The document outlines a webinar discussing the application of virtual environments in distance learning, specifically within product development. It highlights the benefits of VR technologies in education, such as increased engagement and interactive experiences, while also addressing practical implementations and challenges faced during virtual events. The Hamk Design Factory's innovative use of VR in a product development project, along with future aspirations for remote learning platforms, is emphasized throughout the text.

1. APPLYING VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS
IN DISTANCE LEARNING OF PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT
Case Glue Collaboration Platform
Jari Jussila, Markku Mikkonen & Jali Närhi

2. Outline of webinar
• Introduction
• Experiences of VR, interest and wishes
on the topic
• What are virtual environments & worlds
• Presentation of PDP experience in VR
• Presentation of Case Glue Collaboration
Platform, Questions&Answers
• What can we do together in RUN-EU?

3. Presenters

4. HAMK Design Factory in numbers
300
students participated
Established on 2019
• 7 courses
• 8 staff
• 55 prototypes developed for
companies
• 2000 awarded credits Courses: Product Development Project, Data Analytics Project, Smart Design
Project, Internet of Things Project, Design Thinking, Circular Economy Project,
Summer Studies

5. HAMK Design Factory a brief overview
See LookBook: https://www.flipsnack.com/jaybird24/hamk-design-factory-lookbook.html

6. Your institution experiences in VR
• Interests & wishes:
• Experiences:

7. Virtual environments & worlds
• Virtual worlds are
computer generated
physical spaces,
represented graphically in
three dimensions that can
be experienced by many
users at once (Kohler et al.
2009).
Image: Astronaut Charles Camarda taking a spacewalk at HAMK

8. Opportunities of VR technologies in Higher
Education
• It creates interest in learning and increases students’ engagement.
• Provides more interactive experiences - users can feel the experiences with their senses.
• Makes possible remote teaching (e.g. immersive 180-degree videos)
• Supports learning by doing (skill-based learning, e.g. medicine, engineering).
• VR has the potential to immerse people in a virtual but realistic environment in which they are
confronted with a certain situation and a number of unexpected events. This creates a test
environment in which a teacher can evaluate the reactions of the student and give him/her
feedback afterwards.
• Expensive physical training can become cheaper with VR. VR makes unsafe training conditions
safe (e.g. spacewalk)
Source: modified fromVRinSight Erasmus+ project. VRinSight Curriculum 2019

9. Differences between VR, AR and MR
Source: VRinSight Erasmus+ project. VRinSight Curriculum 2019

10. Virtual environments & worlds in product
development

11. Virtual worlds in product development
• Virtual worlds have four defining features
(Castronova 2001; VRinSight 2019):
1. Interactivity: can be accessed
remotely and simultaneously by
large number of people
2. Physicality: user interface
simulates a first-person physical
environment
3. Immersiveness: Immersiveness
through spatial sound, non-verbal
communication, haptic feedback
through controllers
4. Persistence: remembers the
location of people and things, as
well as the ownership of objects

12. Virtual environments in product
development
• In contrast to virtual worlds, virtual
product development
environments share interactivity
and persistence with virtual worlds
but may not include first-person
physicality and often lack
immersive features
• On the other hand design tools and
manipulation of objects are
typically more prominent in
product development virtual
environments

13. Information richness & immediacy of
feedback in virtual environments
Information richness
1 Very low: numeric
2 Low: textual and numeric
3 Moderate: Textual, visual or audio
4 High: Visual 3-D or video
5 Very high: Face-to-face or Avatar
Immediacy of feedback
1 Very slow: History, trends
2 Slow: Asynchronous
3 Moderate: Periodical and consequent
4 Fast: Real-time and consequent
5 Immediate: Realtime and simultaneous
Source: Jussila (2015) Social Customer Learning Model

