1.
Bringing Virtual Reality into Higher Education
– the potential, and the challenges
Creating courses and community
within academia
at the State University of NY (SUNY)
Empire State College (ESC)
Eileen.oconnor@esc.edu
Me: chemist > IBM > education
Creative Commons licensed basic VR building, geared
around Kitely & Firestorm viewer -
https://sites.google.com/view/vrmarian/home
Eileen O’Connor, Ph.D.
curriculum vitae

2.
Topics and areas covered
• College’s mission, purpose and organization
• History of involvement
• Quick visual overview of selected islands / projects
• Triumphs / challenges
• Using our venues / Partnerships ideas in VR?
• Distance workshop – SUNY Challenge – May 28, 2019;
2 – 5PM ET/ 11-2 Pacific; meet before then too???

3.
Value of Immersive VR to higher education —
particularly in online courses and programs
• Overcomes isolation; creates a sense of community
• Creates a sense of space & presence – instructor’s personal space
• Encourages experimentation and shared development
• Allows modeling of best practices
• Encourages innovation and creativity with new immersive medias
• CHALLENGES – downloading; learning curve (but younger
students coming); un-informed academic community; scarcity
of instructional-design support  thus becomes individual
faculty / program effort

4.
Open Source Immersive VR
It works
• Low cost –
Creative
Commons
Must be
situated
• Needs
story-line,
curriculum
or purpose
Support
would help
• Students
develop
too
perhaps

5.
My experiences
Collabora
tion space
Shared
“field
trips”
Poster
session &
votes
STEP
program –
K12
Speakers /
presentation
Joint
video
viewing
But don’t assume your
idea with be “theirs” –
create meaning in your
own space; younger
students can think
video game

6.
Research & publication on VR applications, here is a
study of community &collegiality; third meeting: sandbox-level shared building
Oh my goodness! It looks like your group had so much fun.You definitely let your creative juices flow!
I'm jealous, I generally stayed within realistic limitations. I feel like I totally missed the fun of being in a
VIRTUAL environment! Good job! – quote from discussion board, after the session

7.
Basic requirements for developing a productive virtual
experience
• Purchased / made / borrowed – open
source tooPlace
• Download viewers – basic skills
Access by
students / visitors
• What they do – motivation &
integration
Event / activity /
simulation
• Did it support your goals?
Assessment /
evaluation

8.
Securing a
VR space
Create /
acquire
Second
Life
Open Sim
Visit
SUNY
Other
island
Borrow
Eileen.oconnor@esc.edu

9.
My Current Efforts – pros and expansion
“challenges”
PROS EXPANSION CHALLENGES / NEEDS
Ongoing development since 2006;
interaction platform in course / course
itself
Difficult to get faculty buy-in in other
content areas; much marketing & Prof.
Dev.
Great platform for community building
among students at a distance
Resistance from instructional Designers –
tech support goes to the more tech-
needy; innovator lament
Almost half the students have made
their own islands; research needed on
who chooses & why
Difficult to get tech support  my own
Creative Commons tutorials (wiki?)
Open source available + inexpensive
server rental too
Need a narrative, story-line, motivation

10.
My Current Efforts – pros and expansion
“challenges”
PROS EXPANSION CHALLENGES / NEEDS
Research strongly supports community Downloading viewer – headset virtual
coming when?
Startup documentation available Curriculum needed / integrating into
courses or stories; beware
Become-a-developer courses run well Conceptual framework for immersive 
new paradigm (Web 3?); INP – fledgling
Prototyping / proof-of-concept for later
simulation

11.
My Current Challenges
Needs for open source EXPANSION CHALLENGES / NEEDS
- More avatars and outfits - More professional / too form fitting
- New research models
- New design models
- Competition w/ games Cohesive / ongoing engagement
- More artifacts w/ Creative Commons
permissions
- Data-bases for items made / inventory /
tagging
- Server space
- Web interface coming available – low
fidelity / limited

12.
Faculty support needed
“Protecting” the innovators – against negativity from
colleagues / against being worn-out as their own tech
support / against having their projects unfunded or not-
supported
Creating academic incentives / awards / growth-plan
incorporating technologies – really examine the conserving
culture that squashes innovation
Embrace the digital natives who are becoming teachers
From a 2014
presentation

13.
Building began in the mid 2000’s

14.
SUNY Empire State College
Saratoga Springs East Campus
Alumni House @28 Union Ave.
SUNY Empire State College
Alumni House in Second Life
Initial Second Life (SL) funding for Dr. Allain lead to
the re-creation of a campus building and the premise
for the “Future of Being Human” course

