Participate and share: Poster 
Virtual Reality (VR) is a computer generated three-dimensional image or environment that allows a person to fully immerse in a wholly artificial world by using digital technologies to provide sensory information via head-mounted goggles (Neumann et al, 2022). The current technological advanced era provides greater accessibility to VR digital devices. It is anticipated that there will be a 78.3% increase in the use of AR/VR in education within the next five years (Nagel, 2018). Although COVID-19 has impacted students attending a physical building, interest in VR has grown as homebound people look for ways to entertain themselves, connect with others, and educate their children (Retail Technology Review, 2020; Signiant, 2020). In the education setting, VR offers opportunities for students to collaborate with teachers and peers, engage in immersive activities, and gain a variety of experiences. These rich experiences can foster collaborative and creative learning. Students engage more in the learning process and become confident about completing the activities. More than that, VR can enhance positive outcomes for students' understanding of the content since students show more motivation to engage with the VR materials. Furthermore, VR can be used to visit places that are not possible to visit in the real world, such as distant planets or inside a honey bee hive.
This project focused on fostering engagement in STEM and interest in STEM careers by using honey bees and innovative technology as a tool. It is part of a collaboration between two funded projects by the National Science Foundation and Sweet Virginia Foundation designed to: (a) increase awareness and interest of STEM and CS occupations tied to the cultivation of bees; (b) use the biology and behavior of bees to motivate students to explore education pathways to STEM careers; and (c) develop STEM-specific disciplinary content knowledge and practices that support the STEM thinking, reasoning, and communication skills needed for these careers.
Audiences will 1) experience the VR video that was designed to enhance existing pollinator curricula taught in fourth-grade classrooms, 2) explore how a VR learning experience compares to traditional learning experiences, and 3) learn strategies to enhance student interest in STEM-related careers by infusing technology into a traditional classroom.
This mixed-method study has strong replicability. In the quantitative research section, researchers used three standardized assessments to examine student learning outcomes (S-STEM Survey, content area measure) and their VR experience (VR Sickness Questionnaire). In the qualitative section, researchers used video-audio coding to identify students' spontaneous learning outcomes. The semi-structured interview protocol consisted of standardized questions with elaboration on specific ideas with spontaneous follow-up questions to gain more clarity of responses. Obtaining similar results in the quantitative section is straightforward because our data are in numerical form. Although the replication of a qualitative study is not prevalent in the field, replication of qualitative research can promote the importance of contextual exploration and provide opportunities for triangulation by researchers with different positionalities. In this case, other researchers who are interested can replicate this research. It would be interesting to compare data collection processes and findings for consistency and dependability.
Presenters will bring VR devices and a 9-minute VR video for audiences to experience the world of honey bees. The experience is designed to enhance existing pollinator curricula taught in fourth-grade classrooms. Participants will be exposed to extensive hands-on VR experiences and learn how to use technology-based tools to teach science outside of the classroom without leaving the school building. The video takes participants on a 360 virtual field trip to a farm and the George Mason University apiary. They will follow the guidance of an expert beekeeper, take a deep dive into a hive, and even get to fly like foraging honeybees. Multiple audiences will have a chance to experience the VR video. Presenters will take up to 30 minutes to have audiences experience the VR video. After watching the video, presenters will use the remaining 30 minutes to discuss the VR experience, answer questions, and explore suggestions from audience members..
Neumann, M. K., Patterson, D., & Neumann, D. L. (2022). Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed Reality: Benefits and Barriers for Early Childhood Education. Childhood Education, 98(4), 68–79. https://doi.org/10.1080/00094056.2022.2108298
Elmqaddem, N. (2019). Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality in education. Myth or reality? International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v14i03.9289
Patterson, & Han, I. (2019). Learning to Teach with Virtual Reality: Lessons from One Elementary Teacher. TechTrends, 63(4), 463–469. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-019-00401-6
Kiryakova, G., Angelova, N., & Yordanova, L. (2018). The potential of augmented reality to transform education into Smart education. TEM Journal. https://doi.org/10.18421/TEM73-11
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