Diverse Designs Create Liveable Cities: An Inquiry Learning Unit Utilizing VR/XR Platforms to Explore and Create

Abstract

In their first inquiry unit of 2022, Year 5 students at Knox Prep investigated the big idea Diverse designs create livable cities. A study into how cities are creatively designed to enhance livability and support diverse communities. The students explored the immersive use of virtual reality and augmented reality platforms to help initially explore and then ultimately demonstrate the depth of their understanding of the topic. In the finding out phase of their learning, the students learn the skills of assessing the livability of a city and then research how they might go about improving sustainable and inclusive practices within a city. Case study of Singapore Students explored existing architectural designs and city planning considerations to ensure they develop the concepts of empathy and inclusivity when thinking of the world's diverse communities. Students looked at specific examples of designs that were diverse. The students explored virtual space with the guiding questions - what designs did you notice? What is the impact of these designs on the city? What makes this city appealing to the population? The big idea of this unit is Diverse designs create livable cities and that the concepts are design, creativity, and inclusion. By encouraging the students to use virtual environments we are further aligning the learning experience with one of the unit’s concepts of inclusivity. The virtual environment of Frame VR enables students to demonstrate their understanding on a platform that all can access without the need for high-end VR headsets.