TOMBALL, TX: The Lone Star College-Tomball community celebrated the soft opening of the Experience Lab on October 4, 2022. The new on campus lab, initiated and managed by the LSC-Tomball Multimedia team, features virtual reality (VR) technology that creates computer-generated real-world simulations, and allows users the ability to interact within those computer-generated environments.
“VR technology is enhancing student learning and engagement,” said Julissa Guajardo, LSC-Tomball video production and VR technician. “The best way to learn is to do. But sometimes, actively doing something is not possible. That’s where VR and the Experience Lab come in.”
Ginger Fray, LSC-Tomball associate professor of English, used the Experience Lab to introduce her class to their assigned reading of The Best We Could Do, a memoir by Thy Bui, about the life of a Vietnamese family. Seeking to promote wonder and creativity, Fray had her class use the VR electronic goggles to independently explore the country of Vietnam via a YouTube 360 Video, observing the sights and sounds of Ho Chi Minh City.
“The results were simply staggering,” said Fray. “Immediately after the VR lab experience the students made connections from their own lives in their class journals, and they began reading the book the minute we returned to class. It was as if they could not wait to get started on the memoir after they had experienced a slice of the culture around which the book is centered.”
The Experience Lab has a library of VR applications and games, which students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to checkout for use. The lab has 16 Meta Quest 2 Oculus headsets and can host up to eight people at a time. To familiarize first time users with the headsets and controllers, the lab has an introductory interactive tutorial called First Steps. Beat Saber, a VR immersion rhythm game, in which players must slash flying blocks to the beat of adrenaline-pumping music is a “student favorite,” said Guajardo.
Brandon Lowery, LSC-Tomball professor of biology and environmental science used the Experience Lab to take his classes on virtual field trips, guiding his students to examine their preconceived ideas about the populations and economic conditions of different countries. Lowery plans to try more hands-on VR applications like virtual dissections and virtual anatomy models, which he says, “exists but as with all high value content, it demands an equal amount monetarily.” Tri-bird classes, another way to implement VR into the curriculum, have three instructional components, in-person, online, and VR.
“Tri-bird classes are still in the works,” said Lowery, “But the idea is that the final course model would incorporate a group virtual connection opportunity. This would place students together, just like in the classroom, but in a virtual environment.”
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At the national American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) Annual conference in March 2023, LSC-Tomball President, Dr. Lee Ann Nutt and LSC-Tomball Chief Strategist and Interim Vice President of Instruction, Dr. Jackie Thomas, will share their vision on the inclusion of immersive technology in education. Their presentation will include how faculty are using immersive technology in the classroom; and how to lead an institution to begin using VR technology.
VR is transforming the way students are educated, and the possibilities are endless. “People are little uncertain about VR at first, but after they try it, they’re like, ‘oh, it's so easy,’” said Guajardo. “Once you get the hang of it, it's a breeze, and the students love it. In the end, VR is going to benefit everybody.”