Current and Future Research and Scholarly Activities
Working in this Global Languages and Cultures Room, it is important to recognize the interplay between technology and teaching. Simply put, my research employs a constructivist approach to investigate how new technologies can be adopted in the teaching of language and culture. In the following paragraphs, I will describe my activity so far, and conclude with a brief description of my plans for current and future research for the next few years.
Research in virtual reality within the Humanities is a relatively new field; it leans on findings in computer science, psychology, and the arts, and focuses more commonly on the user-experience and affordances made possible by innovation of the technology. In many ways, there is a relation to photography, a discipline where artists and creators have always been inspired by changes, from exposure times, film types, and the move to digital technology. We are at a point where consumer-use is increasing rapidly, where new forms of content are emerging which build from early pioneering gaming and computing. These new content creators are interested in storytelling and experience. We want to explore the feeling of being in a world that exists outside the self, a state the cyber-psychologist Giuseppe Riva calls “embodied cognition” (2007) [1]. Within these states, we might be able to create safe spaces for play, where the intersection of reality and virtual reality might allow us the opportunity to learn about people and places. In this state, we might travel to foreign places, practice language, and better understand point-of-view and personal experience.
To this end, I am currently engaged in projects exploring the use of immersive experiences and virtual reality in the teaching of language and culture. These are outlined below.
Assessment of language learning using Virtual Reality.
As an illustration of the potential for ground-breaking research in this area, I have been working with Naoko Taguchi, Professor of Japanese and Second Language Acquisition previously at CMU and now at the University of Northern Arizona. We developed a VR tool to test candidates in ESL (English as a Second Language) and support the case that increased visual stimuli and immersion would aid recall of key vocabulary and phrases in pragmatic situations.
The project looked at whether learners using a visual reference to recall phrases during an ESL assessment were able to perform at a higher rate than those without visual reference. The question was whether immersion through VR would facilitate higher-order phrasing with learners drawing on a more detailed and wider vocabulary to answer questions.
Candidates took part in an experiment to compare the use of a VR tool with a learning object built-in LiveCode, to see whether they would perform differently using the same exam questions. Would the immersion brought by VR hinder or enhance performance? Would there be any significant difference between methods and how learners react to the relative novelty of using a VR HMD?
Initial findings are exciting: we see that learners who used the VR tool demonstrated higher success in the recall of phrases and key vocabulary, but also gave answers that were longer and more complex than those learners who only used the Livecode object or paper-based method.
Developing cultural awareness in immersive spaces
Professor Sébastien Dubreil, Dr. Korryn Mozisek, and I collaborated on an immersive experience for the small projector-array, known as a Cave, where VR escapes the headset and appears on the walls of the room for learners to view and interact. Working with students from the ETC (Entertainment Technology Center), we created an experience exploring implicit bias.
In this experience, called “Kaleidoscope“, you meet someone new, a digitized face that appears on the screen, and you are invited to answer questions and make assumptions about the person. There are small clues in some of the statements each participant provides, so you drag answers from left and right using a VR controller. At the end of the series of questions, those assumptions are compared to the “truths” and the results of others who have answered before you.
It is a powerfully simple experience; the conversations that take place, either in your own mind or aloud if there is more than one in the immersive room, are illuminating and startling. You are invited to think about the assumptions you make on a daily basis: Would the world not function without these assumptions? What can we do when these assumptions are wrong?
This installation has been running through two semesters, with a steady flow of classes and visitors taking part. In some cases, we have used Kaleidoscope as a learning activity, as an object that can be unpacked through discussion. We have invited students to consider their own versions of the experience, the questions that they would ask in different contexts, for instance, considering implicit gender, racial, or education bias. Kaleidoscope has inspired research projects, exploring the opportunities to adapt and remix.
The second project which I have commissioned and overseen is “The Other Side”. Conceived as a piece that would have a greater focus on language learning, the piece is designed as a mix of digital display, interactive learning, and audience engagement.
