In this discussion, we explore how immersive experiences can be used to achieve pedagogical goals in the field or in the classroom. We will demo mobile apps created by our team at Southern Illinois University Carbondale to show how these new tools can be used to facilitate learning.
How might we create engaging environments that better educate and broaden the resources available in the classroom? We believe that education must focus on creating immersive experiences for the student in modern and accessible ways. This presentation discusses our digital applications made for mobile devices, along with our approach to immersive learning. Our VRchaeology project utilizes the accessibility of mobile phone applications to expose the diversity of local histories and teach archaeological principles. These applications were created with Unity and Agisoft Metashape, using Augmented Reality (AR), 3D virtual artifacts, 360° video, and Virtual Reality (VR) to teach archaeological concepts. For the past two years, our team at SIU had concentrated on developing two mobile applications. Thus far, we have developed apps focused on a pre-Columbian site in Lambayeque, Peru, the other based on a Freedman community in southern Illinois. Using these sites as the setting, we combine the accessibility of today’s mobile technologies with hands-on curriculum to create more enriching and localized experiences. By bringing these new tools into the hands of learners, we expand the repertoire of archaeological pedagogy.