Transforming Education with Virtual Reality E-Book

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
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• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

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Beschreibung

TRANSFORMING EDUCATION WITH VIRTUAL REALITY The book provides an in-depth and comprehensive knowledge reviewof the use of virtual reality in the education industry and businesses. Virtual reality (VR) technology has thoroughly transformed education by providing engaging and immersive ways for students to experience their education and by offering visual learning, creative development, etc., to enhance their studies. Moreover, with increasing accessibility, both students and educators can utilize it for effective teaching and learning. By embracing this VR-related technology, teachers can transform traditional classrooms into lively ones. Businesses can also leverage VR for skilling, up-skilling, and re-skilling. This book is divided into two parts. Part I discusses the opportunities, challenges, and application of VR technology, and Part II focuses on reimagining education with the metaverse. Readers will find in this book: * a description of the relationship between virtual reality and student behavior; * a review of VR-enabled tools and techniques for an immersive environment; * a discussion on VR in the context of vocational education by developing a conceptual framework and roadmap for its adoption; * an overview of the advantages, disadvantages, and mechanisms of VR through a detailed analysis showing a comparison of the strong and weak points of the technologies being used in education; * a look at the future of learning in the context of VR; * a description of the relevance of VR in emerging economies with the help of bibliometric analysis and discusses its future potential; * a review of Metaverse as a new education avatar showcasing diverse educational experiences and how to reimagine teaching; * an explanation of the relevance of emerging digital technologies in upskilling employees in fashion retail to impart an immersive experience for customers; * a proposed framework for mapping the use of VR for students with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). Audience The book is designed for information technologists, educational researchers, teachers, policymakers, government officials, and business managers.

Leseprobe

Scrivener Publishing100 Cummings Center, Suite 541JBeverly, MA 01915-6106

Publishers at ScrivenerMartin Scrivener ([email protected])Phillip Carmical ([email protected])

Transforming Education with Virtual Reality

Edited by

Reena Malik

Ambuj Sharma

and

Prashant Chaudhary

This edition first published 2024 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, USA and Scrivener Publishing LLC, 100 Cummings Center, Suite 541J, Beverly, MA 01915, USA© 2024 Scrivener Publishing LLCFor more information about Scrivener publications please visit www.scrivenerpublishing.com.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

ISBN 978-1-394-19999-0

Cover image: Pixabay.ComCover design by Russell Richardson

Preface

Virtual reality (VR) technology has changed the traditional classroom experience into an exciting interactive one. It has brought about a technological revolution offering a 360-degree view of the world. Now, with VR technology, students can actually learn by living it. They can go on real-time virtual tours while sitting in their classrooms, and can even mix dangerous chemicals without being physically harmed.

It can be agreed that the introduction of virtual reality in education has thoroughly transformed it by providing engaging and immersive ways for students to experience their education and offering visual learning, creative development, etc., to enhance their studies. Moreover, with increasing accessibility, both students and educators can utilize it for effective teaching and learning. By embracing this VR-related technology, teachers can really transform traditional classrooms into lively ones. However, with this, the teacher’s role has also shifted to being a facilitator. According to Adobe, “Teachers will be focused on creating conditions for exploring, rather than providing ready-made knowledge.”

This book aims to highlight the recent applications of virtual reality in various educational fields through the contributions of researchers, educators and students familiar with the potential opportunities in this field. It has been divided into two parts. Part I discusses the opportunities, challenges and application of modern technology, and Part II focuses on reimagining education with the metaverse.

In Part I, Chapter 1 describes a novel framework for immersive learning in education. Chapter 2 discusses rediscovering tribes through virtual reality and the relevance of new technology in transforming education. Chapter 3 discusses modern technology in the post-pandemic era, which resulted in significant challenges to class management. Chapter 4 imparts information concerning the expanding teaching possibilities afforded by the application of technological products in the education sector. Chapter 5 describes the evolutionary advantages of VR-enabled education and its application. Chapter 6 explores the possibilities along with the apprehensions towards the use of artificial intelligence in the education sector and arrives at some wonderful insights on the same. Chapter 7 captures the impact of virtual reality on education while explaining the various tools that can be utilized in immersive education.

