirical research and practice contributions via thedesign of significant creative artefact, Thin Ice VR.To achieve this aim, this thesis adopts a pragmatic perspective that draws on practice tosupport theory in solving a real-world enquiry. Utilising a mixed methods methodology incombination with practice-based research, the research demonstrates a novel approach toincorporating theory and research findings directly into design practice. The published worksexamine via empirical methods, the core contributions to learning outcomes resulting fromthe use of narrative IVR in learning. The practice-based research culminates in the significantoutput, a narrative IVR experience that was exhibited publicly and utilised in classrooms.The first phase of the research explains how narrative IVR transforms learning and studentexperiences in classrooms. The between-subjects experiment involved students using KokodaVR, an educational narrative IVR experience that teaches students about a significantbattleground for Australian and Japanese troops in WWII. Two separate studies wereconducted, one with high school students in Australia who would normally be studying thetopic and the other, University students in India, with no prior knowledge or awareness of thetopic. Student participants engaged in the learning experience using either Kokoda VR (IVR)or desktop 360° video. Both the university and high school students using the IVR conditionreported higher engagement, presence, empathy and better knowledge mastery than the 360°video groups. The findings highlighted the potential for narrative IVR experiences to providestudents with meaningful experiences that provide both cognitive and affective benefits.vSupporting the first phase is a systematic review that investigated the addition of narratives inIVR and the associated impacts on learning. The review found that the added immersionafforded by IVR is particularly important in relation to learning where situational context isdesirable. Importantly, IVR experiences with a narrative may have the potential to increaseaffective outcomes for learners, without reducing cognitive gains. Additionally, dataconcerning learning theories and design methodologies was extracted from the studies. Thesystematic review yielded only 12 relevant and applied papers with this demonstrating thereare still significant gaps in the research concerning the impact on learning in narrative IVR.The review highlighted that the inclusion of narratives in educational IVR offers manypotential benefits, however, is yet to be fully explored.The results from the first phase then informed the practice-based research in the secondphase. This phase applied previous learnings and research findings to develop the narrativeIVR experience, Thin Ice VR, developed in collaboration with industry partners. The IVRexperience highlights the epic adventure of Sir Ernest Shackleton and the devastating effectsof climate change in the Antarctic. Findings from the Kokoda VR project and supportingresearch, significantly informed the design of Thin Ice VR. This creative practice-based projectenabled the central research question to be specifically addressed through first-handinvestigations and took inspiration, during its design and development, from theory andresearch as well as prior professional practice.The third phase of the research utilised Thin Ice VR to embed narrative IVR into a classroomsetting and assess the impact when used as pre-training material before a multimedia lesson.The study examined the cognitive and affective benefits of utilising a narrative based IVRexperience as pre-training for students studying polar history and climate change. Key designelements of the narrative IVR experience used in the study are described so that connectionswith learning outcomes could be made. The between groups experiment was conducted with139 high school students to determine if those that viewed narrative IVR before continuingtheir learning with multimedia materials would show increased knowledge (transfer andacquisition), engagement, motivation and emotional reaction. Results showed a significantincrease in knowledge transfer when narrative IVR was used as pre-training material.However, using narrative IVR as pre-training had minimal impact on knowledge acquisition,engagement and motivation. Afforded by the sense of presence in IVR, the immersivenarrative experience was heightened and able to elicit an emotional reaction. Utilising thevisense of presence in IVR to place students in the narrative, positions IVR as an effectivemedium for telling stories in classroom settings. When students use narrative IVR beforefurther study, the experience significantly benefits both cognitive and affective learningoutcomes.The research in this thesis contributes to both theory and practice, demonstrating thatnarrative IVR can significantly benefit learning. The theoretical knowledge contributionsdescribe the cognitive and affective educational outcomes of learning in and with narrativeIVR. The design practice contributions describe the process for design and development ofnarrative IVR which utilise the affordances of IVR. Listed below, the contributions advanceeducational IVR design practice through targeted design innovations grounded in research.