"Our vision was created within a day, stands like a house and is an excellent frame of reference in everything we do."
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XR in education
What are the possibilities, opportunities, applications, challenges and obstacles of eXtended Reality for education? Who are engaged in this? Where are we now and where are we going? Read about it in the issue XR in education.
Headset, Roadshow and vision
You can have such great plans to enrich your education with XR but you also have to know how to sell those plans. And that goes beyond a presentation or a video. Above all, let people experience XR for themselves. Chances are they will be sold afterwards.
When it comes to selling, the Police Academy is a particularly inspiring example. There, according to product owner Knowledge & Research and Virtual Training Giny Verschoor, they have always been working on innovative education and digital learning. With the arrival of the new basic education system, they were keen to take the next step. And it was widely embraced almost immediately.
Digital investigation
The Police Academy's basic education went from three to two years. Partly because of the need for more blue on the streets and the growth of digital detection. "It was a good time for us to develop new learning pathways and modules using VR," he says. The VR modules in the new basic education were designed, developed and implemented in two years.
"XR on Tour led to a lively exchange of experiences, insights and future plans."
Experienced
"Through a roadshow at all nine Police Academy locations, we rolled it out and ensured a warm handover. It was not a matter of putting down glasses and letting people do their thing. We showed everyone extensively and, above all, let them experience what VR is and can do."
Enthusiasm
This also happened at the start of the whole process with the management of the police academy. This, according to Verschoor, immediately created enthusiasm and commitment. "When you want to sell your VR education plans, don't just do it with a presentation or a video. Because VR only really comes to life when you put on the glasses."
"VR really comes alive when you put on the glasses," he says.
Roadmap
A roadshow was not only a success with the police. Casper van Leeuwen and Paul Melis toured universities and colleges with 'XR on Tour' on behalf of SURF. "A nice and interactive way of networking and introducing participants to the possibilities through demos and talks." XR on Tour led to a lively exchange of experiences, insights and future plans. In addition, the SIG Virtuality developed a handy roadmap.
Campaign
In Delft, VR Lab coordinator Arno Freeke and his people also took to the road to proclaim the happy XR message. "In our awareness campaign, we went everywhere with a PC and showed a lot of people what you can do with XR," he says. Thanks to that campaign and the support from the BoE, more and more people know how to find Freeke and his team's VR Zone. "And with us, too, employees are sold once they have put on VR glasses."
Vision and business case
When developing the new learning routes and modules using VR, the Police Academy's vision is always leading: a VR module in education is about place- and time-independent learning and training in an authentic context. According to Verschoor, it is incredibly important to always develop one's own vision. "Ours came about within a day, stands as a house and is an excellent frame of reference in everything we do in the VR field. And by the way, always make sure you have a good business case."