Virtuality becoming part of everyday studies New learning methods will transport students into a world of games, augmented reality and videos. Text: Riikka Hopiavaara Illustration: Parvati Pillai
Games and gamification A SINGLE CLICK opens a three-dimen-
sional water molecule before the eyes. In this virtual world, one of the most fundamental building blocks of chemistry is recorded directly on the student’s retina. The molecules displayed are three dimensional and their structure is significant because it determines whether certain molecules are, for example, medicines or poisons. “In a virtual world, students can play around with molecular reactions and conduct experiments, which would be dangerous in a real laboratory,” says Assistant Professor Antti Karttunen. In addition to technology procurements, the creation of a virtual course calls for user interface expertise and for teaching content to be packaged in a way that fits the virtual world. The method is especially suited to subjects, such as chemistry, in which three dimensionality and interaction play a large role. Virtual reality is one example of a new learning method. What other techniques are in use at Aalto University?
Blended learning
Blended learning combines digital methods with face-to-face learning, and one of the aims here is to create learning experiences also outside the classroom. This way, students can familiarise themselves with the topic whenever and wherever before meeting in the classroom. Courses can utilise various online learning methods, such as video, games or podcasts. “A clear benefit of blended learning is that the time shared in the classroom is interactive and meaningful. Instead of a one-way lecture, the teacher and stu28 / AALTO UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE 24
The means of gaming can be used to construct a learning experience that is meaningful to students. Interactive exercise assignments can be gamified with the aid of scoring, tasks or hints. Such games utilise elements familiar to most gamers who have experience of PC, console and mobile gaming. “Almost everyone likes to play games. And when they do play, they can forget that they are also learning,” says University Lecturer Maurice Forget.
Video production
Online education often utilises video clips. Video lectures are entirely different from classroom lecturing and traditional lectures should not be directly transferred to video form. A video production project has three stages: planning/preproduction, shooting and postproduction. It is important to understand what’s going on in each stage and keep in mind dents together create knowledge and that much of the work is done outside the understanding. Students also access studio. In addition to carefully planning course material off campus, prior to the content of the clip, attention must be meeting. This makes the university paid to performance skills, visualisation present in the students’ everyday lives,” and the quality of both video and audio. says Visiting Assistant Professor Miikka “The posture of the speaker, eye conJ. Lehtonen, who has utilised blended tact, good voice control and storytelling learning methods in the International skills are important also when deliverDesign Business Management ing a lecture. These need to be adjusted programme. to better suit being in front of the camera, however,” says Tomi Kauppinen, who is in charge of the Aalto Online Learning project.