This project was inspired by the concept of projection mapping, where digital images are designed to fit a given space so that there is a relation between the 3D surface and the projected images themselves. We developed a projection system that allowed learners to interact with the images and could be mapped to the large windows in the room. I also wanted the project to focus on the subject of language and speak to multilingual identities within the university.
We aim to run a series of workshops inviting faculty to design content for the system. We will install outcomes, which will include a mix of objects, including animation, illustration, archive footage, and photography. The system will support digital learning objects which can be recycled for use in the classroom. We will also put the system to use in the Language Learning & Technology course in the Spring, as we invite students to create learning objects and creative language and cultural exhibits to share with our visitors and online audiences.
Sharing Best Practice
In the past two years, I have shared this research with colleagues working in Language Technologies and Digital Humanities. In March 2019, I presented at NEALLT – North East Association of Language Learning Technologies Conference and in June 2019 at ILRN19 – Immersive Learning Research Network, in London, UK.
Both occasions provided opportunities to talk about establishing the Global Languages & Cultures Room and my own research and teaching activities. In both cases, I have been invited back to present specific findings of the above projects. I have enjoyed meeting new colleagues and building my network community of colleagues across the country. In many cases, we are working on similar questions, for instance, the best ways to introduce learners to virtual reality, ways to stimulate digital humanities projects that specifically explore immersive technologies, and ideas to engage students on creative projects.
I have proudly promoted the research and educational activities associated with the Global Languages & Cultures Room, hosting many reciprocal visits from colleagues locally, nationally, and internationally who are interested in creating similar spaces within their institutions.
Future conference commitments include presentations and workshops at the UK’s Playful Learning Conference where I have presented for the past five years. This has been a productive time; I am contributing a chapter to the Journal of Play in Adulthood, entitled “Playful Video” and a chapter entitled “Insider Spaces” for the CALICO Special-Edition on Maker-Culture in Language Learning. I have recently published an online presentation for EDUCAUSE in conversation with Mark Frydenberg, Senior Lecturer, Computer Information Systems at Bentley University, MA. It will be available to delegates and registered members from October 1st.
Developing new pedagogies in Virtual Reality and Immersive Technologies
To a certain extent, these research projects have been the low-hanging fruit that we knew would be ripe once the Global Languages & Cultures Room was established. These projects are collaborative projects addressing the goal of encouraging and facilitating the engagement of others, namely my colleagues in Modern Languages and wider Dietrich College with the tools, resources, and questions of the room.
Throughout the year I have published a series of newsletters, containing advice and guidance on using technology for learning and research, together with links to news and articles of interest. The Modern Languages Digital Digest aims to be accessible in tone, and what started off as an internal publication has through the Twitter communities #MFLTwitterati and #MLchat reached a readership of close to 600 subscribers.
Through the Global Languages & Cultures Room, we have also launched artists’ projects and appeals through our social media channels, notably Instagram and Twitter. These channels help to raise awareness of the room and nurture a network of contacts, potential partners, and local organizations. Our recent micro-commission project invited artists at CMU and the local community to create a piece of work in response to our themes of language and culture. We provided a series of prompts, curating work, and awarding an honorarium payment to those artists selected for the project. More work can be seen via Instagram.
My focus for the coming semester is to develop new projects and establish a line of inquiry exploring pedagogies for the teaching of virtual reality and immersive technologies. I’m interested in the skills and competencies that students gain in working on projects which involve a significant creative and media component. In particular, this is interesting to explore for students who are not used to concepts of a production process, adopting a design-thinking approach to project delivery. Could these skills be formally or informally recognized and mapped to success in the future?
The second research aim will be to further explore the relationship between maker and creative projects in language learning and cultural studies. Again the goal is not just to leverage opportunities for students, but to find frameworks for educators so that they can find innovative ways to develop their teaching. The challenge is to disrupt traditional methods of delivery, moving from instructor-led to student-made where the teaching content is still foregrounded for students, and the projects provide a way to access not only new skills but also new connections with the material.
