“Makes life easy, we can easily recall the activities in the learning objects”
“Easy to recall because of the various demonstrations unlike with the normal learning process”
Mutoko farmers…(Zimbabwe)

“It is more like the real life situation.
“It is more interesting…”
The 3D approach makes concepts easy to understand”
“VR programs should cover every sector of life”
“It is very helpful - as an Agric. Teacher I would want to continually use VR in my lessons”
Rusike farmers… (Zimbabwe)

“It has been different because a lot has been taught in just a few hours which is not the case with our normal lessons” 
Mary – Nakaseke

“VR lessons make the learning more enjoyable. It makes me have self-confidence and self-esteem.”
Ntombi, Alexandra, Jhb

The VR lesson is different in a way that it shows clearly what one is learning… With models being rotated in all the angles one would want to learn more and more.”
David Kansime - St Henry’s College, Kitovu, Uganda

“Naledi3d Factory is… more than an excellent technical partner for UNESCO. I have personally been impressed by the company’s commitment to, in the spirit of post apartheid South Africa, seek new solutions and share know-how for the public good across the continent”
Peter Schiøler, CII Advisor to UNESCO (Paris)

Where VR can be assimilated into the learning process? 

 

Potential Use

Application Area

To demonstrate concepts

  • Processes that would be difficult to carry out in the classroom
  • Abstract concepts
  • Psycho-motor sequences

To illustrate and explain concepts

  • Principles involved in dynamic changes or movement
  • Abstract principles through the use of models
  • Principles involved in two-, three- or multi-dimensional space
  • Advanced scientific or technological concepts through animation and visualisation models

To substitute for real life

  • Field or site visits that are too far, or out of reach
  • Laboratories and workshops

To reduce and synthesise knowledge / information into a coherent whole

  • Contextualising seemingly unrelated information which in printed form appears complex or remote

To analyse complex reality

  • Forms, structures and processes, particularly through combinations of animation, graphics and sound

After Bester, G. (Dept. Education, 2002). “The application of of VR in Education and Training”.
Paper presented at Naledi3d / IICBA VR in Africa Workshop. Pretoria, 2002.

Some reasons to use interactive3d and virtual reality in education  

In summary, VR:

  • Allows the user to interact with the learning material in a more natural way
  • Allows the learner to build a comprehensive and natural ‘mental model’ of the subject matter
  • Allows the user to navigate easily through the 3D information space
  • Allows the learner to explore
  • Is a powerful visualisation tool
  • Enables the learner to learn both implicitly or explicitly
  • Allows us to show an environment, object, process, etc., rather than describing it using text
  • Helps overcome literacy barriers
  • Facilitates a ‘look – see – do’ mode of learning
  • Minimises risk
  • Is a powerful motivational tool for learners
  • Can provide for cost savings, for example, in school laboratories
  • Allows for a richer and more stimulating learning experience
  • Provides a visual and spatial framework upon which more detailed learning can take place.
Evaluation of virtual reality in Africa - an educational perspective. David Lockwood
The Naledi3d Factory. Paris: UNESCO, 2004 - viii, 46 pp 30. (CI-2004/WS/1).