Finding Your Own Way: Evolving an Open-Source Solution to Social VR in Higher Education

Abstract

Social VR has many potential use-cases within a university education, empowering students as avatars to have deep learning experiences within contextually relevant virtual worlds. Numerous technical platforms exist for educators to develop and conduct their VR classes - but third-party solutions can be inherently expensive/inflexible at scale, potentially non-inclusive and ultimately lead to a range of dependencies for an institution. At Loughborough University, we are adopting an alternative approach, embracing open-source code for social VR - to provide educational experiences ideally suited to the unique characteristics of our students, staff, infrastructure, branding, etc. Our platform (termed land-of-the-loogabarooga - LOTL) has now been used across campus for diverse purposes, from core teaching in several Schools/Faculties to staff development to fundamental marketing and research activities of the university. Survey and observational data demonstrate how beneficial LOTL has been for engagement, learning and recruitment/outreach. Nevertheless, institutional challenges remain to be overcome if our open-source social VR solution is to evolve beyond research and become a fully embraced platform within the university’s complex socio-technical system.