15.
Other buildings on the SL virtual campus were
inspired by nearby historical locations in
Saratoga, NY

16.
The Future of Being Human

17.
Initial foray with Second Life by Dr. O’Connor —
2007
Support from Empire State
College:
— training on basic artifact
creation
— support during meetings
— some artistic island
developments
— small grants for private islands
with K12 -> pilot study &
publication (O’Connor’s interest)

18.
Bringing to other faculty and instructional designers
• Grassroots effort to bring to other faculty
and instructional designers
• Some participation, however, no ongoing
support from ESC
• O'Connor and Allain continued to work in
their own SL environments; as did several
other faculty
• Faculty effort to maintain islands once
funding ceased and islands became more
expensive
• Move to open source, Kitely, 2012

19.
Created an Exhibit Area for Empire State
College at the virtual conference –
a space to create a community of
practice and sharing.

20.
VIDEO PRODUCTION WORLDVisitors will experience a
professional TV Studio, learn about
different production topics in the
amphitheater, learn indoor and
outdoor lighting techniques, have
hands-on with camera jibs and
dollies, test their new-found
knowledge at different shooting
locations, and enjoy the gift shop.
A Virtual 3D Island Where Video Production Skills Are Learned and Practiced
INDOOR LIGHTING WELCOME BOOTH TV STUDIO

21.
Outdoor Lighting Corral

22.
Indoor Lighting Three-Point Lighting

23.
Amphitheater

24.
Categories on the survey Reviewer 1 Reviewer 2 Reviewer 3 Reviewer 4
Registration easy Strongly agree Strongly Agree Agree Agree
Navigation primer clear Strongly agree Strongly Agree Agree Agree
Welcome video helpful Strongly agree Strongly Agree Agree Agree
Three-point lighting explained well Strongly agree Strongly Agree Indifferent Agree
TV studio good for camera switching Disagree Strongly Agree Indifferent Indifferent
Reflector & scrim explained well Agree Strongly Agree Agree Indifferent
Good instruction on boom balancing Agree Agree Agree Agree
Good instruction on dolly movement & camera Disagree Agree Agree Disagree
Video production tutorials helpful Strongly agree Strongly Agree Indifferent Agree
Discussion topics were stimulating Indifferent Indifferent Agree Indifferent
Felt like hands-on Agree Agree Indifferent Indifferent
Enough info to do Snapshot assignments Strongly agree Strongly Agree Agree Agree
Enough time to complete assignments Strongly agree Strongly Agree Indifferent Strongly Agree
I would recommend to others for learning video Strongly agree Strongly Agree Agree Indifferent

25.
ESOL/ELL Learning
Site in Kitely
CREATED AND PRESENTED BY IRENE T. CRUZ
ELL / ESOL (English learners) support –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bk7kUlfOkI

26.
Creating an immersive learning environment
Initial Set-up in
Kitely
Choosing an
island and it’s
design plan
Decisions,
alterations, on
the design plan
for effective
immersive
learning.

27.
Connecting the Design to the Learning
Learning Styles considered in the Design
This framework follows through with the use of learning by exploring, collaborating,
being, building, championing, and expression. (Lim, KennethY.T., 2009)
Collaboration of ideas within English Skill Sets.
Design Principles applied to the rendering of thisVLE.
Within this piloted framework, two of the principles that I focused on were; Contiguity
Principle and the Redundancy Principle. (Clark R.C., Mayer, R.E. 2011).
Contiguity Principle – evident in the graphics and text that are balanced for the learners to
easily understand. The Redundancy Principle - repetitious use of learned information for
compounded learning effect.
Signage for easy
transition
Welcome Center with Documented How-To’s

28.
Sculpture Island is a virtual reality island dedicated to exploring the interface between art in reality and art in virtual reality. It has outdoor
park areas and interior gallery spaces to develop art in a simulated controlled environment.. There is also an opportunity to create
landscaping.to further visualize how art will interact with architecture, landscaping and people as they use public and private spaces.
Artistic renderings on Sculpture Island

29.
Sculpture Island gives visitors the opportunity to view art in a 3-D space from different perspectives. People from all over the world can visit an art
installation. Virtual reality would be useful in creating models of art installations, for feasibility studies of public art and proposals for public and
private clients.

