The Munich Network Management Team

Comparison of virtual reality social platforms under the aspect of digital teaching

Background

The current pandemic state of emergency required a spontaneous and rapid adoption of digital teaching by students and teachers alike. As little preparation was possible, the choice fell to tried and true group video calls or captures of the respective lecture, which is thus streamed to the students. These approaches also aim to keep the technological barrier of entry low, in order to not disenfranchise students due to weak infrastructure, expensive hardware requirements or difficulty of use. These issues currently bar the option of effectively relocating teaching to virtual reality.

However, more immersive virtual reality rooms provide a stronger sense of presence, with the VR equipment reducing distractions and diversions. They also endow students and teachers alike with more possibilities and tools, like the close inspection of an illustrative 3D model or digital replicas. In 2020, there is a wide array of virtual reality social platforms. The goal of this thesis is a survey of the available software and a discerning comparison of their usability in teaching settings.

Outline of this work:

• Familiarization with VR and virtual rooms
• Exhaustive listing of viable and accessible VR social platforms
• Comparison of the features or shortcomings of the individual products with a focus on its relevance for teaching
• Best practice guidelines for different settings, i.e. class size
• Creation of prototype classroom in preferred VR social platform

Useful skills/previous experiences:

• Virtual Reality
• Didactics

Organizational details:

Supervisor:
Prof. Dr. D. Kranzlmüller

Duration:

• in accordance with the study regulations

Number of students: 1

Advisors:

• Daniel Kolb
• Fabio Genz