Research on College Education Based on VR Technology

【Abstract】The educational thought of VR technology breaks the traditional education model.The use of VR technology in the whole process of education achieves the conversion of education model as well as the transformation of education space.The application of VR technology in colleges and universities creates an intelligent education environment， which can greatly stimulate the interest and autonomy of students and improve the effectiveness of teaching. By analyzing the successful cases of VR technology in college education， we aim to explore its practical application values in education， providing references for VR+ education research.

【Key words】VR+ education； new model； intelligent learning

【作者簡介】于丽丽，宁波大学，讲师。

1. The characteristics and research status of VR technology

1.1 Characteristics of VR technology

VR technology is a frontier technology in the information age. It is a relatively independent information system constructed by the real world， people and computer networks， which can greatly stimulate learners learning motivation. The five senses of learners are visual， auditory， taste， and tactile. These senses are mobilized in every aspects to enhance the sense of reality and sensibility of knowledge. Its main features include： Immersion - to be immersive； Imagination -to be fascinating； Interactivity -to improve efficiency； Interest -add fun to education； Independence - to improve the effect. And these characteristics are exactly consistent with higher education. Therefore， as one of the inevitable and key technologies for the future development of the Internet， VR technology can be increasingly applied into education.

1.2 Research status of VR technology applying into education

1.2.1 Since the 1980s， VR technology has been used in education in some European and American countries.For example， Italian universities have set up VR education laboratory， and American National Library of Medicine has used VR technology to study the digital anatomy images. At present，foreign countries are paying attention to the practice and feedback of VR technology in the field of education in addition to the application research.In the information age， the rapid development of VR technology is a global boom. According to a report released by The New Media Consortium （NMC）， a well-known educational organization， VR technology is one of the six most promising technologies in the next 2-3 years. Its tentative application has brought world-famous remarkable achievements， and the application prospects are highly concerned by the education communities of many countries. [2018 Ningbo Institution of Higher Education Ideological and Political Education Research Association （Key Funding） “Exploration of Ideological and Political Course Teaching Model Based on VR Technology” （SGXSZ18002）]

1.2.2 In China， the research on college education based on VR technology has received increasing attention. VR technology makes education more interactive， flexible and contextual， providing a new educational approach that combines perceptual and rational education. Colleges and universities are the main places where VR technology emerges and develops rapidly. It first appeared in chemistry teaching activities and other relatively abstract disciplines. VR technology enables students to have a strong sense of knowledge and learning impulses， maximizing the students thinking， exploring and manipulative abilities in the learning process.It also plays an important role in promoting students awareness of innovation. Although the current technology is still immature and urgently needs to be systematic and standardized， 2016 is called “the first year of VR”， and more and more colleges and universities are paying close attention to its development and application in education.

2. Existing successful cases of education in universities based on VR technology

2.1 The Marxist College of Beijing Institute of Technology has developed a software based on VR technology---“Re-taking the Long March”， realizing the “combination and complementation between virtual and reality”，so that students can better understand the spirit of the Long March and never forget it. In December 2016， Beijing Institute of Technology held an academic seminar on the education reform of college ideological and political education and the application of VR technology，which demonstrated the VR interactive experience system.Recent years the research teams have continued to conduct some relevant researches.

2.2 In March 2016， Beijing Normal University held the “Intelligent Learning and VR Education Application Academic Week”， which examined the application of VR+ education. Through the VR education platform design and VR learning experience， visitors experienced the consumer-level immersive VR equipment and abundant VR educational resources，which also promoted the integration of education and information technology.This year， the school has provided five “storm mirrors” and set up a VR+ educational experience station， which has received great attention and praise from the society.

In addition， the 2017 National Vocational College Skills Competition was held in Tianjin. This competition is exactly the application of VR technology into ideological and political education.In addition， there are 44 newly opened pilot programs for easy classes in colleges and universities in Guangdong province.Yu Guoming， executive director of the News and Promulgate College of Beijing Normal University and Yangtze Scholar， pointed out that the future media constructed by VR technology will combine artificial intelligence technology with big data and VR technology. Liu Wei， dean of the News and Promulgate College of Beijing Normal University and deputy editor-in-chief of “Guangming Daily”， fully affirmed the prospect of VR development，believing that an era of “VR+” will arrive in the near future. It can be seen that colleges and universities can rely on typical cases to develop VR subject-related teaching methods as as the basic path to promote VR+ education.

3. Practical significance of VR technology applying to college education

3.1 Innovate education model to solve the incompatibility of college education under the new media environment

Currently， as a representative of the rapid development of information technology， VR technology is surging globally.According to the 2016 research report on Chinas VR user behavior， there are 286 million potential VR users in China， about 17 million users were exposed to VR equipment early in 2015， and 960，000 people have purchased various VR equipment.Facing this situation， the Opinions on Promoting the Healthy and Orderly Development of the Mobile Internet was issued in January 2017 by the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council. It clearly stated that it is necessary to accelerate the layout of key technologies of newly-developing mobile Internet such as virtual reality and artificial intelligence.Future education must be accompanied by technological innovation and development of VR technology. VR technology has undoubtedly become a special representative of innovation in the history of education development， and its application in the field of education has become more and more extensive. In 2016 alone， more than 200 VR laboratories have been established in domestic universities， and some universities have begun to build related VR majors，and their influence on the higher education model is bound to be highly valued.

3.2 Directly assisting college education to try a new model based on VR technology， and embarking on a road of innovation

As one of the key technologies for the future development of the Internet ， VR technology is widely used in the field of education. Its emergence will subvert the traditional educational thinking and one-way education model， actively building a new educational ecology under the new media perspective. The role of stimulating students creative learning and deep learning has brought significant changes in the education sector. The application of VR technology in the field of education makes the education form more expressive than the traditional one. Some contents in education can be displayed through VR technology in an intuitive and understandable way， providing some learning opportunities that cannot be realized in ordinary environment. VR+ education complements and innovates traditional education model， bringing new ideas to traditional education model and playing an important role in stimulating students creative deep learning， exploring an innovative road for college education.

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