Behind the Scenes: Partnering with Hollywood to Engage Learners through VR Storytelling in Biology

Concurrent Session 1

Session Materials

Brief Abstract

In 2020, a large public research university located in the Southwest partnered with Dreamscape Immersive, co-founded by Film Producer Walter Parkes (Men in Black III), to design highly-engaging learning experiences for introductory biology courses. Utilizing the expertise of storytelling, this collaboration developed multiple VR labs for in-person and online learners.

Presenters

Lead Presenter: Peter van Leusen, Arizona State University

Peter van Leusen is the Director of Digital Learning Initiatives in the Fulton School of Engineering at Arizona State University. In this role, he collaborates closely with departments and faculty on student success initiatives across diverse modalities and disciplines. His recent projects focused collaborating on adaptive curriculum and courseware development, designing MOOCs in a foreign language, integrating learning analytics effectively, promoting inclusive design and teaching practices, and spearheading innovative digital educational experiences for broad audiences. Before joining ASU, Peter worked as the Assistant Director in the Office of Instructional Consulting in the School of Education at Indiana University and previously taught middle and high school German. Peter holds a PhD in Instructional Systems Technology from Indiana University, Bloomington. His research interests include Faculty Development, Instructional Technology, Instructional Design, and Innovative Teaching & Learning in face-to-face, hybrid, and online formats. When he’s not designing creative and innovative solutions, you can find him playing soccer or running. Before joining ASU, Peter worked as the Assistant Director in the Office of Instructional Consulting in the School of Education at Indiana University and previously taught middle and high school German. Peter holds a PhD in Instructional Systems Technology from Indiana University, Bloomington. His research interests include Faculty Development, Instructional Technology, Instructional Design, and Innovative Teaching & Learning in face-to-face, hybrid, and online formats.

Co-presenter: Renee Pilbeam, Arizona State University-Skysong

Renee M. Pilbeam, Ph.D. (she/her) is a higher education professional, creative, mother, and lifelong learner. Her background is in instructional design, and specifically in the area of fully online courses and degree programs. A graduate of the Educational Technology doctoral program at ASU, Renee desired to stay with ASU and currently is in the role of Director, Learning Initiatives with EdPlus where she works on strategic program and course redesign efforts to implement data-driven, equity-first approaches that are centered on increasing student success.

Extended Abstract

Topic and Relevance: 

Successfully engaging today's learners with introductory biology curriculum can be a challenging undertaking. Many factors, such as social media or everyday needs, compete for the attention of undergraduates which are diverse in demographics and backgrounds. As a result, "traditional presentation of information may leave students longing for something more engaging to do" (Lysne, Miller, & Eitel, 2013, p. 1; Rissanen, 2018), which often leads to disengagement, low performance, and general disinterests in the sciences.

A fundamental element of successful learning experiences is the need for learners to engage with the subject matter concepts and skills, which are to-be-acquired. In the field of education, for example, Gagne (1985) indicated that gaining learners' attention is the first step of effective teaching. Similarly, in the popular ARCS model (Attention, Relevance, Confidence, Satisfaction) by Keller (1987), attention is a key component for motivating learners. Keller (1987) describes that attention could be obtained by various means, including emotions, real world examples, or variety. One popular method to capture audiences has been the use of storytelling, which has  - as long as humans have lived - gained attention, raised questions, connected emotionally, and provided the motivation to engage with subject matter concepts and skills (Hung, Hwang & Huang, 2012).

In 2020, to utilize the power of storytelling in engaging its diverse learner population with the sciences, a large public research university located in the southwest of the United States partnered with Dreamscape Immersive, co-founded by Hollywood Film Producer Walter Parkes (Men in Black III, War Games), to design highly-engaging learning experiences in introductory biology courses. Utilizing the expertise of storytelling combined with the affordances of Virtual Reality (VR), the collaboration between faculty, designers and technologists, as well as Tinseltown's finest led to the development of six story arcs for biology labs for blended and (coming soon) online courses.

Specifically, Dreamscape adds avatar-driven VR experiences to introductory biology labs where learners take on the role of fictional characters in virtual and invented worlds. Each lab has three acts that build upon each other and form the overarching storyline. In between each act, learners partake in carefully designed active learning activities that align with the the elements in the story as well as require action to move from the beginning, to the middle, and the end. For example, in Act I, learners are presented with the context of the story and encounter some kind of anomaly that needs further investigation. Taking data collected during Act I, learners need to collaboratively manipulate and analyze that data to form a hypothesis of what might have happened. This leads to Act II, where this hypothesis is tested and more story elements are presented. After additional learning and reflection activities, and development of the story, the solution and ending is presented in Act III. As learners engage with the story in Dreamscape and the learning materials provided in-class or online (via the Learning Management System), the scope and sequence of the design effectively scaffolds the concepts and skills indicated in the learning objectives.

To create, develop, and test the new story and technology, a team of faculty and designers followed a product design process that incorporated a small-scale proof of concept, a prototype in an authentic environment, and implementation of two large enrollment introductory biology courses for majors and non-majors this spring. At this time, over 800+ learners have experienced and provided data to further improve the learning, engagement, and technology of this unique partnership.

 

Audience Takeaways:

In this session, the presenters will share insights into the collaboration between Hollywood and higher education, provide samples of learning experiences utilizing Dreamscape Learn, share an overview of the creative design processes and faculty engagement strategies, and learner reactions from implementation in two introductory biology courses (800+ learners). Furthermore, strategies for collaborating with vendors to develop scalable and user-friendly products will be highlighted.

 

Plan for Interactivity: 

To engage the audience in meaningful and effective ways - as well as to address the immersive spirit of the topic - the session includes multiple opportunities to experience the storytelling elements (in 2D to ensure access for everyone), gauge interests, share experiences, and customize the content of the presentation as needed. In general, the engagement occurs in three formats: (1) in-person (presentation, small/large group activities); (2) exploration of sample media; and (3) utilizing a polling system.

References:

Gagné, R. M. (1985). The conditions of learning and theory of instruction (4th ed.). New York, NY: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.

Hung, C. M., Hwang, G. J., & Huang, I. (2012). A project-based digital storytelling approach for improving students' learning motivation, problem-solving competence and learning achievement. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 15(4), 368-379.

Keller, J. M. (1987). Development and use of the ARCS model of instructional design. Journal of instructional development, 10(3), 2-10.

Lysne, S. J., Miller, B. G., & Eitel, K. B. (2013). Exploring student engagement in an introductory biology course. Journal of College Science Teaching, 43(2), 14-19.

Rissanen, A. (2018). Student engagement in large classroom: the effect on grades, attendance and student experiences in an undergraduate biology course. Canadian Journal of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education, 18(2), 136-153.