In Part II, Chapter 8 beautifully describes the role of metaverse as an upcoming trend in the education sector. Chapter 9 shows the relationship between virtual reality and student behavior and the impact and challenges of virtual reality. Chapter 10 discusses VR-enabled tools and techniques, which are the driving force behind their application in the field of education, for an immersive environment that stakeholders can experience. Chapter 11 captures the soul of virtual reality in education by providing a comprehensive view of modern technology with the help of bibliometric and thematic analysis. Chapter 12 discusses virtual reality in the context of vocational education by developing a conceptual framework and roadmap for its adoption in the near future for the benefit of various stakeholders. Chapter 13 talks about the advantages and disadvantages of virtual reality by undertaking a detailed analysis showing a comparison of the strong and weak points of the modern technologies being used in education. Chapter 14 shows the detailed mechanism of virtual reality, and Chapter 15 showcases the importance of virtual reality in modern education, its opportunities and challenges. Chapter 16 focuses on the future of learning and describes it in the context of virtual reality. Chapter 17 describes the relevance of virtual reality in emerging economies with the help of a bibliometric analysis combining past studies, and discusses its future potential. Chapter 18 focuses on the metaverse as a new education avatar showcasing diverse educational experiences. Chapter 19 explains the relevance of emerging digital technologies in upskilling employees in fashion retail to impart an immersive experience for customers. Chapter 20 discusses the role of the metaverse in reimagining teaching learning in the future of education. Chapter 21 proposes a framework for mapping the use of virtual reality especially for students with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). Finally, Chapter 22 captures the essence of virtual reality by analyzing the literature and state of knowledge.

As virtual reality rapidly enters the mainstream education industry, stakeholders in education platforms are starting to embrace the technology’s numerous learning opportunities. There are a variety of special advantages that the use of VR has to offer. By incorporating VR into contemporary education, it provides a new tool for teachers and a new method of connecting with more pupils. It aims to improve, inspire, and stimulate students’ understanding of certain concepts while also enabling them to engage in practical learning. Moreover, VR offers a chance to increase student engagement, allows for empathy, allows undivided imagination, as well as the capacity to visualize learning from different perspectives.

The EditorsOctober 2023

Part 1MODERN TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION: OPPORTUNITIES, APPLICATION AND CHALLENGES

1A Novel Adaptive Framework for Immersive Learning Using VR in Education

Sudharson D.1*, Reena Malik2, Rithish Ramamoorthy Sathya1, Vaishali V.1, Balavedhaa S.1 and Gautham S.1

1Kumaraguru College of Technology, Coimbatore, India

2Chitkara Business School, Chitkara University, Punjab, India

Abstract

Virtual reality, also known as VR, is a simulated 3D environment that allows users to interact and experience an immersive feeling through the virtual world. The existing virtual reality techniques have many complications and calibration issues that make it unfriendly for educational purposes. This chapter proposes a remedial method for the drawbacks and hinderances of the existing techniques using an adaptive learning framework. This approach aims at creating a virtual reality system with changes in the existing software controls. The methodology enhances student learning methods through a virtual reality kit that includes a lightweight head-mounted display (HMD) and a reprogrammable base system that caters to every learner according to their capability. It is important to make sure that the users, be they students or professors, do not use the VR system for a long time. It is not necessary to have full-time learning through virtual reality as only a few concepts in the syllabus require 3D explanations. It should be kept in such a way that technology increases interest in and engagement towards a subject without affecting the minds and health of users.

Keywords: Virtual reality, adaptive learning, immersive classrooms, voice commands, student progressive report, 3D environment, virtual reality kit, student engagement

1.1 Introduction

Virtual reality is an artificial immersive technology with three-dimensional environment which can be explored and experienced by users. The computer-generated environment has graphical scenes and objects that appear to be like real-life scenarios. Virtual reality simulations are of three main types—non-immersive, fully immersive and semi-immersive [14]. Non-immersive virtual technology, which relies on input devices and computer consoles, allows users to remain conscious of their physical environment. Fully immersive virtual reality provides users with the most lifelike simulation experience along with vision and sound. Users need proper VR glasses for the best experience. The head-mounted display (HMD) offers high-resolution content while the display produces a stereoscopic 3D effect and integrates with input tracking to develop an immersive sensation. In semi-immersive VR, users can experience a partially virtual environment that enables them to explore the imaginary world while also allowing them to be aware of their local surroundings. This type of VR is usually employed for education or training that partially resembles real-world mechanics. In addition to that, different people from various locations can come into contact within a single virtual environment with a technique called collaborative virtual reality. Here they can interact with each other by means of microphones, headsets and chatting. Lately, people are getting used to virtual meetings and competitions remotely. The future of virtual meetings has been enhanced by collaborative VR.

