Virtual environments in special-needs education
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Applications Research Team (VIRART) has been specifying, building and evaluating VEs for educational applications. In the Learning in Virtual Environments (LIVE) program, the understanding of user needs and of how to assess the outcomes has drawn upon ergonomics expertise from the Institute for Occupational Ergonomics, and VIRART’s own work in industrial applications (the Manufacturing Operations in Virtual Environments (MOVE) Program [4, 5]) and in usability and health and safety implications of VEs [2]. It is arguable the greatest potential benefits from VEs built into current VR systems are in such applications as education, training, and communication of general ideas and concepts. The current, partially developed nature of VR gives technical trade-offs and limitations that restrict the visual complexity of a VE unless most of the potential interactivity is jettisoned. This is especially true of the less expensive systems. However, in education and training great visual detail is not always required and may even be a hindrance. In such circumstances applications can make the most of such VE attributes as permitting exploration of environments not normally available to the participant, rapid real-time interaction with “devices,” exploration from different viewpoints, and visualization of concepts and ideas. Given these attributes, VR can readily lend itself to such teaching or training environment elements as visually based instruction, involvement of active trainees, self-pacing and self-assessment, and use of natural semantics in the interface. Work in the LIVE program is directed toward both mainstream and special needs education. Among general education applications the LIVE program has been involved in a joint project with the University of Ioannina to develop modules for technical education, starting with teaching physics (for instance the design and use of lasers shown in Figure 1). For this article, only the work in special needs education and rehabilitation is described.
[1] John R. Wilson,et al. Manufacturing Operations in Virtual Environments (MOVE) , 1995, Presence: Teleoperators & Virtual Environments.
[2] John R. Wilson,et al. Manufacturing Operations in Virtual Environments (MOVE) , 1995, Presence: Teleoperators & Virtual Environments.
[3] John Cromby,et al. Successful transfer to the real world of skills practised in a virtual environment by students with severe learning difficulties , 1996 .