VRSciT: VR Science Tour

VRSciT: VR Science Tour

The VRSciT project consists of conducting a virtual educational visit to locations of cultural, social and natural interest of each partner involved, from Portugal, Spain, Italy, and Lithuania, by using Virtual Reality (VR) immersion and interaction techniques to provide users a unique learning experience. VR technology adoption removes the barriers of remote visualization of environments making possible for everyone to experience a high educational value through digitalization.

Project period: 01/09/2020 - 31/08/2023

Project No.: 2020-1-PT01-KA204-078597

Erasmus+ Programme Strategic Partnerships for Adult Education

The VRSciT project specifically aims to explore new approaches in educational tourism, such as 3D modeling together with 360º immersive VR environments to build innovative virtual educational scenes, from four different countries. To achieve this objective, several products will be developed by the partners, namely:

  1. Share a literature review of VR technology.

  2. Elaboration of an interactive virtual reality experience - 'VRSciT SPOT´.

  3. Production of an Online Web Toolkit.

  4. Training events to share best practices using VR technology in educational tourism

  5. Multiplier event to promote the project's results

 

People who experience the VRSciT SPOT will be able to make an immersive trip, not only in the landscapes of the Northeast region of Trás-os-Montes, but also to travel through the landscapes of the regions of the other partners, thus increasing the visibility of all the contemplated regions and a clear confirmation of the European-wide partner entities. Providing access to scientific information and educational activities for people with different social backgrounds will allow less favored people, such as people with less economic power or physical disabilities, to access recent technologies, promoting inclusion by allowing unrestrained access and interaction with technology that otherwise would not be possible. So the target group of VRScriT project is the adult learners that visit all the partners and will have access to scientific and educational tourism with new interactive learning environments. The project will produce a broad impact through the delivery and the publication of the Intellectual Outputs, the implementation of training events, and the dissemination plan. The continuous innovation of the Institutions in terms of the touristic and scientific offer, one of the vital components of the European Union's policy for lifelong adult learning, will, in general, enable the visitors to:

(i) in the specific field of adult education:

  • Improve the basic skills of individuals by managing new technology and information;

  • Deep/consolidate specific skills (in terms of cultural literacy, science and technology, European citizenship, interculturality, and community development);

  • Integrate of experienced knowledge in their lives;

  • Promote language skills;

  • Improve personal motivation and critical reflection.

 

(ii) in the creation of new opportunities:

  • Disseminate of best international practices (through the creation of local and regional dynamics that enhance technological innovation opportunities and also in the development of

  • Entrepreneurial and sustainable projects for the community in general);

  • Stimulate the development of innovative activities (contribution to the expression of scientific and technological based companies);

  • Stimulate the construction of a more active, responsible and interventional citizenship (creation/reinforcement of individual cognitive, social and cultural background, in a structured and

  • Oriented way).

 

Project objective

The consortium believes that this project will enable the target groups, to not only acquire and consolidate skills at the level of adult education, but also to improve their skills in European citizenship, interculturality, employment, and community development, emphasizing the promotion of learning, digital literacy, debate and sharing of scientific and technological knowledge.

The whole project idea is based on a transnational comparison of approaches, issues, solutions and good practice in the implementation of innovative strategies for educational tourism using informal innovative procedures. Furthermore, it is expected that each partner will have the opportunity to take advantage of research in the introduced novelties and build on the project’s achievements.

 

Project results

IO1 - Literature Review: VR applied in educational and cultural institutions and their impact

The Intellectual Output (O1) intends to provide adult educators, museum educational staff, experts in the field of adult education with some innovative learning methods combined with VR technology. For that, O1 will perform a literature review about VR applied to educational tourism, identifying the already existing 3D objects and its evaluation by the Museums and Higher Educational Institutions (HEI).

 

IO2 - Elaboration of the 'VRSciT SPOT'

The goal of this intellectual output is to create the 'VRSciT SPOT' a different innovative informal virtual reality experience that will be located in each museum partner to promote digital literacy and science contents using informal learning environments combined with educational tourism. The 'VRSciT SPOT' aims to solve the gap of lacking contents on socio-cultural knowledge and educational tourism that will foster the recognition of values of the region due to the 360 Videos footage and other social-cultural undisclosed contents. The 'VRSciT SPOT' will present four different experiences inspired by each country partner combining 360º VR environment with 3D models/animations in order to be interactive. Like that, 'VRSciT SPOT' will be an informal learning environment for adult learners. The participants will be exposed to an innovative way of understanding concepts through an immersion and entertainment experience that provides the user with a way to emotionally connect with the educational approach in VLE.

 

IO3 - Online Web Toolkit for the effectiveness of using VR-based applications

This Intellectual Output, O3, aims to produce:

- Online Web Toolkit (OWT) elaboration hosted in the project webpage;

- Open-source Virtual Material based on real objects;

- Open-source teaser 3D 360 Edited Videos of each partner region;

- Lesson plans to support the use of VR experiences in education;

The project also will provide 12 examples of Lesson Plans for teachers of the Adult Education system that will aim to value the scientific, cultural and social heritage from the four countries. These Lesson Plans are intended to boost scientific creativity and curiosity, fostering the critical spirit of these Adults and also contributed to strengthening to acquire new knowledge in these particular areas. They can be implemented in the Museums or in their own classrooms, all around the world, as they will be available online.

 

Partnership:

  1. Centro Ciencia Viva Bragança (PT) – koordinuojanti institucija

  2. Instituto Politécnico de Bragança (PT)

  3. Lietuvos švietimo istorijos muziejus (LT)

  4. VšĮ “eMundus” (LT)

  5. Fundacion Castilla y Leon (ES)

  6. Universidad de Leon (ES)

  7. MAG Museo Alto Garda (IT)

  8. Pixel (IT)

 

Project website: vrscit.pixel-online.org