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Browsing by Author "Arya, Ali"

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    Assessing learning in an immersive virtual reality: a curriculum-based experiment in chemistry education
    (2024) Qorbani, Sam; Dalili, Shadi; Arya, Ali; Joslin, Christopher
    Despite the recent advances in Virtual Reality technology and its use in education, the review of the literature shows several gaps in research on how immersive virtual environments impact the learning process. In particular, the lack of curriculum-specific experiments along with investigations of the effects of different content, activity, and interaction types in the current VR studies has been identified as a significant shortcoming. This has been more significant in STEM fields, where VR has the potential to offer engaging experiential learning opportunities. The study reported here was designed to address this gap by assessing the effect of authentic visualization and interaction types on learning a particular scientific concept. A use case scenario of “orbital hybridization” in chemistry education was selected to create this experiment and to collect data for analysis. We collected data on learning outcomes, task-completion efficiency, accuracy, and subjective usability. A combination of learning content and tasks designed based on the relevant educational theories was presented to three groups: 2D, VR interaction type 1 (hand gestures), and VR interaction type 2 (ray casting). The results showed that VR could improve learning and that interaction type could influence efficiency and accuracy depending on the task.
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    Higher-order thinking skills assessment in 3D virtual learning environments using motifs and expert data
    (2023) Qorbani, Sam; Nowlan, Nuket; Arya, Ali; Abdinejad, Maryam
    The research reported in this paper addresses the problem of assessing higher-order thinking skills, such as reflective and creative thinking, within the context of virtual learning environments. Assessment of these skills requires process-based observations and evaluation, as the output-based methods have been found to be insufficient. Virtual learning environments offer a wealth of data on the process, which makes them good candidates for process-based evaluation, but the existing assessment methods in these environments have shortcomings, such as reliance on large data sets, inability to offer specific feedback on actions, and the lack of consideration for how actions are integrated into bigger tasks. Demonstrating and confirming the ability of three-dimensional virtual learning environments to work with process metrics for assessment, we propose and evaluate the use of motifs as an assessment tool. Motifs are short and meaningful combination of metrics. Combining time-ordered motifs with a similarity analysis between expert and learner data, our proposed approach can potentially offer feedback on specific actions that the learner takes, as opposed to single output-based feedback. It can do so without the use of large training datasets due to reliance on expert data and similarity analysis. Through a user study, we found out that such a motif-based approach can be effective in the assessment of higher-order thinking skills while addressing the identified shortcomings of previous work. We also address the limited research on similarity-based analysis methods, compare their effectiveness, and show that utilizing different similarity measures for different tasks may be a more effective approach. Our proposed method facilitates and encourages the involvement of instructors and course designers through the definition of motifs and expert problem-solving paths.
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    Improving accessibility of elevation control in an immersive virtual environment
    (2022) Qorbani, Sam; Abdinejad, Maryam; Arya, Ali; Joslin, Chris
    Despite the advances made in Virtual Reality (VR) technology, the design of VR experiences lacks sufficient focus on accessibility and inclusion as the primary requirements. These are especially important for STEM education, where engaging in experiential activities is essential. This study was conducted to investigate accessibility considerations in the design and development of Immersive VR (IVR) learning spaces for wheelchair users. The specific research question is: How can we make a VR system easier to interact with for wheelchair users needing vertical movement? A user study with thirty (30) participants in three groups was conducted: Group A (the control group, non-wheelchair users) who used natural body movement to interact with the environment, Group B (verification group, non-wheelchair users) who used software controls for accessibility, and Group C (wheelchair users) who used the same software accessibility feature. The results indicate that the accessibility feature enabled wheelchair users to complete the tasks requiring raising or lowering of the body, with almost similar levels of completion rate and accuracy.
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    ScienceVR: a virtual reality framework for STEM education, simulation and assessment
    (2021) Qorbani, Sam; Arya, Ali; Nowlan, Nuket; Abdinejad, Maryam
    This paper addresses the use of Virtual Reality (VR) in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education. There are limited studies investigating the proper design and effectiveness of VR in STEM education, and current VR frameworks and applications lack explicit links to the established learning theories and assessment mechanisms to evaluate learning outcomes. We present ScienceVR, an educational virtual reality design framework, illustrated through a science laboratory prototype, to bridge some of the gaps identified in the design and development of a VR environment for learning. We established design guidelines and implemented an in-app data collection system to measure users’ learning, performance, and task completion rate. Our evaluation using ANOVA and other non-parametric methods with 36 participants in three groups: immersive VR (IVR), desktop VR(DVR), and 2D indicated improved usability and learning outcomes for the IVR group. Task completion rate in the IVR group was higher (68% compared to DVR with 50%). For memorability, the IVR condition performed better than DVR while for learnability, IVR&DVR performed significantly better than 2D. IVR group has performed better and faster with more accuracy compared to the DVR group in completing the tasks.
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    Using virtual reality to improve STEM education
    (2023) Qorbani, Sam; Arya, Ali; Joslin, Chris
    The purpose of this dissertation is to investigate the effect of using Virtual Reality (VR) technology on the students' experience in science education, particularly for interaction, learning, and accessibility. Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education has special requirements such as lab-based activities and abstract concepts that complicate setting up the environment and learning process. These complications are increased due to the pandemic and other remote access requirements. VR has unique affordances that make it a promising solution but its use in this regard has not been properly investigated and there are many open research questions related to its effect on interaction, learning, and accessibility in STEM education. Focusing on these three aspects, we ran a series of quantitative and qualitative studies to find out if the use of VR in science labs leads to an increased level of learning, efficiency, and accuracy of the tasks (measured by pre-post knowledge tests and the in-app data collection system). The Immersive/head-mounted VR (IVR) was compared to Desktop VR (DVR) and 2D/text-based conditions. Results indicated a significant difference in some areas particularly related to post-knowledge score, spatial skills, and learnability between 2D and VR conditions. Task completion rate, efficiency, and accuracy also indicated a significant difference between IVR and DVR groups, showing IVR performing better. The qualitative evaluation included an analysis of students' experiences with the use of VR and their perspective on its application for education. The result indicated that in areas such as ease of use, learnability, engagement, and overall satisfaction they preferred VR treatment better compared to 2D/ Text as they found the use of VR to be beneficial to their learning. Our studies also showed the efficacy of software-based accessibility features that improved interaction and learning for wheelchair users. We concluded that the implementation of a virtual environment for STEM education requires careful considerations in the design and implementation to make it technically practical to run on mobile Head Mounted Displays (HMD), be relevant based on established learning theories, minimize the effect of cybersickness, and be accessible for a wider range of audience.