30.
Later courses, students created their own
island – more than STEM areas here
http://www.slideshare.net/eoconnor/suny-cit-2015-immersive-virtual-environments-open-source

31.
Create a STEM/cultural environment
• Ie. Sub-Saharan
African
healthcare -
https://sites.goo
gle.com/site/ser
vehealthcarestu
dy/
• http://eileenoco
nnor1.wix.com/s
erve-healthcare

32.
Moving to open source — a platform where
students could work as well
• Explored several different
vendors — Kitely proved to be
reliable and cost-effective
• Moved course meetings into
this space and developed a
courses where students
developed their own open-
simulator environments
• Created a complete set of
start up developer materials
https://sites.google.com/view/vrmarian/home

33.
Continued promoting within the SUNY system —
"soft" promotion within the ESC graduate school
• Interest seems active within SUNY Online, however:
• Not sufficient time for instructors to do all the professional development
needed to bring in colleagues
• Instructional designers not always supportive— too much overhead
• Islands were perceived as expensive
• Competition from other e-communication tools
• Engaged other faculty in research and development however:
• Some concerns surfaced; tenure and promotion
• Innovative technologies can be considered disruptive and threatening

34.
Students move
beyond the
course – using instructor-
developed online tutorials
(Creative Commons)
A social-worker, to the left,
discusses his VR social work
environment at an
international conference
Other students join in peer-
reviewed publication efforts
Image owned by and shared by Wales Brown

35.
VR -
immersive
2d/3d
Setting for social
worker professional
development; many
venues on these
islands – this section
replicates a theory-
foundation institute
Parent Education
Network in Kitely
Islands may
change

36.
Immersive 2d/3d –
VR can foster immersion and culture
● Experiences for
learners from
many countries
that are
becoming
acclimated to
the USA
● ESOL EFL in Kitely
Islands may
change

37.
VR -
immersive
2d/3d
Historic
Japanese
setting, for K12
social studies
instruction –
2016FA1 in Kitely
Islands may
change

38.
VR - immersive
2d/3d
Innovative design from graphic artist –
immersive creative instructional
experience for his students
https://youtu.be/QFG39xavoVo
EugeneTrainer in Kitely
Islands may
change

39.
Real-World Practice
for Financial Education

40.
How to Combat Financial Fragility?
•Self-efficacy – a person’s belief in their ability to affect a
desired outcome through their own behavior
•Build capacity with information, tools, and practice
•Inspire behavior change

41.
Budget Exercise
Task List
• Groceries
• Gift for a Friend
• Lunch
• Buy a Need
• Buy aWant
• Pay Credit Card
• Savings

42.
Educational Approach
•Self-directed
•Applied Learning
•Problem Solving
•Gamification of Personal Financial Management
Detailed Presentation Sunday 5:30 PM Pacific
Pilot Study: Immersive Financial Education for Building Positive
Money Habits

43.
Moving forward with faculty / program efforts
• New forms of meetings – a virtual “residency” model under
evaluation – substitution for a course activity? Substitution for a
physical weekend experience?
• Pilot study
• Ongoing / expanding program efforts
• Within courses; across course
• Working on developing a student community through VR
• Developing a think-tank among alums, students, other interested
parties

44.
Immersive Residency –
October 13, 2018
• 9:00 AM - tech prep / Dean / faculty & alum intros
• 9:30 - 10:30 AM: The Virtual to Augmented Reality
Continuum - Eileen O'Connor, Ph.D.
• Break; move to Empire Learning Design in Kitely; you will be
given directions
• 11 - 12:00: VR World building - Nicola Allain, Ph.D.
• Break
• 1 - 1:30 PM: Arts & Media in Virtual Worlds - Nicola Allain
• 1:30 - 2:00 PM: STEM group activity - Eileen O'Connor
• 2:00 - 3:00 PM: Game Design and Unity Game Engine -
Mark Lewis, MA
October 2019
residency is in
the planning;
more student
involvement in
development

45.
Conducting an Immersive Residency, with the Dean,
students across courses and programs, and alumni
Eight years prior to this
event, a previous Dean
had come and spoken
to students as well

46.
Ongoing uses – posters &
student presentations
Continued use in
MALET courses
& ongoing
student-island
development

47.
Immersive Residency (anonymous survey results)
– how VR different from regular conference?
• No physical boundary restrictions. People can come together from all
over.
• Like any conference, just sit and listen.
• It really did make a difference to have a space in which to interact with
people and look around. It was much more engaging than other virtual
meeting options like a webinar. It took me a little while to get the hang
of it but I felt comfortable very quickly.
• The experience is rewarding. Leaps and bounds ahead of a typical
webinar setting or conference call.
• Having a larger group in a virtual world interacting
• Learning that the Saratoga campus is being re-created in virtual.

