ERIC Number: EJ1458793
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024-Mar
Pages: 11
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0021-9584
EISSN: EISSN-1938-1328
Enhancing Learning Outcomes for Materials Crystallography via Virtual Reality: Role of User Comfort and Game Design
Dhanush S. Bejjarapu; Yize Chen; Jiyan Xu; Eric Shaffer; Nishant Garg
Journal of Chemical Education, v101 n3 p973-983 2024
Recent advancements in computer graphics and hardware have driven the resurgence of virtual reality (VR). Past literature has reported the use of VR in education, especially for teaching spatially complex concepts. However, there are limited data available on the precise role of VR game design elements. In this study, we introduce a new VR game, "Crystal Vision," which is designed to teach basic crystallographic concepts to undergraduate students. By systematically testing this VR game on a set of 84 students, we find that a VR-based intervention resulted in a 9% increase in their quiz scores (from 7.45 ± 0.16 to 8.12 ± 0.16) and a simultaneous 19% decrease in their quiz completion times (from 7.39 ± 0.24 to 5.98 ± 0.26 min). Finally, we find that a majority of students who felt comfortable while moving through the game indicated a higher level of agreement on most of the survey questions, indicating that user comfort within a VR game plays a significant role in influencing student learning outcomes.
Descriptors: Physical Sciences, Chemistry, Computer Simulation, Educational Games, Instructional Design, Science Instruction, Teaching Methods, Computer Graphics, Scientific Concepts, College Science, Undergraduate Students, Science Tests, Scores, Science Achievement, Achievement Gains
Division of Chemical Education, Inc. and ACS Publications Division of the American Chemical Society. 1155 Sixteenth Street NW, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 800-227-5558; Tel: 202-872-4600; e-mail: eic@jce.acs.org; Web site: http://pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A