The use of information and communication technologies in education can be extremely important in providing instructors, students, and the learning processes with new and innovative forms of support for adaptive learning [7]. Compared to other industries, the area of education adjusts to change more slowly, yet it invariably undergoes transformation to accommodate changes. A very promising use case for virtual reality is the education sector [15]. Virtual reality can expand educational opportunities beyond face-to-face learning to new locations and demographics. It gives access to immersive environments, which can help learners overcome the drawbacks of the current remote and online learning practices. Virtual reality can have an impact on education in more ways than just increasing motivation and participation. With immersive VR, students may move around and interact while also having access to a variety of viewpoints and perspectives on things and scenes. It is proven that virtual reality can offer different immersive learning techniques with a significant amount of student-teacher interaction.

The current virtual reality techniques are functional in service, but do not seem to be cost effective. It is not economical to set up a separate room space for everyone with proper calibration and several external sensors along with an omnidirectional treadmill. One of the major drawbacks of using virtual reality systems is that long-term usage might lead to physical issues in the body like eye strain and dizziness. It is crucial to consider the technology’s limits when trying to maintain immersion. Visuals on low resolution displays may appear fuzzy and out of focus. Complex visual settings can result in visual distortions that can cause nausea.

Technology has already involved itself in the education sector in many ways. Almost all schools and colleges provide students with projector-based learning that allows the teacher to use a multimodal form of teaching and to interact with students better [12]. Online learning classes via the internet were a great breakthrough during the COVID-19 global pandemic, which helped to manage and keep up with day-to-day classes. A few institutions over the globe use immersive classrooms that are unique learning spaces where the walls and floors are projected with a 360° scene of the virtual world. This interactive virtual reality experience is free of headsets with multi-sensory effects like touch, smell, and sound. Cave (cave automatic virtual environment) technology, an advanced version of projector-based learning, involves students in a more immersive way. It is a video theater with rear-projection screens where students use 3D glasses to see the graphics created inside.

Virtual reality (VR) technology comes with certain devices like HMDs (head-mounted displays) and haptic sensors, which provide an immersive experience. Visual display of virtual reality technology is done with the help of these head-mounted devices [2]. HMDs have small display optics on one or each eye, integrated into eyeglasses or mounted on a helmet. They are of two types—wired and wireless. To enhance the user experience and provide the sense of touch along with vision, haptic gloves are used, which are wearable gloves that simulate tactile sensations of virtual objects. They are used for kinesthetic communication where the sense of touch is added to the visual interfaces. Some companies are also providing haptic suits along with gloves. There are multi-sensory devices which stimulate other senses and generate tactile feedback. To navigate and control inside the virtual environment, hand-used controllers like touchpads, joysticks or thumbsticks are used.

At the beginning stages of development, VR technology included many external sensors that were connected to a central PC through wires. Additionally, they had to be calibrated each time the VR was activated in a different space. They then evolved into a wireless mode with the involvement of artificial intelligence. The help of machine learning algorithms has increased the potential of VR technology to a next level. There are posture tracking systems with a set of sensors and controllers that are used to track hands and legs with respect to the head configuration.

In gaming and other sectors, an omnidirectional treadmill (ODT) is used to make the technology more interactive. It is similar to a regular treadmill, but enables the user to locomote in any direction, allowing a 360° movement. They often come along with a few external sensors which help in locating and detecting the user’s body position and movement. An adaptive learning approach using VR was proposed in which sensors are used to detect user’s emotions and get sensory feedback based on dialogue patterns, body language, facial expressions, and haptic pressure. Sometimes, the system is integrated with wireless joysticks that allow users to navigate and interact in the virtual world.