14. Readings
• Castronova, E. (2001). Virtual Worlds: A First-Hand Account of
Market and Society on the Cyberian Frontier. CESifo Working Paper
Series No. 618. https://ssrn.com/abstract=294828
• Kohler, T., Matzler, K., & Füller, J. (2009). Avatar-based innovation:
Using virtual worlds for real-world innovation. Technovation, 29(6-7),
395-407
• Jussila, J. J., Kärkkäinen, H., & Leino, M. (2012). Learning from and
with customers with social media: A model for social customer
learning. International Journal of Management, Knowledge and
Learning, 1(1), 5-25. http://issbs.si/press/ISSN/2232-5697/1-
1.pdf#page=7
• Jussila, J. (2015). Social Media in Business-to-Business Companies'
Innovation. Doctoral dissertation. http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-
15-3621-2
• VRinSights (2019). VRinSight Curriculum. Boosting Virtual Reality
Learning with Higher Business Mangement Education.
https://www.vrinsight.org/app/download/10685027371/VRinSight_I
O2_Curriculum%20Module.pdf?t=1589378625
• Jussila, J., Raitanen, J., Partanen, A., Tuomela, V., Siipola, V., &
Kunnari, I. (2020). Rapid Product Development in University-Industry
Collaboration: Case Study of a Smart Design Project. Technology
Innovation Management Review, 10(3).
https://timreview.ca/article/1336

15. Comments, Questions and Answers

16. Presentation of PDP
experience in VR

17. PdP?...Final Gala?
• Product Development Project (PDP) is based on
problem-based learning for multi-disciplinary
students.
• While providing possibilities for knowledge
sharing and gathering experience from
different fields.
• The course also provides presentation
possibilities (halway & final gala), which in turn
develop each participants information
gathering skills.
• Course contains group working environments for
developing prototypes to solve certain task.
• Tasks, which are provided by different project
sponsors.

18. Design thinking process used in the course
Source: Jussila et al. (2020) Rapid Product Development in University-Industry Collaboration

19. Product Development Project (16 weeks)

20. Case Glue Collaboration Platform

21. COVID problem into a solution
• Provide a Final Gala without meeting
people physically.
• While also
providing an immersive
experience from home
• Figure out all the possible
"routes" we could take and provide
for the participants.

22. Creating a stream platform
for the Final Gala
• Creating a streaming setup with 2
computers.
• Setup the streaming software (OBS) to
capture the actions in camera PC –> Glue +
Zoom.
• Finding and solving possible problems that
may occur during the Gala, for example:
• Risk of sound looping from participants
microphone.
• Glue crashing suddenly when opening files.
• Participants cannot hear any sounds in the stream.

23. Problem solving
• Glue accepts maximum of 20 – 25
concurrent users per session.
• Twitch.tv/Youtube/Kaltura does not have
any user limit.
• Zooms default plans accepts up to 100
users, and up to 1000 users with an
addon.

24. How did it go?
• Succeeded to provide a remotely established
Final Gala.
• Benefiting from virtual reality Glue software,
streaming tools like twitch.tv and equipment
in Design Factory.
• Equipments were capable computers with dual
monitors that can handle streaming and capture
card.
• Streaming computer monitored the stream for any
problems that may occurred.
• All teams were able to get the feedback from
the staff and their team sponsors.
• Via Zoom text chat or from live chat.

25. For the future
• We want and need to develop
remote learning platforms.
• For example, Mozilla Hubs,
AltspaceVR and Glue.
• Everyone should have the
opportunity to experience using
virtual platforms.
• While not being limited to their
equipment.

26. Cost of virtual setup
• Case PDP • More ideal setup
Device N Price Sum
For Presenters:
Oculus Quest 6 479 2 874
For Organizers:
Oculus Quest 2 479 958
For Customer Companies:
Oculus Quest
Desktop
3
3
479
0
1 437
For Other Participants:
Desktop 45 0 0
Overall 5 269 €
Device N Price Sum
For Presenters:
Desktop 6 0 0
For Organizers:
Valve Index
Desktop
1
5
1079
0
*1079
For Customer Companies:
Desktop 4 0 0
For Other Participants:
Desktop 45 0 0
Overall *1 079 €

27. Questions & Answers
For a good overview of VR platforms, see VRinSight Showcase:
https://www.vrinsight.org/app/download/10685637371/IO2+VRinSight+Showcase.pdf?t=1586859190

28. Links to EU VR research & projects
• Virtual, Augment, Mixed Realities: https://vam-realities.eu/
• VRinsight – Boosting Virtual Reality Learning within Higher Business
Management Education: https://www.vrinsight.org/

29. Contact details
https://www.linkedin.com/company/hamk-
design-factory
blog.hamk.fi/designfactory
facebook.com/hamkuas
twitter.com/hamkdf
instagram.com/hamkdf
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXfqw-
9CXTEUkYULsdJpIIA
hamk uas
pinterest.com/hamkuas