Keywords

1 Introduction

The use of game mechanics in learning – known as gamification [9] – is becoming more established, with options such as multiple attempts at tests (akin to lives in a game), immediate feedback and reward (marks as a substitute for game scores) illustrate how game mechanics can reflect established and novel approaches to instruction [8]. Such mechanics are increasingly prevalent in modern Virtual Learning Environments (VLE), though these VLE systems are typically web based 2-dimension information repositories, supported with a range of learning and assessment tools, such as support for online tests, quizzes and other computer based assessment.

This paper will describe what is needed to combine such technologies so they can be effectively utilised to support higher education teaching, where the computer based instruction is provided by a mix of suitable back-end intelligent and flexible learning system [5] alongside the immersive front end provided by the Virtual technology. An effective way to assess such systems can be offered through heuristic evaluation, as previously explored by the authors [7].

The paper concludes with a model for combining the computer-based instruction, gamification of the learning mechanics, along with the virtual environment itself to provide an engaging, practical and effective true virtual learning environment.

2 Of Being Virtual

The concept of virtual environments for work, education and relaxation is well established, though is evolving as new technologies improve the virtual experience. In the current context, there are some differing meanings of virtual that are explored in the following sections.

2.1 Virtual Environments

Virtual environments (VE) [10] have moved on from the large and research-lab style headsets, to now becoming a domestic home leisure device, with a variety of cheap smart-phone based devices (Google Cardboard and Samsung Gear for example), through medium price games-console accessories (PlayStation VR), to more expensive headsets that require a high-spec PC to support them (Oculus Rift). VE headsets such as those just listed shut out the physical world, though many include cameras to enable some element of inclusion of real world content. Augmented devices such as the Microsoft Hololens and short-lived Google-glass prototype provide facilities to overlay computer-generated content onto real-world objects and environments. These approaches to VE have provided individual views on virtual worlds, with a variety of uses. They have technical issues in terms of the usability and impact on users, with side effects such as nausea for some users, as well as a lack presence and self with the immersive headsets.

2.2 Immersive Learning

Immersive learning is concerned with the use of virtual worlds and/or environments in learning and training. This may be the use of a virtual world: such as Second Life [19], or the use of a other game engine such as Unity [4]. The immersion in this may be from a 2D viewpoint of the 3D world, rather than a fully immersive experience. However, the VR support of engines such as Unity, mean that they can offer truly immersive experience, this offering the potential for training and simulation activities where effectiveness depends upon realistic virtual environments [11] to support training. Immersive Learning is typified by its use of simulation and virtual worlds to provide interactive learning environments. Immersive learning can utilise game-based learning, where this use may be the environment itself, such as the example of using Unity and Second Life, to the mechanics within an environment, as described in the next section.

2.3 Gamification

As mentioned in the introduction, gamification is concerned with the application of game mechanics to a non-game activity [8]. In education, this can be around the way that assessment is used to provide rapid feedback on progress and proficiency, the way that learners can reattempt an activity, or the competitive nature of an activity. Such gamified approaches can also include personalization: with adaptive difficulty and a personalized experience. Whilst game engines are used to provide some immersive environments for learning, the linkage between playability and learning progress is not as transparent.

2.4 Virtual Learning Environments

Virtual Learning Environments (VLE) are the online version of traditional teaching and learning support. They do not typically offer virtual technologies, but are online platforms and use traditional GUIs and web technologies to support teaching and learning. The requirements of these is centered on traditional teaching and learning [6]. Often they borrow a direct classroom or school metaphor and map this into the virtual. In doing so they often implement a type of straight-jacket for teachers and learners that force a certain type of pre-ordained interaction. This means that it is often necessary for tools to be adapted to meet local needs rather than providing virtual support. We consider later how flexibility needs to play a vital role in the way ahead and that part of that flexibility can be to add an element of gameplay and personalization. Furthermore, we consider this misnomer in that existing VLEs do not utilise Virtual Learning Environments nor immersive learning, and would be better typified as Web-based Learning Environments.

2.5 Virtual Individuals and Virtual Teams

Working in a virtual environment is an increasingly common experience. The nature of modern internet connectivity means that as an individual the task of eLearning can be undertaken almost anywhere. For immersive learning, this might be either an individual or a group experience. Single roles, for example managing a particular incident, can be created. The user interacts with other scenario-based characters, which might be perceived like game non-playing characters and implemented via devices from state machines to artificial intelligences. The problems of working alone, potentially far away from others in terms of place or time, are those of loneliness and isolation. These provide motivating reasons as to why we consider the use of gamification as a means to address this isolation and generate inclusivity.

