Using immersive Virtual Reality for teaching – yes please!
06 September 2024
Over 200 pupils from 11 Renfrewshire secondary schools explored exciting educational pathways and career opportunities in Scotland's Life & Chemical Sciences and Advanced Manufacturing sectors during the recent Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre (MMIC) Employability Day. Students had the chance to dive into the future of medicine manufacturing with the RESILIENCE team, where they experienced thrilling virtual reality simulations and got up close with a bioreactor.
At the start of September, Skills Development Scotland (SDS) together with Renfrewshire Local Employability Partnership (RLEP), Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre (MMIC) and the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS) organised a unique opportunity for senior secondary school students to explore the breadth of career options available locally.
The RESILIENCE Team, represented by the Centre’s group at Heriot-Watt University and FlexBio Bioprocessing scale-up facility, joined the event to engage with young people and teachers to introduce the RESILIENCE programme and our future plans. “We saw an endless stream of pupils coming to our stall as soon as they realised they could try on the VR headsets”, says Nicole Barnes, the team’s newest Digital Technology Research Fellow.
“We saw an endless stream of pupils coming to our stall as soon as they realised they could try on the VR headsets” Nicole Barnes, Digital Technology Research Fellow, Heriot-Watt University
In addition to exploring the various VR lab experiences available for training through the FourPlus software, students also had the opportunity to complete a short survey using augmented reality. “We were thrilled that the students filled out our questionnaire on the VR headsets”, said Laura Porcza, RESILIENCE’s Digital Learning Associate and Outreach Coordinator at Heriot-Watt. “It provided invaluable insight into how familiar they were with VR and what they would like to use it for. They shared which educational activities they’d be most interested in experiencing through VR, as well as the technical skills they’d like to learn and practice in a virtual lab.”
“It was a fantastic experience to represent FlexBio at the RESILIENCE stand. I had engaging discussions about the bioreactor and the training FlexBio has to offer.” Alex Baxter, FlexBio placement student
It wasn't just the students who were impressed by the RESILIENCE offerings—teachers were equally excited about the potential of using VR for teaching and training. They were particularly impressed by the high quality of the available material and the ability for students to “practice as many times as they need until they feel confident” highlighting the powerful role VR could play in enhancing learning and skill development.
If you want to be part of the journey or better still JOIN US for our official launch event in Birmingham on September 12th, and don’t forget to watch out for forthcoming opportunities and regular announcements on LinkedIn.