1.2 The Two Perceptive Elements

Immersion in virtual reality refers to the insight of being physically present in a non-physical environment and interacting with the world of imagination and exploration. It is a feeling of involvement of the user in a simulated environment. By simulating human senses like vision, hearing and touch, an immersive experience can be given to the user. Immersion is of three main categories—tactical, narrative and strategic. Interaction is the term used to describe how a person and a virtual scene interact naturally. With the help of input devices, it allows users to feel a sense of being in the real environment [5]. Utilizing the multi-dimensional perception data offered by VR scenes, imagination is the process of acquiring feelings that are both similar to and distinct from those found in the real world.

1.2.1 Interactivity

When discussing virtual reality, interactivity refers to the specific connections made between the users and the digital model. It suggests that the user might take part in the information transfer process facilitated by the computer. Therefore, a medium is interactive if it enables the user to modify the form or content of communication. There are various levels of interaction: the lowest allows the user to do nothing more than select information; the intermediate allows the user to add content; and the highest causes the virtual environment to react properly to the user’s input. Interactivity necessitates an integration of technology and architecture to be successfully deployed because a user both provides and receives information [1]. When a user makes changes to virtual items or avatars, the virtual environment is said to be interactive. When a virtual reality experience is interactive, the user can interact with the virtual environment by pressing buttons, moving objects, making gestures, or utilizing other modalities to get input from it. It has been identified that embodiment, which includes movement and gesture, leads to successful learning outcomes.

Interactive learning methods are beneficial because they enable direct control over the current learning. Developers should strive to create a stimulating setting that actively promotes student inquiry and critical thinking. By integrating extraneous information into the virtual world, interactive aspects can help speed up the process of learning. When users can quickly access this data to review their memory or employ prior knowledge to the activity, embedded learning is taking place [3]. Within VR, it is possible to represent some ideas that call for a keen awareness of spatial configuration, or how items on a three-dimensional (3D) plane relate to one another. Regardless of prior skill, learners can practice and enhance spatial abilities since VR surroundings are perceived as 3D. Designers can employ a better grasp of spatiality by thinking about how to assist and challenge students with varying degrees of spatial skills in 3D space.

1.2.2 Immersivity

Immersion is the physics of a system; it describes its technological capabilities. The sensory system of a human body uses a variety of modalities, including vision, hearing, touch, smell, taste and force, to collect data about the immediate surroundings. The sensory inputs are reproduced in the brain while perception involves bottom-up interpretation of the sensory data and top-down interpretation of the past knowledge, objectives, and views based on the preexisting conception of the world.

A person typically tends to believe that he “knows” a room after just a short while of entering there. Scanning data through eyes actually reveals that they foveate on a very limited number of important locations in the space, and that the eyes follow recurring patterns between the scanning pathways. The previous model of what a room is helps to determine the essential details. The conceptual system has deduced a complete room model in which the person is situated, despite having “seen” a tiny fraction of what is there to see.

In terms of technology, virtual reality (VR) aims to replace real-world sensory experiences with computer-generated ones that are created from a statistical database that describes a 3D scene, and its animations and changes are brought on by user input [4]. Only when sensory experiences are effectively substituted, can the brain infer a visual model from the original input of sensory data. The participant’s consciousness is altered to perception of the virtual setting rather than the genuine one, despite their certainty that this is not real. The objective is to effectively replace real sensory data.

Vision and hearing are the most common senses, accompanied by touch, smell and force feedback. Taking the conventional VR system into consideration, it is mostly centered on vision and may have additional tactile feedback followed by sound. For most of the applications, vision alone is often effective considering that it is perceptually outscoring for many people. As a result, users of VR commonly find themselves in situations where their visual system sends them through a ride of virtual experience, but all other sense experiences come from the actual physical environment.

