Study Ville

Abstract

Enhancing student learning experience is an ongoing process to improve the quality of education and student satisfaction. New ways of teaching are constantly being introduced. Secondary-level education is an important milestone in any student’s life as it is the deciding moment when students choose their future subjects. Students’ aptitude depends on their natural inclination towards a subject besides the interest that is created by the concerned teachers. In the recent past, STEM education has once again become the mainstream focus at secondary and higher secondary levels of education due to the rapid advancements in the areas of computing & engineering and the shortage of skilled and motivated people to join the relevant fields. However, widespread student engagement in the core subjects of STEM especially Physics and Mathematics has its challenges due to the inherent difficulty level of the subjects. Hence, novel ways of pedagogies are required to augment conventional classroom learning to enhance the student’s interest in the core areas of STEM. The current project StudyVille is such an effort to enhance the learning experience of the students by using the Metaverse, Virtual Reality (VR), smartphone applications and AI to create an innovative learning environment that works with students to make them feel like they are in the center of the action. A metaverse exhibiting various physical phenomena, Video lectures, in-lecture quizzes and integrated ChatGPT are the core features of our project. The 3D Unreal and Blender environments provide a highly interactive experience. Students can walk through the captured environments using either a mobile phone or VR (Virtual Reality) goggles. An AI-powered customization engine adapts to the taste of each student and connects him/her with the path that perfectly fits their skills, talent and interests hence increasing student engagement. As the cost of smartphones & VR devices(goggles) is decreasing, more engaging and interactive VR-enabled learning environments can be created to explain and teach the difficult and challenging topics in STEM in a cost-effective manner.