VR Development

The end of the first quarter of the new VR development course is well on its way. The current space is wonderful and the school has invested nicely in the space which will prove to be a center of innovation for the school for the near and distant future. Developing the new program and curriculum has been both challenging and exciting. 

After a few technical snags, the students are now seeing the fruits of their labour. Here is the current design process in a nutshell:

1. Create Meta/Oculus and personal Unity accounts. I find that it is easier for students to maintain their own accounts.

2. Teach students how to use a 3D modeling application such as Blender, Cinema 4D, or OnShape.

3. I have created custom, original tutorials demonstrating how to use the applications and execute the principles/practices required to help complete projects. These tutorials also illustrate possibilities and permit creativity. 

4. Time to iterate. Students must have enough intentional time to work on their projects. The goal is for students to be able to succeed in developing a working project. Placing less demand on aesthetics may be necessary from time to time and allow students to simply demonstrate that they understand the process by creating something less intricate. 

Some observations:

1. Starting the course with asset creation is important. 

2. It is also important to allow students to collaborate so that they can support each other during the new experience. Less intimidating. Groups of three need to be revisited. Pairs are ideal. 

3. Having reinforcing resources such as teacher-designed tutorials is very important. When students can see/hear that the teacher of instruction is the one creating the resources, it builds confidence in the legitimacy of the course and the teacher/student relationship.

4. Having a 'working' but not fully fleshed out project to show the students is vital. The project should be made by the teacher. Goes back to #3.

5. Encourage the completion of the project and later the enhancements. 

6. Encourage students to bring their own laptops for multi-tasking. 

7. Get students to use the VR headsets sooner rather than later. 

8. Serve more as a facilitator but constantly ask if students need help. If so, use the time to clarify to demonstrate a student's or students' concerns to the whole class.

9. Carefully observe and make notes of modifications, and improvements needed as students interact with the curriculum and materials.  

10. When developing a curriculum, use personal/original artwork (images, videos, animations, audio). This helps to illustrate design expectations by showing examples in addition to what is written. Having an exemplar is crucial. Again goes back to #3. This helps students SEE the possibilities and eventual success.