Perception involves the entire body. This implies that the body is put to use in a natural way to comprehend. Users turn their heads, move their eyes, lean down, look beneath, gaze over and around while simultaneously reaching out, touching, pushing, and pulling. Due to these constraints, the major technological goal of VR is to reproduce to the greatest extent the feasible perception through such natural sensory dependencies. For instance, while staring very closely at an object in a cave or while wearing an HMD, ultimately, pixels can be seen; or in the majority of current VR systems, if any random virtual object is being touched, it cannot be felt. An immersive VR system is one that enables perception through real-world sensory circumstances. The system’s ability to do this completely determines whether one can rotate 360° while viewing a continuous low-latency refresh of the visual field, in line with the gaze direction. With this, systems can be characterized as more immersive or less immersive. Therefore, HMD proves to be more immersive than Cave in this sense because an HMD can depict something that a Cave cannot. In a Cave, users can see their own body when they gaze down at it, whereas while wearing a PHMD with head tracking, they can see a virtual human in place of their own. Movement-induced real-time reset of the sensory perception results in an illusory sense of presence in the artificial environment. One reason why educators think immersive VR will benefit learning is because it has the power to instantly take the user to an enhanced emotional state that can have favorable effects on involvement and attention.

After immersion, feeling of presence is yet another consideration. With immersive VR, the illusion of presence is consistently maintained, giving students the impression that their bodies are actually inside the virtual environment [10]. If a VR participant uses their body to observe in a natural way, the brain’s perceptual system may reach a conclusion that the perceived environment is the user’s actual real-world surrounding. Due to this, even if the user is aware that he is not truly in the area displayed by the VR displays, he may experience the subjective illusion of presence. What distinguishes VR apart from other forms of media is its inherent ability to create experiences that recreate an illusory sense of place and reality.

Since VR makes individuals react realistically, it could potentially be thought of as a reality simulator. This refers to the ability to immerse individuals in a scenario that represents potentially genuine occurrences with a high possibility that they will respond and move pretty realistically. This can clearly be used for a plethora of purposes, such as practice runs for actual events, planning, tutoring, sharing of information, and so forth. However, VR is also an unreality simulator because, in a few cases, it may illustrate occurrences that are either impossible to occur or contradict fundamental principles of physics, such as defying gravity, thereby making them extremely unlikely to materialize. In virtual reality, the physical laws can be manipulated or broken and social norms can also be violated. Participants can still react realistically as long as some fundamental rules are enforced, creating the illusion that they are in a virtual location where actual events are occurring. Virtual reality significantly broadens the diversity of human experiences in this way, considerably beyond what is likely to be found in physical reality. This explains the incredible capacity of VR to simulate both as a reality simulator and an unreality simulator that paradoxically results in realistic behavior.

1.3 Immersive Tools and Technologies

Immersive technology refers to a device that exploits the 360-degree space to enlarge or create a new reality. Users of immersive technology can view content from any angle since it makes use of a 360-degree environment or sphere. Digital images may be superimposed over the user’s environment in some types of immersive technology to enhance reality. Others completely cut off a person from their surroundings and immerse them in a virtual world to create a new reality.

1.3.1 Head-Mounted Displays (HMDs)

A head-mounted display (HMD) is a wearable head device that features a visual display in front of the user’s eyes and is mounted in the form of a helmet. The visual streaming of VR technology is done via these HMDs; hence, they are also known as virtual reality headsets or VR glasses. The displays provide a large field of view to enhance immersion by covering the user’s vision entirely. In order to create a depth perception in the virtual scene, stereoscopic 3D imagery is used where the display shows different images of the same scene to the user’s eyes. A unique feature of the head-mounted device is the ability to track the user’s head movements and rotations using machine learning algorithms. The graphics in the display adjust to the movements and provide the viewer an immersive sensation of actually being present in the virtual environment. A few sensors in the HMD, including the gyroscope and accelerometer, are used to measure rotation.

There are sensors and cameras external to the HMD that are used for positional tracking of the user. They track the body, hand and leg movements within a particular range of radius. HMDs can be either wired or wireless. The different types are slide-on, discrete and integrated. Slide-on HMD consists of a mobile holder, lenses, and some basic input. Discrete HMD is more immersive and is connected to PC through wires. Integrated HMD is the most expensive type which delivers VR experiences without any external hardware.

1.3.2 Analog Sticks

An analog stick is a type of joystick that is used for two-dimensional input and consists of an extension from the controller. In order to measure the precise position of the stick over its entire range of motion, analog sticks require continuous electrical activity flowing through potentiometers. Analog sticks were first widely used as gaming peripherals to better capture the complexities of control. The analog stick is often used for moving the playable character or to rotate the camera around the character.

