Immersive Technology and Education: A Case Study with Exeter University and Spatial.io

Studies show that distance learning is becoming increasingly prevalent. Following the Covid-19-induced shift to remote working, people are looking to digital learning platforms to develop the skills required to navigate today’s constantly evolving world of work. UK universities are increasingly offering hybrid and fully remote distance learning courses. The challenge that comes with this this type of courses is in implementing student-centred, interactive learning designs that fully utilise digital technologies to the benefit of both staff and students. 

During the pandemic the phrase ‘Zoom fatigue’ was coined, the phenomenon of exhaustion associated with excessive video calls. Studies have shown that Zoom fatigue negatively impacts physical and mental well-being, causing stress, exhaustion, and increased cognitive load. Video calling becomes the default mode of contact between staff and students during distance learning courses, posing a problem for long term participants. 

Those engaged in hybrid learning (a blended approach where students learn via digital media as well as traditional face-to-face teaching) reap the benefits of the flexibility offered by remote interaction but also gain the benefits of face-face learning, where students tend to appreciate the social connection, physical proximity, and immediate feedback this mode offers.

Using immersive technologies in a distance learning context has the potential to fill a void created by that lack of authentic connection between teachers and students when the interaction is restricted to just video calls, instant messages and e-mails. Immersive environments offer something innovative in an era of webcam meetings and shared screens, allowing students to explore 3D worlds, customise avatars, and interact in novel ways.

In partnership with the media team at Exeter University we built a prototype on the virtual collaboration platform Spatial.io. The idea behind the prototype was to explore the plausibility of using such a platform in the context of blended and distance learning, as well as explore the functionality that these platforms can offer in such a context. The case study will be shared with the wider university as we welcome feedback from academics about how they might leverage immersive environments to offer students new ways of interacting digitally. 

We chose Spatial.io as the platform suitable to build our prototype due to its accessibility, ease of use and affordability. As noted in the case study Spatial has some limitations that may prevent it from being easily deployed to a large institution such as the university. The case study doesn’t propose that Spatial specifically is integrated into curriculums, but instead provides an example of the type of functionality you could expect from a 3D immersive platform.

Mesh, Microsoft’s own tool for immersive collaboration, is more likely to be integrated into universities and companies. This is down to Teams and other Microsoft Office applications already being embedded into application ecosystems. Mesh has the same type of functionality of Spatial; avatar creation, virtual environments and the hosting of virtual meetings and events, but also offers deeper customisation with a promising physics toolkit and a powerful SDK for developing in Unity.

Both Microsoft Mesh and Spatial work as PC applications, where users navigate 3D space using their mouse and keyboard. Both, however, also offer a more immersive experience using head-mounted displays, meaning users can navigate and interact with their environment in virtual reality.

Due to logistics and affordability, the plausibility of all students on a course being given access to VR headsets seems unlikely right now. In the future however, when headsets will be cheaper, more portable and more accessible, it may be that students are able to temporarily borrow a headset from the university for the duration of their course. For now, a gradual move towards avatars and navigable 3D spaces on PC screens seems more likely in the educational space, and with it the potential for a more engaging and connected distance learning experience.