Alternatively, more than one person may be immersed within the same-shared space to make up a virtual team. This can immediately overcome some of the problems of working alone. Teams also provide an important new angle on learning from a pedagogic angle in that the task has to be managed and shared. The gamification of this process potentially provides immediate and sharable goals and motivations for the team. We naturally frequently compete as teams, so to do so in an immersive environment builds upon our background experiences and shared desires for success.

3 A Framework for True Virtual Environments in Higher Education

As we have seen in the previous sections, there are a range of technologies and pedagogic approaches that offer tools for enhancing learning and teaching, and complement the typical features of a VLE. Bringing these together into an actual virtual learning toolset requires a combination of content, assessment and delivery with support for the different forms of learning activity that are needed in Higher Education. Figure 1 links the various aspects identified as a framework for supporting learning and teaching, as well as training.

Fig. 1.
figure 1

A framework for a virtual environment for virtual learning.

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One way to link these would be through utilizing interoperability standards, such as the Learning Tools Interoperability standard [12], which enable learning applications to interface to VLEs and other learning management systems. Enabling the embedding of learning content within a virtual world, enabling control (gateway) features to support personalized learning pathways, and linking assessment activities to virtual world activities would open up the potential for truly virtual learning environments that offer a personalized flexible learning experience.

4 Issues in Virtual Environments

4.1 Sense of Presence

One key issue is getting a believable interaction – users have to believe in the surroundings and what they are seeing. Most existing VR require an acceptance of the projected reality by the user. Indeed some do not feel real unless the user accepts them and accepts the story. In the game context, this is potentially easier to achieve, where the element of the VR that we are interested in is the most important part. Within a game context, the rendering of the body of the characters may be crudely and unrealistically done, but this does not matter; what is of interest here is the game elements of the interaction. In gamifying immersive learning, we can play a similar trick, where the game and the game dynamics are used to make any shortcoming of presence easier to overlook, as the game makes new goals more important.

4.2 Modalities

Modalities refers to different ways of communicating (e.g. text, speech, visual, audible, and tactile). The use of these technologies can greatly affect the interaction in different ways [14, 18, 20]. In a perfect virtual reality, we can expect interpersonal communication to behave as it would in the real world involving Face2Face interaction. However, in many practical shared virtual experiences a full real world experience is not available or would be too expensive, so participants interact by text, chat, phone, or video channel. These types of choice can have significant effects on the resultant communication in an immersive environment. This qualitative difference has to be allowed for when gamifying immersive learning. That people are effected by the modality of communication means that the type of immersion and the didactic content need to take special measure of these issues.

4.3 Inclusivity

Isolation is recognized as an issue for distance learning [3]. Designers of Internet Web based material need to consider ways to construct their material and activity for online learners. If we are to consider students from a full range of abilities then we have to also think about how this approach will scale to disability-aware software [15]. What are the consequences and realities of immersion and gamification for this class of students? This consideration must include what types of media interaction will work, what types of physical interaction in terms of game mechanics are practical, and are the cognitive requirements of special users fully addressed?

4.4 Evaluation

If Gamifying Immersive Learning is to be of any value then we need to measure that value. This places a particular burden on the evaluator in considering what aspects of such learning environment can be measured. High Sores or Time Taken will give a gross measure of engagement. The very fact that the game is immersive means that those immersed may not be the best people to evaluate their experience (other than to comment on the immersion). We have argued elsewhere [2] that one solution route to is Heuristic Evaluation. In this technique, expert software designers are given a set of basic heuristics and then are asked to evaluate the software according to these criteria. Such heuristic can be extended to cover any aspects of the immersive experience that are not already covered by the original or educationally extended heuristic set. This would thus give us a way of evaluating our games and specifically particular criteria that are of direct relevance.

4.5 Motivation and Engagement: Gamification

One of the explicit reasons to use immersive games in learning is that the very immersion the user finds in the game gives us the motivation and engagement that we are frequently striving for when designing online teaching environments. By taking a particular syllabus and adding the immersive game element, the aim is to produce educational material that is spell binding and leads to maximal engagement with the material by the game player/learner. Rigby and Ryan [17] note the way Video Games can hold our attention in a gripping manner. They look to see motivating factors and how they are used in games design. The concepts of self-autonomy and flexibility that come from games also fit with the notion of flexibility considered earlier. They also note that the self-motivation and gamification may not actually be purely about fun but other factors may drive our interaction with the game.

5 Conclusions

In this paper, we have contrasted the different meanings of virtual when considering education; in particular, in the he higher education context where independent learning and group collaboration are frequently important features, there are some real potential benefits from the use of true virtual learning environments to locate our learning activities. The potential for building a true virtual and immersive learning environment is clear, though requires the development of suitable interfaces to enable interoperability between VR and AR, and VLE along with appropriate pedagogic techniques, valuation of the effectiveness, from a HCI perspective, of any such environment can be problematic, but expert based heuristic evaluation may offer a solution here.