The utility of two analog sticks is better than that of one. The second stick normally controls the camera, while the left stick typically controls the movement of the character. An analog stick must achieve and maintain a neutral position for it to function properly, which is a state that the controller would read as an intended halt or absence of in-game movement. This position would be the exact center of the stick when it is not touched or moved.

1.3.3 Haptic Feedback

Haptics is a technique that enables users to collect tactile stimuli through their senses by applying pressure or vibrations. Haptics replicates an interaction with a virtual object to give the impression that it is realistic. A user can engage with computer-based devices using haptics by getting tactile and force feedback [11]. The former describes the texture of the object in detail, whereas the latter imitates its physical characteristics. The haptic feedback technology is divided into five main categories.

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, or TENS, is a method of haptics that affects the top layers of skin receptors. It stimulates the muscles and ligaments in the musculoskeletal system via the skin. Acupressure is applied to specific, localized parts of the body via cutaneous devices, which work with the skin’s outer layer. There are several classifications under force feedback.

The most popular type of haptics is vibrotactile feedback. Vibro stimulators are used to apply pressure to the defined receptors of human skin. These sensors have a structure identical to the layers of an onion and can take in vibrations up to 1000 hertz. The skin can truly sense sound since the frequency of typical human speech ranges from 80 to 250 hertz.

By sending electrical impulses to nerve endings and receptors, electro-tactile stimulators have an impact. A user can experience a variety of sensations via electrical impulses that cannot be duplicated by any other current feedback methods. Based on the frequency and strength of the feedback applied to the skin, it can take on a variety of shapes. The absence of mechanical or moving parts is the electro-haptic feedback system’s main benefit over vibrotactile or force feedback. The ability to create tiny arrays of electrodes and use them to create electro-tactile displays is another advantage of electro-neural stimulation.

A high frequency sound wave is an ultrasound. To produce the delicate feedback, one or more ultrasonic emitters are used. In these devices, a signal is sent from an emitter on one part of the body to another. This technique of transmission is referred to as acoustic time reversal. In order to ensure a noticeable impact, it is required to create a field of haptic feedback. Since one emitter is insufficiently potent, many emitters are used to produce physical, unseen interfaces in the air. The ultrasound waves create turbulence which can be sensed by users via their skin.

The skin is in direct contact with the actuators’ grid, which is used to create thermal feedback. Thermoelectric diodes are often used to implement this effect. However, heat cannot appear out of thin air due to the law of energy conservation. Only moving it from one location to another is possible. Additionally, it needs to be finished rapidly to give it a realistic sense. As a result, thermal feedback-based haptic suits use a lot of energy.

1.3.4 Gesture Control

Human-computer interaction, the foundation of virtual reality systems, has become an increasingly significant component of contemporary science and technology goods as a result of the quick development of artificial intelligence technologies. Virtual reality hand devices or operational gloves are used more frequently for virtual reality engagement [13]. However, using these tools is too complicated, thus gesture interaction based on the movement of bare hands will have more potential. The gesture recognition-based virtual reality interaction technology uses cameras and other devices to detect human hand movements and allows users to interact with the virtual environment. Through easy movements, users may engage and manage the virtual environment.

1.3.5 Spatial Sound

A 360-degree video or virtual reality experience can be powerfully enhanced with spatial audio to totally immerse the user and focus their attention. Although audio cues can guide a significant part of the user’s attention, a fully immersive experience demands a detailed spatial audio mix and not merely afterthought cues. Spatial audio creates a convincing auditory experience that corresponds to what we see and have already experienced. It is crucial for the sound design to be included from the very beginning for the most authentic and immersive experience because poor or inappropriate audio design and cues can undermine a believable result.

In order to make decisions about the environment, the human brain analyzes auditory impulses in a certain way. With the help of hearing capability and the freedom to turn heads in space, people can more accurately determine the location of an audio signal and the setting in which it is being heard. In virtual reality, spatial audio modifies audio signals to make them resemble real-world acoustic behavior. A precise audio representation of a virtual environment is an essential element for creating a captivating and immersive experience. In addition to enhancing immersion, spatial audio also excels as a UI component, attracting the user’s attention to various plot points or directing them toward specific locations in a 360-degree video.

