Come take a virtual reality (VR) journey "down under" with Tennessee Board of Regents professors! Grounded in Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligences Theory, we used VR and AR to share historical background about Australia and equipped learners with cultural competencies that enhanced their on-ground experiences and cultural sensitivities.
Come take a virtual reality (VR) journey “down under” with Southwest Tennessee Community College! While many study abroad programs incorporate some element of technology, our Sydney, Australia program is one of the first to implement two emerging technologies: augmented and virtual reality. Attendees will learn about the “flipped classroom approach” we took which resulted in students publishing their iBook final project. We will share how we blended our disciplines--Sociology and Education--and grounded our pedagogy in Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligences Theory in using VR and the augmented. Students used VR and the augmented reality app, Aurasma, to learn about the history and cultures in Australia, leaving the U.S. equipped with cultural competencies that enhanced their on-ground experiences and cultural sensitivities. Finally, courtesy of our students’ 360 VR video footage, attendees will be virtually transported to the outback of Australia’s Blue Mountains and listen in on a lecture from an Aboriginal tour guide. We will demonstrate our use of the technologies so that attendees will have an added skill to take back with them to class or into their training programs.