The Virtual Immersive Environments SIG will be engaging members to think differently about learning environments through a systematic approach to the best practice use of virtual immersive environments. In our context we will investigate a range of VIEs to design bespoke experiences for each context and educational challenge. This may include an experience in which the user

a) wears a headset or

b) navigates an avatar in a digital space (computer, tablet, phone).

They may be pre-made spaces or ones in which we create content and experiences.

Providing VIEs for our students has the capacity to:

• bring all students (online and on-campus) in to the one space to participate in the same activities;
• design and build stories for presentation and collaboration;
• experience environments similar to the ‘real world’ in relation to physics, topography, spatially and interact with objects as if in the ‘real world’;
• undertake experiments that are otherwise too expensive or risky to do in the ‘real world’

VIEs provide opportunities to:

• create environments leading to deeper understanding of concepts particularly useful to students of architecture, design and education.
• experience places that cannot otherwise be visited – Space, remote locations, fantastical realities
• develop a deeper understanding of how to undertake clinical work particularly useful for nursing, health and education
• interact with people and places in different cultural settings and languages