Spatial audio simulates how sound is processed in reality to enhance the authenticity of interactions. After all, the sounds we hear on a daily basis are intricate. We perceive sound in three dimensions, paying attention to the position and direction of the noises. For instance, when someone speaks to us in person, we can tell where their voice is coming from. Through immersive technology, it is possible to give consumers the impression that they are sitting in a real environment using spatial audio. For example, in a virtual meeting space, it would be feasible to tell who is speaking based on both their voice and the source of the audio, which would assist in focusing the user’s attention. This may enable more profound relationships. Contrarily, spatial signals can be recognized regardless of a person’s attention span.

It’s crucial to teach users how to react to circumstances in real-world settings in numerous training scenarios. When training, spatial audio also aids in placing people in a more significant three-dimensional space. It serves as a reminder for users to be aware of their surroundings rather than concentrating solely on the virtual reality pictures that are directly in front of them. Spatial audio can help ensure that trainees acquire ingrained abilities. The cognitive advantages of spatial audio might help those with hearing loss and facilitate interactions between different customers and employees. Recent studies have also suggested that spatial audio may lessen stress in a variety of settings. Spatial audio can help to make the individual feel like they’re really in the environment.

1.4 The Methodology

Virtual reality (VR) technology was exclusively utilized in virtual conferences in the previous decade, but it has now started to make the transition from a niche technology to one that can be used in everyday practice. Although fully immersive VR has typical uses in gaming and other entertainment forms, its use in other fields, namely education, is also increasing. The utilization of VR techniques in the classroom can improve student enthusiasm and attitude toward learning, offer experiential learning by comprehending real-life items, and give students the chance to really utilize technology while exploring it. The so-called immersion is a crucial component of virtual reality’s effectiveness in the educational space. Moreover, virtual reality has a unique factor which sometimes is called spatial immersion. The other aspect of spatial orientation that VR offers enables learners to make more connections in their minds, which in turn improves memory retention.

1.4.1 Collaborative Interaction in VR

New opportunities for interpersonal collaboration are offered by virtual worlds. It is believed that cooperative problem-solving will be crucial for workplace development in the future. Positive interdependence between team members is created through collaborative, goal-oriented actions, whereby members of a group rely on one another’s talents to accomplish their objective. Virtual reality experiences can incorporate collaborative learning elements like interdependence, deliberate group building, personal accountability, and emphasis on social skill development.

Virtual reality may also inspire people who are reluctant to take on leadership responsibilities to be proactive and take on positions of greater responsibility. Users were found to be more eager to assume a leadership role involving a virtual reality activity using an HMD than when doing the same thing in a real-world group.

Advantages of collaborative VR include:

Easy to work with 3D rendition of objects.

Minimizes traveling for educational meetings.

Ensures engagement and interaction.

Strengthens team spirit and working.

1.4.2 Interaction Through Gesture Technology

Human-computer interaction, a key supporting technology for virtual reality, offers a number of interactive modes based on various tasks and objectives, allowing users to experience total immersion in 3D virtual environments. Virtual reality is a new interactive human-computer interface and an emerging technology. The windows, icons, menus, pointers (WIMP) interface is restricted to two-dimensional (2D) planar items that cannot interact with things in three-dimensional (3D) space, which weakens the interaction’s true essence. Therefore, new generation interfaces have been introduced in which interaction extends from a graphical user interface to a natural user interface where the user interacts in a 3D environment by VR simulation.

With the ongoing advancement of interactive technology, VR has found widespread application in a variety of industries, including gaming, healthcare, and education. Gesture interactions have occupied a significant part of natural interaction as more businesses and academics invest in the study of related technologies and applications. It is important to detect and recognize hand movements, program the computer to comprehend the true intention conveyed by gestures and carry out related tasks in order to imitate daily activities in a virtual environment. Additionally, users must receive relevant feedback in order to create a natural interactive experience.

