LEARNING THRU VR
Welcome to Learning Thru VR Academy!
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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.
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.
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?
Welcome Back to My Blog! Today, I’m reflecting on my journey learning Articulate Storyline as part of the LTEC5211 Instructional Systems Design II course. While I was already familiar with PowerPoint, Storyline was entirely new to me.
To my surprise, I found Storyline intuitive and user-friendly. The weekly modules were thoughtfully structured, offering valuable insights from both an instructional and design perspective. Each topic encouraged active engagement, and the discussions provided meaningful comparisons of how different features could be applied in real-world instructional settings.
A key part of my learning involved mastering the creation of slides and integrating essential elements such as layers, triggers, objects, characters, states, and entrance/exit animations. These tools are crucial for designing dynamic learning pathways and crafting polished, professional e-learning experiences.
What stood out most was Storyline’s ability to foster interactive learning. It allows students to engage with content in immersive and meaningful ways, enhancing both retention and motivation. I especially appreciate its capacity for visual storytelling and simulation-based learning.
Looking ahead, I plan to incorporate Storyline into my Diesel Technology courses—particularly for developing interactive quizzes and parts identification games. For technicians, being able to visualize correct assembly and disassembly procedures is critical. Storyline offers a powerful platform to build branching scenarios and hands-on assessments that support this need. I’m excited to continue exploring its capabilities and refining my design strategies to better serve diverse learners.
Another aspect will be designing "Troubleshooting Decision Trees": This is a scenario where learners diagnose engine issues based on symptoms. Each choice leads to different outcomes, mimicking real-world diagnostic paths. This helps develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills.