Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A Portable Multi-user Cross-Platform Virtual Reality Platform for School Teaching in Malawi

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Immersive Learning Research Network (iLRN 2023)

Part of the book series: Communications in Computer and Information Science ((CCIS,volume 1904))

Included in the following conference series:

  • 236 Accesses

Abstract

This paper discusses and evaluates a self-contained portable multi-user cross-platform Virtual Reality (VR) setup that was devised and configured using off the shelf technologies and devices. This paper exemplifies how some fundamental challenges like those faced in Malawi in relation to technology use, can be addressed, to allow for the use of VR technology as a potential solution to improving the quality of secondary school education in situations where the challenges in question are faced. This paper explains how the proposed VR setup was evaluated, where the results of that evaluation indicate that the proposed portable multi-user cross-platform VR setup is viable and can potentially be used for secondary school teaching. This is a follow-up to previous work that outlined the design and implementation of a VR software application to showcase the capabilities and functionality of this “Synchronous Multi-User Cross-Platform Virtual Reality for School Teachers”, which consisted of using questionnaire data collected from school educators in England and it was part of a larger study. Whilst the challenges addressed are those that are faced in Malawi, the platform has more general applicability to a range of teaching contexts.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 79.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 99.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Kumar, V., Gulati, S., Deka, B., Sarma, H.: Teaching and learning crystal structures through virtual reality based systems. Adv. Eng. Inform. 50, 101362 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aei.2021.101362

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Southgate, E., et al.: Embedding immersive virtual reality in classrooms: ethical, organisational and educational lessons in bridging research and practice. Int. J. Child-Comput. Interact. 19, 19–29 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijcci.2018.10.002

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. McGovern, E., Moreira, G., Luna-Nevarez, C.: An application of virtual reality in education: can this technology enhance the quality of students’ learning experience? J. Educ. Bus. 95, 490–496 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1080/08832323.2019.1703096

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Kwon, C.: Verification of the possibility and effectiveness of experiential learning using HMD-based immersive VR technologies. Virtual Reality 23(1), 101–118 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10055-018-0364-1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Kambili-Mzembe, F., Gordon, N.A.: Synchronous multi-user cross-platform virtual reality for school teachers. In: 2022 8th International Conference of the Immersive Learning Research Network (iLRN), pp. 1–5 (2022)

    Google Scholar 

  6. Malawi Government: The Malawi Growth and Development Strategy III (2018). https://www.mw.undp.org/content/malawi/en/home/library/the-malawi-growth-and-development-strategy-iii-.html

  7. Chheang, V., et al.: A collaborative virtual reality environment for liver surgery planning. Comput. Graph. 99, 234–246 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cag.2021.07.009

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Marks, S., White, D.: Multi-device collaboration in virtual environments. In: Proceedings of the 2020 4th International Conference on Virtual and Augmented Reality Simulations, pp. 35–38. Association for Computing Machinery, New York (2020)

    Google Scholar 

  9. National Planning Commission: Malawi Vision 2063: An Inclusively Wealthy and Self-reliant Nation (2021). https://malawi.un.org/en/108390-malawi-vision-2063-inclusively-wealthy-and-self-reliant-nation

  10. Hettinger, P.S., Mboob, I.S., Robinson, D.S., Nyirenda, Y.L., Galal, R.M.A., Chilima, E.Z.: Malawi Economic Monitor: Investing in Digital Transformation (2021). https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/131501624458623473/pdf/Malawi-Economic-Monitor-Investing-in-Digital-Transformation.pdf

  11. Pankomera, R., Van Greunen, D.: An ICT model to enhance teaching and learning in a resource constrained setting: a case of Malawi. In: Brinda, T., Mavengere, N., Haukijärvi, I., Lewin, C., Passey, D. (eds.) Stakeholders and Information Technology in Education, pp. 163–173. Springer, Cham (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-54687-2_16

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  12. Malawi Ministry of Education: 2021 Malawi Education Statistics Report (2022). https://www.education.gov.mw/index.php/edu-resources/category/10-reports

  13. Hmelo-Silver, C.E.: Problem-based learning: what and how do students learn? Educ. Psychol. Rev. 16, 235–266 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:EDPR.0000034022.16470.f3

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Cooper, G., Park, H., Nasr, Z., Thong, L.P., Johnson, R.: Using virtual reality in the classroom: preservice teachers’ perceptions of its use as a teaching and learning tool. Educ. Media Int. 56, 1–13 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1080/09523987.2019.1583461

