Block Three.Mixed reality remote assist technologies in education and best practice
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Case study.
In this block, we will use a fictional case study relating to the use of mixed reality remote assist in education. Providing us with an example, where we can analyse the challenges faced, which resulted in remote assist deployment and explore the solution presented. This activity will help put what we have learned so far into context, allowing us to frame how we may develop mixed reality remote assist best practice, within the educational context.
It is worth considering that educational institutions, such as the one in our case study, could be regarded as producing or developing 'future-orientated knowledge', thereby being considered 'promissory organisations' (Pollock and Williams, 2010). They are bearing responsibility for the creation of learning experiences through the implementation of technologies and innovation.
Read the following paper by Pollock and Williams (2010) to further understand the concept of promissory organisations, and how that might relate to the college in the case study:
It is worth considering that educational institutions, such as the one in our case study, could be regarded as producing or developing 'future-orientated knowledge', thereby being considered 'promissory organisations' (Pollock and Williams, 2010). They are bearing responsibility for the creation of learning experiences through the implementation of technologies and innovation.
Read the following paper by Pollock and Williams (2010) to further understand the concept of promissory organisations, and how that might relate to the college in the case study:
BACKGROUND
Learngood College is a medium-sized, multi-campus FE college with just over 15,000 learners. Alongside FE and HE courses, it runs several major apprenticeships programmes.
While Learngood College has always made excellent use of e-learning opportunities and experimented with emerging new technologies such as immersive virtual reality, and game-based learning to support its courses, college e-learning lead Dr Ginger Hale and learning outside the classroom project manager John Doe, felt that current progress had reached a plateau, and innovation had stalled.
While Learngood College has always made excellent use of e-learning opportunities and experimented with emerging new technologies such as immersive virtual reality, and game-based learning to support its courses, college e-learning lead Dr Ginger Hale and learning outside the classroom project manager John Doe, felt that current progress had reached a plateau, and innovation had stalled.
THE CHALLENGE
In today's changing educational environment, Learngood has identified the urgent need to continually evolve its institutional and educational strategies to stay relevant and continue to achieve positive learning outcomes within the community it serves. One of their key initiatives is developing their online remote learning programme, which focuses on leveraging innovative technologies to create new flexible, learning opportunities that better meet both their students and industry apprenticeship partners' needs.
During small group try-outs of the remote learning programme, concerns had been raised by both students and teachers involved, around difficulties encountered when trying to undertake, and support, online remote learning where the students would be studying from home. In particular, this concern focused on courses that would contain a significant number of practical or hands-on desktop-based activities in the traditional classroom setting. The teaching staff had additional concerns regarding their ability to work remotely with students who required extra support with conditions such as dyslexia, autism, or other learning difficulties.
To maximise the positive long-term impact of remote learning within the college and across its student population. The educational technology (edtech) team realised they needed to improve the implementation of existing technologies in support of remote education. The learning technologists undertook these improvements to ensure that their offering provides appropriate student and teacher support in visual and easily consumable ways while addressing the concerns raised.
During small group try-outs of the remote learning programme, concerns had been raised by both students and teachers involved, around difficulties encountered when trying to undertake, and support, online remote learning where the students would be studying from home. In particular, this concern focused on courses that would contain a significant number of practical or hands-on desktop-based activities in the traditional classroom setting. The teaching staff had additional concerns regarding their ability to work remotely with students who required extra support with conditions such as dyslexia, autism, or other learning difficulties.
To maximise the positive long-term impact of remote learning within the college and across its student population. The educational technology (edtech) team realised they needed to improve the implementation of existing technologies in support of remote education. The learning technologists undertook these improvements to ensure that their offering provides appropriate student and teacher support in visual and easily consumable ways while addressing the concerns raised.
THE SOLUTION
Having already recognised the benefits of smart connected and immersive products in education, (the Learngood edtech team have previously explored the use of Augmented Reality (AR) solutions to provide additional learning opportunities across the college curriculum). The edtech team recognised that Microsoft HoloLens and mixed reality (MR) presented a significant opportunity for the college. Moreover, they wanted to work towards using the immersive hands-free capabilities to help students work collaboratively and have the potential to enable broader access to knowledge.
