Speakers: Jacqueline Houghton, University of Leeds Annabeth Robinson, senior lecturer, Leeds College of Art The award winning Virtual Landscapes Project is a collaboration between the University of Leeds and Leeds College of Art to develop screen-based virtual reality environments for use in geoscience education. In this session you will see this award winning project which gives students and teachers screen-based virtual reality environments for use in geoscience education. You will be able to access and explore the virtual reality world so if you have a laptop bring it with you to make sure you can virtually roam.

1. Virtual landscapes:
Geoscience education in digital environments
Jacqueline Houghton
Annabeth Robinson

3. Jacqueline Houghton1, Annabeth Robinson2,
Clare Gordon1, Geoff Lloyd1, Mark Thomas1,
Dan Morgan1 and Ben Craven1.
1School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds
2Leeds College of Art

4.  A collaboration between the
School of Earth and
Environment and Leeds
College of Art.
 Screen-based virtual reality
environments, using the Unity
3D game engine.
 Winner: THE Award
Outstanding Digital Innovation
in Teaching or Research, 2016.
 Short-listed: Guardian
University Awards for Digital
Innovation, 2017.
Virtual Landscapes
Project

5.  Enhance the training students
receive for geological fieldwork.
 Develop 3D visualisation skills.
 Accessible alternative fieldtrips.
 Engineering Geology site
investigation skills
 Freely available on the internet
http://www.see.leeds.ac.uk/virtual-
landscapes/
 Used in the UK, US, South Africa,
Germany and Guyana.
Virtual Landscapes
Project

6. Three River Hills Lighthouse Bay
3D Interactive Geological Maps 3D Interactive Topographic Map
Current Virtual
Landscapes

7. Geological Mapping
 Aim of geological mapping
produce a 3D representation of
the geology of an area in the
form of a map and cross
section(s).
 Relatively few places rocks
seen at the surface.
 Find these rocks, record their
positions (on a field slip) and
relevant details (in a notebook).
 From incomplete and spatially
distributed data create a 3D
representation of the geology.

8. • Designed as an in-class
exercise with paper field slip and
notebook.
• Virtual landscape populated with
rock outcrops.
• Replicate aspects of the
mapping experience - not a
fieldwork replacement!
• Grid references.
• How to plot data.
• Decision making skills.
Geological Mapping &
Field Skills

11. Classroom Use
 Before first mapping fieldtrip
 Festival of Science with A
level school pupils
 Easier to focus on learning
and teaching the skills in a
classroom than in the field.
 Students made the same
mistakes they make when
learning in the field.
 “Outcrop capture” – get ’em
on the map fast; worry
about the geology later.

12.  “I feel/felt more confident with
how to plot data on my field
slip”
 Pre-trip 89%
 Post-trip 87%
 “I feel/felt better prepared for
the field”
 Pre-trip 69%
 Post-trip 60%
 “I found the virtual training a
useful experience mapping”
 Pre–trip 80%
 Post–trip 71%
Student Feedback

13. St Gwenfaen’s Well
Bearings

15.  Create alternative field trips for
students with health/mobility
issues.
 Hand specimens and thin
sections, photographs.
 Assessment : Field report, map,
cross section etc.
 More closely matches learning
outcomes.
 “Hybrid trips”: Recreate specific
localities for students who can
attend field trip but not reach
every outcrop.
Accessibility Benefits

16. Accessible
Fieldwork
Alternative
Anglesey

17. Accessible
Fieldwork
Alternative
Anglesey

18. Alternative Anglesey

19. Alternative Anglesey

20. 3D Visualisation

21. 3D Visualisation

22. Engineering Geology
Site Investigation

24. Site Investigation

25.  Example of 3D Unity used in
science context.
 Can be used for non-Geology
fieldwork situations.
 Rehearse skills before going
into “real world”.
 Accessibility potential.
 Exploration of 3D objects.
Beyond
Geosciences

26. Summary
 Game-based training
environments.
 Learn basic field and site
investigation skills before going
into the field.
 Develop 3D visualisation skills.
 Field skills training for those
unable to access the field.
 Results:
 Increased confidence in
field skills.
 Time saved in the field.
 Improved performance.
http://www.see.leeds.ac.uk/virtual-landscapes/

27. > >Slide
School of Earth and Environment,
University of Leeds:
Jacqueline Houghton
Clare Gordon, Geoff Lloyd, Mark
Thomas, Dan Morgan and Ben Craven
14/03/2017 Virtual landscapes27
Leeds College of Art
Annabeth Robinson