Abstract

Today more than ever before, we have access to new technologies which provide unforeseen opportunities for educators to pursue new innovations in online education. Pursuing innovation is a complex process! It starts with an idea, but that needs to be coupled with the right team of experts willing to take big risks and put in the hard work to build something new. An instructional design team was empowered to reimagine an Introduction to sociology university course as a Game-Based Learning (GBL) experience utilizing cutting edge Virtual Reality (VR) technology. The result was an innovative collaborative process that resulted in a brand-new type of learning based in game theory, method of loci and VR immersion simulations to promote deeper retention of core concepts. The team deconstructed the way that university courses operated, in order to rebuild the educational process in a whole new, learner-centric manner. In addition to a review of the build process, this presentation will explore the results of in-course surveys completed by student participants.

Keywords:Higher education; Innovation; Virtual reality; Game-based learning; Loci method