A Qualitative Evaluation of Student Experience with a Virtual Heritage Application
Format
Oral Presentation
Faculty Mentor Name
Daniel Cliburn
Faculty Mentor Department
Computer Science
Additional Faculty Mentor Name
Joshua Salyers
Additional Faculty Mentor Department
Library Administration
Abstract/Artist Statement
Virtual heritage is a practice in which digital media is used to reconstruct historic artifacts, places, or events. In this qualitative study, we evaluate the use of virtual reality to educate college students about the Stockton State Hospital, a mental institution active from 1851 to 1995 in Stockton, California. Specifically, we seek to determine whether an immersive virtual reality experience elicits more empathy towards past treatment of the mentally ill compared to traditional learning media such as books and documentary films. To assess this, we allowed students in a general education seminar course to experience the virtual reality application, then asked them to complete a questionnaire asking about their experience. From analysis of the questionnaire responses, we can infer that the virtual reality experience gave students an empathetic understanding of the treatment of the mentally ill in the late 1800s to early 1900s.
Location
Virtual
Start Date
25-4-2020 10:00 AM
End Date
25-4-2020 12:00 PM
A Qualitative Evaluation of Student Experience with a Virtual Heritage Application
Virtual
Virtual heritage is a practice in which digital media is used to reconstruct historic artifacts, places, or events. In this qualitative study, we evaluate the use of virtual reality to educate college students about the Stockton State Hospital, a mental institution active from 1851 to 1995 in Stockton, California. Specifically, we seek to determine whether an immersive virtual reality experience elicits more empathy towards past treatment of the mentally ill compared to traditional learning media such as books and documentary films. To assess this, we allowed students in a general education seminar course to experience the virtual reality application, then asked them to complete a questionnaire asking about their experience. From analysis of the questionnaire responses, we can infer that the virtual reality experience gave students an empathetic understanding of the treatment of the mentally ill in the late 1800s to early 1900s.