Authors:

Hiya Samanta

Date Created:

Not specified

Course Title:

Professor:

Not specified

About Paper:

Field trips are an integral part of geoscience courses. However, locations, such as caves, are often unsuitable for field trips due to accessibility and safety concerns. Virtual reality (VR) can bridge this gap and fulfill educational goals without the challenges accompanying physical navigation through such areas. To support undergraduate learning about karst environments in an Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS) course, we are developing a cave exploration VR experience. This project integrates a high-fidelity virtual cave environment with collaborative design workshops, enabling students, postdoctoral scholars, and faculty to co-create and refine the VR prototype for the course. We have designed the workshops to consist of three main activities. First, participants reflect on past field trip experiences and connect them to caves and virtual reality. Second, they examine cave images and generate questions to explore the types of contexts relevant to a cave-based VR environment. The workshop concludes with a storyboarding session where participants visually map out their ideas for the VR experience. The workshops will be facilitated during the summer and fall and the ideas presented and collected during these workshops will be expanded upon to refine the design of the VR prototype that will be deployed during the EAPS course. This VR will serve as the gateway for future projects about virtually exploring similar high-risk zones such as volcanoes and glaciers. Keywords: Co-Design; Virtual Reality; Caves; Geoscience

Source:

Purdue University / 2025

Topics:

No topics listed

Co-authors:

Hiya Samanta