Macquarie University recently hosted its first blended reality lesson taking traditional methods of teaching, interacting and learning to a whole new level. Blended Synchronous Learning unites remote and face-to-face students in the same real-time learning experience using rich-media technologies such as video-conferencing, web-conferencing and virtual worlds.
Dr Matt Bower, Senior Lecturer in ICT, Department of Education commented: "We created a blended reality learning environment using AvayaLive Engage where students in the face-to-face classroom can see and hear remote students' avatars via a projection of the virtual world, and remote students can see and hear their face-to-face peers via a video stream into that virtual environment. In this way we can have remote students interacting in the face-to-face classroom and on-campus classes can take advantage of the features of virtual worlds."
The case study was conducted as part of an Australian Office of Learning and Teaching Innovation and Development Project focusing on Blended Synchronous Learning. Using the AvayaLive™ Engage virtual world running on Amazon Web Services infrastructure the project sought to explore solutions for connecting twenty-first century students with twenty-first century Higher Education. The project emerged from crucial technical and human collaboration between Macquarie's Informatics, Department of Education, Learning and Teaching Centre, Sustainability and Audio Visual Technology teams.
Remote and on campus students experience the same live teacher presentation and are able to participate in group work and whole-class report back activities. Groups of students in the face-to face class worked around computers to collaboratively design solutions to problems and are able to share their screen into the virtual world. Groups of students in the virtual world could move into breakout rooms, and then their collaborative notes were then automatically shared onto surfaces in the main virtual classroom. This enabled the students in both environments to share their ideas and discuss them, almost as though they were in the same class.
Tim Gentry, Managing Director, Avaya Australia/New Zealand said: “Macquarie University represents true innovation in Australian academic institutions bringing new learning opportunities to students no matter where they are located. Technology is not just a business tool or entertainment platform, it can remove the tyranny of distance for off-campus students who have found traditional remote learning isolating, and are more stimulated by this immersive, collaborative and accessible virtual environment.”
Dr Matt Bower, Senior Lecturer in ICT, Department of Education continued: "This isn't just a new way of teaching, this is a whole new way of learning, engaging and experiencing. We are essentially teaching the teachers of the future... in the next 10, 20 years this style of learning will most likely become more popular as university students require more flexibility around learning. The whole blended reality approach provides students greater access to learning and allows teachers to expand the space and functionality of their classroom."
Teachers are able to use the virtual world to add meeting rooms, lecture halls, and seminar spaces as though they are extra areas in the face-to-face classes. It is possible to have remote and face-to-face students all share their screens with one another and the teacher at the same time. Movement, gesturing, and physical placement are also used by students in the virtual world to simultaneously indicate their preferences in ways that would not be possible using other rich-media technologies such as web conferencing.
As technology advances it will become invisible so that remote and face-to-face students develop the same sense of co-presence as if they were in the same room. Until then, blended reality, the synchronous blending of augmented reality and augmented virtuality environments will pave the way.
A recording of the blended reality lesson is available on the Macquarie University YouTube Channel.
For more information about the Blended Synchronous Learning project see http://blendsync.org.
Dr Matt Bower, Senior Lecturer in ICT, Department of Education commented: "We created a blended reality learning environment using AvayaLive Engage where students in the face-to-face classroom can see and hear remote students' avatars via a projection of the virtual world, and remote students can see and hear their face-to-face peers via a video stream into that virtual environment. In this way we can have remote students interacting in the face-to-face classroom and on-campus classes can take advantage of the features of virtual worlds."
The case study was conducted as part of an Australian Office of Learning and Teaching Innovation and Development Project focusing on Blended Synchronous Learning. Using the AvayaLive™ Engage virtual world running on Amazon Web Services infrastructure the project sought to explore solutions for connecting twenty-first century students with twenty-first century Higher Education. The project emerged from crucial technical and human collaboration between Macquarie's Informatics, Department of Education, Learning and Teaching Centre, Sustainability and Audio Visual Technology teams.
Remote and on campus students experience the same live teacher presentation and are able to participate in group work and whole-class report back activities. Groups of students in the face-to face class worked around computers to collaboratively design solutions to problems and are able to share their screen into the virtual world. Groups of students in the virtual world could move into breakout rooms, and then their collaborative notes were then automatically shared onto surfaces in the main virtual classroom. This enabled the students in both environments to share their ideas and discuss them, almost as though they were in the same class.
Tim Gentry, Managing Director, Avaya Australia/New Zealand said: “Macquarie University represents true innovation in Australian academic institutions bringing new learning opportunities to students no matter where they are located. Technology is not just a business tool or entertainment platform, it can remove the tyranny of distance for off-campus students who have found traditional remote learning isolating, and are more stimulated by this immersive, collaborative and accessible virtual environment.”
Dr Matt Bower, Senior Lecturer in ICT, Department of Education continued: "This isn't just a new way of teaching, this is a whole new way of learning, engaging and experiencing. We are essentially teaching the teachers of the future... in the next 10, 20 years this style of learning will most likely become more popular as university students require more flexibility around learning. The whole blended reality approach provides students greater access to learning and allows teachers to expand the space and functionality of their classroom."
Teachers are able to use the virtual world to add meeting rooms, lecture halls, and seminar spaces as though they are extra areas in the face-to-face classes. It is possible to have remote and face-to-face students all share their screens with one another and the teacher at the same time. Movement, gesturing, and physical placement are also used by students in the virtual world to simultaneously indicate their preferences in ways that would not be possible using other rich-media technologies such as web conferencing.
As technology advances it will become invisible so that remote and face-to-face students develop the same sense of co-presence as if they were in the same room. Until then, blended reality, the synchronous blending of augmented reality and augmented virtuality environments will pave the way.
A recording of the blended reality lesson is available on the Macquarie University YouTube Channel.
For more information about the Blended Synchronous Learning project see http://blendsync.org.
