Welcome to Learning Thru VR Academy!

Welcome, I'm your host Mr. G. 

I am a UNT student working on my MS in Learning Technologies with a specialization in Instructional Design. I believe that the role of an instructional designer is to plan and create the layout of the expected learning platform. The task begins with creating the learning environment, providing the educational subject materials, pre-establishing learning outcomes, applying realistic timelines, progression steps, achievable goals, and most importantly meeting completion expectations. Everything must be presented in a way that successfully enables instructors the creative ability to deliver the designed learning platform. The completed product must be one that is useful and beneficial to society. After all we are in the business of educating individuals to earn a living and to be successful.

Why am I Blogging you might ask? As a 15-year Diesel technology workforce instructor at a large community college in Texas, it has become apparent that the past methods of teaching whether it be through hours of lecturing, reading chapters and assignments in technical manuals, or listening to audio books isn't working. Today’s students simply are not interested and the former means of gaining knowledge get dismissed. Oh, and let's not forget to mention that the average attention span and retention of information have diminished greatly.

However, it seems the addiction to staring into a television screen, laptop, iPad, tablet or cell phone have become the normal method or as it would appear the new acceptable form of entertainment/informational/learning platform.

Secondly, it’s not just the students that concern me. An issue for educational institutes is the need for new up to date training aids. Educational Institutes face a never-ending expense for these necessary items. Honestly, with the increasing costs of training aids and the constant advancements in technology, many schools simply don't have the necessary funding to stay up to date.

So what can we do about these issues of concern? I propose to reduce the majority of these expensive purchases by partnering with vehicle and equipment manufactures.

My thoughts are to use their existing technology by combining engineering drawings and detailed functional workings by introducing them through Virtual Reality as a means of education. 

Simply said, I want to bring technical designs to life through VR in a way that is functional, innovative and most importantly educational for today’s students and technicians! If the former learning methods aren't working then lets change our methodology to something that is more realistic.

I believe that Virtual Reality can change the way that students learn. Technology can be used to engage a persons mind by focusing one's attention to another dimension by eliminating outside distractions.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, feel free to leave a comment, follow us or engage in our conversation.

Mr. G

Upcoming blog posts:

Are Manufactures open to partnering in this concept?

Are there any existing similar concepts?

How expensive would a design of this nature cost?