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Garcia-Bonete, M.-J., Jensen, M., Katona, G.: A practical guide to developing virtual and augmented reality exercises for teaching structural biology. Biochem. Mol. Biol. Educ. 47, 16–24 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1002/bmb.21188

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Sharp, H., Preece, J., Rogers, Y.: Interaction Design: Beyond Human-Computer Interaction. Wiley-Blackwell, Indiana (2019)

    Google Scholar 

  17. Yadav, P., Agrawal, R., Kashish, K.: Performance evaluation of ad hoc wireless local area network in telemedicine applications. Procedia Comput. Sci. 125, 267–274 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2017.12.036

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Zhang, R., et al.: A new environmental monitoring system based on WiFi technology. Procedia CIRP 83, 394–397 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procir.2019.04.088

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Zheng, T., et al.: A portable, battery-powered photoelectrochemical aptasesor for field environment monitoring of E. coli O157:H7. Sens. Actuators B: Chem. 346, 130520 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.snb.2021.130520

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Inostroza, R., Rusu, C., Roncagliolo, S., Rusu, V.: Usability heuristics for touchscreen-based mobile devices: update. In: Proceedings of the 2013 Chilean Conference on Human - Computer Interaction, pp. 24–29. Association for Computing Machinery, New York (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  21. Muñoz, R., Chalegre, V.: Defining virtual worlds usability heuristics. In: 2012 Ninth International Conference on Information Technology - New Generations, pp. 690–695 (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  22. Quiñones, D., Rusu, C.: How to develop usability heuristics: a systematic literature review. Comput. Standards Interfaces 53, 89–122 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csi.2017.03.009

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Quiñones, D., Rusu, C., Rusu, V.: A methodology to develop usability/user experience heuristics. Comput. Standards Interfaces 59, 109–129 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csi.2018.03.002

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Kambili-Mzembe, F.: Investigating virtual reality for secondary school teaching in Malawi. Ph.D. thesis. University of Hull, United Kingdom (2022)

    Google Scholar 

  25. Herr, S., Baumgartner, N., Gross, T.: Evaluating severity rating scales for heuristic evaluation. In: Proceedings of the 2016 CHI Conference Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems, pp. 3069–3075. Association for Computing Machinery, New York (2016)

    Google Scholar 

  26. Nielsen, J.: Severity Ratings for Usability Problems. https://www.nngroup.com/articles/how-to-rate-the-severity-of-usability-problems/

  27. Polit, D.F., Beck, C.T., Owen, S.V.: Is the CVI an acceptable indicator of content validity? Appraisal and recommendations. Res. Nurs. Health 30, 459–467 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1002/nur.20199

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Motlagh Tehrani, S.E., Zainuddin, N.M.M., Takavar, T.: Heuristic evaluation for virtual museum on smartphone. In: 2014 3rd International Conference on User Science and Engineering (i-USEr), pp. 227–231 (2014)

    Google Scholar 

  29. Polit, D.F., Beck, C.T.: The content validity index: are you sure you know what’s being reported? Critique and recommendations. Res. Nurs. Health 29, 489–497 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1002/nur.20147

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the UK for supporting the research that this paper is based on. We would like to thank the Faculty of Science and Engineering and the School of Computer Science at the University of Hull for their support. We would also like to thank Dr Mike Brayshaw for his support and feedback. Finally, we would like to thank all the research participants and anyone who contributed and assisted in any way to the study discussed in this paper.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Computing, University of Malawi, P.O. Box 280, Zomba, Malawi

    Francis Kambili-Mzembe

  2. School of Computer Science, University of Hull, Cottingham Road, Hull, HU6 7RX, UK

    Neil A. Gordon

Authors
  1. Francis Kambili-Mzembe
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Neil A. Gordon
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Francis Kambili-Mzembe .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Queen Mary University of London, London, UK

    Marie-Luce Bourguet

  2. University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany

    Jule M. Krüger

  3. University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal

    Daniela Pedrosa

  4. Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

    Andreas Dengel

  5. British Telecom Research Labs, Ipswich, UK

    Anasol Peña-Rios

  6. University of Montana, Missoula, MT, USA

    Jonathon Richter

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2024 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this paper

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this paper

Kambili-Mzembe, F., Gordon, N.A. (2024). A Portable Multi-user Cross-Platform Virtual Reality Platform for School Teaching in Malawi. In: Bourguet, ML., Krüger, J.M., Pedrosa, D., Dengel, A., Peña-Rios, A., Richter, J. (eds) Immersive Learning Research Network. iLRN 2023. Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol 1904. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-47328-9_14

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-47328-9_14

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-47327-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-47328-9

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation