Virtual travel

Virtual travel: Developing Empathy together with students from the region

Summary of the proposed project

We wish to propose developing a platform for regional interaction through a virtual world designed to represent each of the countries in the region taking part and be a space for students to learn about and from one another.

Student teams from each region will be responsible for providing the information which will include geographical, cultural (literature, music, art, festivals) architecture, ethics, history and success stories as well as challenges and dilemmas facing the country/region. We plan to build activities and escape rooms where the participants (multicultural teams) need to learn about the region and carry out various assignments, simulations etc to be able to leave the region based on the knowledge supplied by the students. The virtual world will be open to all students from the regional countries participating in the project.

Many times we stereotype people from other countries and any knowledge learnt often centers around festivals, fashion, food, famous people and flags (Bunnel, 2019). However in order to understand another culture you need a far deeper understanding. You need to visit the country and talk to people of all ages, see their successes as well as their challenges in a variety of fields. Today with advanced technology this can be done through virtual worlds.

Virtual worlds come under the area of virtual reality. They are 3 dimensional worlds where the participant as an avatar feels they are part of the world. The participants can interact via voice and text as well as being able to add specific gestures. These worlds allow for immersive and experiential learning when the learner feels they are in another place or situation. The ways Virtual Worlds (VW) have been used in education can be divided into four main categories, gaming, building, socializing and collaboration (Hoter & Yazbak 2018). These worlds can be used as a meeting place between people from different groups and cultures where the participants appear as avatars (animated characters representing the person). We are proposing a mixture of the games, social and collaborative worlds.

Research has shown that empathy can be developed through virtual worlds, and when the avatar becomes a person with disabilities or of a different race and color, the player feels that they become this person and their empathy towards their character does not rest in the virtual world but is also moved to the real world (Hoter & Nagar, 2022, Hoter et al 2024).

Through using gamification participants are encouraged to learn more and complete tasks.The advantages to using a virtual world for collaboration between students in the region are many.

Firstly it is meeting place for the students in real time in a neutral equal environment

The students feel as if they are really meeting the other students, they speak together and carry out joint assignments

Any inhibitions about speaking in another language are reduced because the student is only seen through their avatar.

The students can experience being in another country as well as learning from someone from that country

The proposed project and timetable

Participating countries with their classes

Each participant has a class of students. About 300 participants.

Place

The activities will take place in a virtual online and stored in a neutral country to allow access by all.

Expected results

An increased understanding about the culture of the other among students

Increase in technological skills

Opportunities for discussion between students increase regional understanding

Cooperation and collaboration between faculty at the various institutions of higher education

Continuing collaboration and work in the virtual world after the assigned end of the project

Contribution of the project to the region

A virtual world available for all students to use which teaches about the countries in the region

A place for students to meet and talk on an equal level in a neutral exciting environment

Growth in understanding of people from different cultures

Understand regional similarities through gamification

References

Bunnell, T. (2019). Developing and institutionalising the ‘Internationally-minded School’: The role of the ‘Numerous Fs’. Journal of Research in International Education, 18(2), 186-198.‏

Hoter, E, Abu Ahmad, M.Y, (2018), Designing Pedagogy for Virtual Worlds in Multicultural Environments. In E. Kapros & M. Koutsombogera, Designing for the User Experience in Learning Systems, pp.65-80, Springer 2018.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-94794-5_4

Hoter, E., & Nagar, I. (2022). The effects of a wheelchair simulation in a virtual world. Virtual Reality, 1-13.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10055-022-00625-7

Hoter, E.; Yazbak, M.; Azulay, H. (2024). Enhancing Language Learning and Intergroup Empathy through Multi-User Interactions and Simulations in a Virtual World. Virtual Worlds 2024, 3, 333-353.