The gestures during an interaction can be classified on the basis of different semantics, spatiotemporal operational behaviors, interaction modes and ranges. Prior to the advancement of electronic devices with touch screens, gesture signals were used on wearable sensor devices like data gloves. Information gathering using high-tech methods, such as electromyographic signal capture, has gradually gained attention in recent years. High-tech information gathering techniques like electromyographic signal capture have progressively become more popular in recent years [9]. Due to the complexity and unpredictability of the gesture, the outcome of subsequent gesture interactions will be greatly influenced by how the input signal from the device is processed, how the hand’s spatial posture is determined, and how a precise recognition result is obtained.

Users can give the system simple commands, like selecting, moving, and deleting, as well as more advanced ones like altering the interactive scene, controlling virtual objects, and performing virtual actions [8]. Depending on the context, it is possible to categorize and sum up how gesture semantics and gesture motions are understood.

1.4.2.1 Spatiotemporal Status

Gestures are divided into static gestures and dynamic gestures based on the spatiotemporal operating condition. A static gesture is a finger, palm, or arm that is in a fixed spatial position at a specific time. Typically, it just represents a single command and does not include time series data. Dynamic gestures are defined by movements in spatial locations throughout time in which the position of a finger, palm, or arm change over time. In contrast, static gestures only involve spatial gestures without altering spatial position. Examples of dynamic gestures include actions like waving. Additionally, dynamic gestures can be conscious or unconscious. Unconscious movements made while moving are referred to as unconscious dynamic gestures, whereas conscious dynamic gestures are those made for communication.

1.4.2.2 Gesture Semantics

Gestures are classified into intentional and unintentional movements in accordance with cognitive and behavioral psychology. Unintentional movement means that the hand movement does not transmit any significant information, whereas intentional movement is a gesture. Depending on the involvement of communication elements, gestures are classified as manipulative or communicative. A manipulative gesture is when an individual moves their hands to change the status of an object, such as moving and rotating it with their arm, whereas a communicative gesture is a customized gesture with a specific information function. They are typically accompanied by verbal communication in a natural interaction situation, often using symbol and action gestures. In a virtual environment or computer interaction, the gestures are identified via cameras and sensors.

1.5 Interaction Through Voice Assistant

Hands-free operations of a digital device are enabled by a user interface known as voice control or voice assistance. An internet connection is not mandatory for voice control to function. All processing is done locally, and interaction is one way (person to device). Natural language processing and speech synthesis are used in voice control to assist users. The user can customize commands in some operating systems.

Virtual assistants employ artificial intelligence (AI) to recognize and execute speech commands. Using clustering algorithms, a collection of speech clips is classified into groups according to how similar its traits are. Voice AI, a type of conversational AI, uses voice commands to receive and comprehend instructions. This technology enables machines to converse with one another and respond to user inquiries in natural language. The voice AI chatbot has provided businesses amazing opportunities to serve customers since it can understand and speak in human language. Operations are scaled, productivity is raised, and processes are streamlined.

About 55% of virtual assistant users favor speech recognition apps because they allow for hands-free device use, according to the Pew Research Center. The remarkable advancements in voice AI assistants have eliminated the need for touchscreen devices.

In the use-case of virtual reality for the educational field, a voice assistant system can be integrated along with the head-mounted display (HMD), through which students will be able to interact and navigate in the virtual reality environment. For student assessment through class quizzes, they can choose to attend the test via either gesture or voice assistant technology.

1.6 Improved Distraction Tracking

Eye tracking is the study of subconscious eye movements and how they relate to a student’s focus on the education process. By offering a thorough evaluation with metrics and ascending trends in learning environments, eye tracking can be included in the learning process. Eye tracking can be used to detect higher nerve functions like emotions, remorse, and disappointment as well as memory processes. Additionally, it has been demonstrated that decision-making processes can be managed by eye-tracking devices. According to a significant study, there is an inverse correlation between the quantity of eye movements made between significant objects in the task context and the effectiveness of the task’s resolution [6]. Modern eye-tracking technologies use a variety of infrared light sources and cameras to monitor the gaze. The majority of systems in use today operate on the principle that a variety of light sources illuminate the eye and cause a reflex in the eyelid or cornea. In order to calculate the vectors connecting the position of the eye and the virtual environment location, the relationship between the eye pupil center and produced reflection is noted. The estimated viewpoint in space follows the eye’s movements.