Virtual reality content creation based on self-contained components in the e-learning domain: Re-using pattern-based...

Area of Science:

• Educational Technology
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Immersive Learning Environments

Background:

• Integrating emerging technologies like Virtual Reality (VR) into e-learning faces challenges within current trends such as microlearning.
• Microlearning, which breaks down content into small, reusable learning nuggets, aligns well with the concept of VR nuggets—short, self-contained VR experiences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate and extend the concept of VR nugget authoring.
• To introduce and evaluate two novel authoring toolkits: CoNMoD (context-related module interaction) and ViNS Tiles (visual scripting).
• To assess the acceptance and usability of these toolkits compared to existing VR nugget authoring environments.

Main Methods:

• Development of two novel VR nugget authoring toolkits: CoNMoD and ViNS Tiles.
• Conducting two user studies to evaluate toolkit acceptance and compare them with existing tools.
• Performing an expert survey to determine technical aspects and platform requirements for a VR nugget exchange format.

Main Results:

• User studies indicated acceptance of the novel toolkits based on hedonic and pragmatic qualities.
• Results emphasized the importance of content exchange between different VR nugget authoring tools.
• An expert survey revealed potential authors' willingness to use an exchange approach and contribute to a VR nugget authoring community.

Conclusions:

• A VR nugget exchange format is proposed to enhance content reusability and enable collaboration among authors using different toolkits.
• The developed toolkits (CoNMoD and ViNS Tiles) are accepted by users and offer viable alternatives for VR nugget creation.
• There is a strong indication of community interest in a collaborative platform for sharing and creating VR learning content.