Additionally, Learngood College already used Microsoft Teams as its digital hub, supporting teacher-to-teacher collaboration and class collaboration and communication, allowing teachers to create vibrant, collaborative classrooms and personalised learning environments. Teams was a key driver for the college in enabling its remote leaning initiative by bringing secure, synchronous, and asynchronous conversations, content, and apps together in one place, streamlining student and teacher workflow.
Learngood, working in collaboration with a local aircraft manufacturer who already used similar technology to support its remote field support engineers, and whose apprentices studied at the college. The Learngood edtech team selected, and integrated, Microsoft's, Dynamics 365 Remote Assist solution within their Teams platform. Creating immersive mixed reality remote assist experiences using HoloLens, allowing students to establish low-bandwidth, secure video and audio calls through Teams with their teacher when they need help solving complex problems. The teacher could then see what the remote student was viewing and call upon a range of holographic and interactive resources to support the learning activity in hand. This MR experience created in Dynamics 365 Remote Assist provides students and teachers with an enhanced view of the practical learning activities – allowing easy visualisation and more precise understanding of information.
Additionally, Learngood College already used Microsoft Teams as its digital hub, supporting teacher-to-teacher collaboration and class collaboration and communication, allowing teachers to create vibrant, collaborative classrooms and personalised learning environments. Teams was a key driver for the college in enabling its remote leaning initiative by bringing secure, synchronous, and asynchronous conversations, content, and apps together in one place, streamlining student and teacher workflow.
Learngood, working in collaboration with a local aircraft manufacturer who already used similar technology to support its remote field support engineers, and whose apprentices studied at the college. The Learngood edtech team selected, and integrated, Microsoft's, Dynamics 365 Remote Assist solution within their Teams platform. Creating immersive mixed reality remote assist experiences using HoloLens, allowing students to establish low-bandwidth, secure video and audio calls through Teams with their teacher when they need help solving complex problems. The teacher could then see what the remote student was viewing and call upon a range of holographic and interactive resources to support the learning activity in hand. This MR experience created in Dynamics 365 Remote Assist provides students and teachers with an enhanced view of the practical learning activities – allowing easy visualisation and more precise understanding of information.
THE OUTCOME
Scalable mixed reality solutions from Microsoft, with their highly visual, interactive methods of presenting timely, relevant digital information in the context of the student's physical environment, in conjunction with the MR remote assist approach have helped Learngood College address concerns around the viability of aspects of their online remote education programme.
Students, who may have been struggling with remote online learning, now have their teachers practical support and knowledge at their fingertips through the easily-consumable mixed reality experiences on Microsoft HoloLens. The in-depth, immersive mixed reality experience provides a way of engaging with remote learning that students and teachers have never had before. It has completely changed the perception of practical remote education's effectiveness, improving student connection and engagement while providing enhanced educational outcomes.
Students, who may have been struggling with remote online learning, now have their teachers practical support and knowledge at their fingertips through the easily-consumable mixed reality experiences on Microsoft HoloLens. The in-depth, immersive mixed reality experience provides a way of engaging with remote learning that students and teachers have never had before. It has completely changed the perception of practical remote education's effectiveness, improving student connection and engagement while providing enhanced educational outcomes.
Activity.
After reading through the Learngood College case study, critically consider the following questions and write down your thoughts, based on what has been covered during this OER:
- What was the main problem to be addressed?
- What is the context of the problem, and who is most affected?
- What key facts should be considered?
- What possible alternatives are available to the decision-makers?
- How does the solution meet the criteria?
- Is the solution transferrable?
- What would you recommend — and why?
Task: Develop best practice.
Finally, recognising that a suitable framework needs to exist to guide the transfer of mixed reality remote assist technologies from an industry setting to an educational one. Using both what you have learned during this OER and prior experience from within your particular area of education. Write a few sentences or create a mind map, which helps identify what standards and best practices should be considered for inclusion when implementing a mixed reality remote assist programme framework. A best practice framework which would help maximise the remote educational benefits for both student and teacher.
Consider the following points while undertaking this activity:
Consider the following points while undertaking this activity:
- Enforced use of digital technology
- Societal impacts of technology on disadvantaged groups
- Entanglement and technology in remote learning environments
- Ethical approaches to remote learning datafication and security
- Student autonomy in the remote learning environment
Click below to move on to block four, and some final conclusions.
References.
Pollock, N., & Williams, R. (2010). The business of expectations: How promissory organizations shape technology and innovation. Social Studies of Science, 40(4), 525-548. Available at: DOI: 10.1177/0306312710362275