48.
Immersive Residency Improvements – What
was interesting?
• AR
• World building. Woah that sounds so cool. Can’t wait to try.
• Dr. Allain's discussions about virtual world building and the tour she provided of her
beautiful island.
• Sense of community. Meeting faculty, current classmates and having inputs from
others who have completed the program in the past offers incredible value.
I really enjoyed my time today, we touched on a lot of different relevant concepts
and I walked away with a greater understanding and appreciation for the work and
efforts our faculty put forth. I liked the pace of today's events. I enjoyed the balance
of a lecture about VR and AR from Dr. O'Connor and how VR is helping students and
faculty collaborate. I enjoyed the walking tour as Dr. Allain explained the intricacies
of VR building and re-purposing of objects. Dr. Lewis demystified game design
concepts and I look forward to taking his class in the future.
• I liked the walking tour and sharing of information in chat.
• The design of Professor allain's islands!

49.
Immersive Residency Improvements – How
can we grow?
• As the technology improves, I believe it will have a natural progression.
• By being less glitchy but that’s internet based or a lot of people on the island so I
understand that but I felt like i was glitching around at one point which was weird
• I could have used a basic orientation, either at the beginning or prior to the meeting.
Just some basics about how to edit my avatar and basic functionality. I would also be
interested in a brief overview about how Kitely is being used by educators.
• I am very new to immersive environments and I really enjoyed the experience.
Perhaps we could add a few a few more minutes to STEAM group activity . I know
that in our group we sort of got caught up in the activity and had to rush back to
next lecture. Thank you!
• Have two speakers on each subject, one to talk and present and one to answer chat
and post resources. Remember to be mindful on walking tours, They are fun but if
people get behind we lose the ability to hear the speaker if they are ahead of us.
• More formal promotion - Schedule of events.

50.
Instituting a think-tank to
grow and preserve
progressive technology-
threaded education ideas

51.
PLAN
- Executive; logistics
- Scheduling; activities
- Advertising;
announcing
DO
- More interactive
meetings
- Events – island visits /
hops – by others
- Activities / mini
courses
- White papers
- Others?
THINK
- Research / pubs
- Yours / mine

52.
Ready Player One?
Integrating real and virtual; past &
present – AR / VR intersection; open
source for prototyping and budget
constrained applications

53.
My Current Efforts – pros and expansion
“challenges”
PROS EXPANSION CHALLENGES / NEEDS
Ongoing development since 2006;
interaction platform in course / course
itself
Difficult to get faculty buy-in in other
content areas; much marketing & Prof.
Dev.
Great platform for community building
among students at a distance
Resistance from instructional Designers –
tech support goes to the more tech-
needy; innovator lament
Almost half the students have made
their own islands; research needed on
who chooses & why
Difficult to get tech support  my own
Creative Commons tutorials (wiki?)
Open source available + inexpensive
server rental too
Need a narrative, story-line, motivation

54.
My Current Efforts – pros and expansion
“challenges”
PROS EXPANSION CHALLENGES / NEEDS
Research strongly supports community Downloading viewer – headset virtual
coming when?
Startup documentation available Curriculum needed / integrating into
courses or stories; beware
Become-a-developer courses run well Conceptual framework for immersive 
new paradigm (Web 3?); INP – fledgling
Prototyping / proof-of-concept for later
simulation

55.
My Current Challenges
Needs for open source EXPANSION CHALLENGES / NEEDS
- More avatars and outfits - More professional / too form fitting
- New research models
- New design models
- Competition w/ games Cohesive / ongoing engagement
- More artifacts w/ Creative Commons
permissions
- Data-bases for items made / inventory /
tagging
- Server space
- Web interface coming available – low
fidelity / limited

56.
CHALLENGING GOLIATH: Next Steps for Open Source VR
• The surging interest through augmented reality is creating
interest in virtual reality as well – seeking more cost effective,
available platforms for interactions and prototypes
• Ongoing / sustained professional development in education
venues for VR development; gaining instructional developers
in these areas
• A good quality web-based interface could be most helpful
• 3-D with headsets would be nice but not essential now
• Getting large-scale institutions on board with predesigned islands
could help the efforts at integration
• Studying the new types of interactions – and across “realities”
too; developing a conceptual framework for immersion