Exploring Astronomy in VR: Examining the effects on adolescents’ engagement in astronomy through an interactive VR learning environment
Typ
Examensarbete för masterexamen
Program
Publicerad
2022
Författare
Eidikis, Augustas
Svensson, Marcus
Modellbyggare
Tidskriftstitel
ISSN
Volymtitel
Utgivare
Sammanfattning
Research has demonstrated that adolescents find it challenging to understand astronomy.
It is evident that traditional methods of learning the subject simply do
not provide the adequate tools for students to grasp the sheer magnitude of celestial
objects, the unimaginable distances between them, and the building blocks that
comprise them. This thesis investigates the potential of using Virtual Reality (VR)
as an educational tool for teaching astronomy in a science centre setting. More
specifically, it aims to design an interactive and engaging learning experience with
a constructivist approach, where students can freely explore the subject in a VR
environment.
The exploration of the research question and hypotheses was influenced by a Research
through Design approach with the intention to generate new knowledge in the
field of Interaction Design. A prototype was designed and iterated on continuously
through the Design Thinking process, and software development was conducted in
Unity to build the VR environment. Efforts were put into conducting rigorous user
tests to gain a deep understanding of the target audience’s needs and thus form
requirements. Insights and considerations for designing for experiential learning,
VR, and science centres are highlighted and discussed. The results strongly indicate
that VR can be used successfully as a learning environment for astronomy, and
further suggests that prioritising continuous user evaluation, a coherent design, and
intuitive interactions are of utmost importance.
Beskrivning
Ämne/nyckelord
Interaction Design , Research through Design , Virtual Reality , Astronomy , Experiential Learning , Constructivist Theory , Science Centre