Jenn Nester–Lehigh River iVR experience
- Top questions to answer
- How can we impact the local community?
- What is the problem with the social justice system in the US?
- How can higher education impact low income communities?
- Have you ever used/experienced immersive Virtual Reality (iVR) before?
- How can iVR impact learning in the Lehigh Valley?
- How can iVR affect learning for disengaged students?
- What causes mass incarceration in the US?
- How do you maximize the reach of local projects?
- How does social media/other online sub-cultures affect a student’s point of view about higher education?
- Do you have a social media account?
- In what other ways can iVR be used to change methods of education?
- How does cultural diversity affect our community?
- How difficult might it be to implement iVR in a public school?
- How can university students make a difference in the local community?
- To what extent can video gaming practices help/hinder the Lehigh River iVR project development?
- What specific social values/customs might prevent a low-income student from pursuing a higher education?
- What is the relationship between the living conditions and the rate of incarceration?
- Do you have any people around you who are/were in prison?
- Develop and Visualize the Theory of Change (Logic Model) for your venture.
- Stakeholders include:
- Researchers
- Lehigh Gap nature center
- Nature/Nurture center in Easton
- Jacobsburg Nature center
- D&L historical museum
- 5 public libraries
- Inputs
- Personal funding/grant money
- Time
- Expertise (iVR development)
- Project management
- Outputs
- Social outreach
- Democratization of technology/integrated curricula (science, social studies, environmental science)
- Software development
- Educational technology continuing education
- Outcomes
- Change in formal educational curriculum development and delivery systems.
- Raise awareness about Lehigh River watershed
- Impacts
- Better local water conservation
- Decrease in levels of pollution
- More local involvement
- Develop a M&E plan for your venture. – Clearly list all assumptions. – Identify short-term and long-term success metrics.
- The initial launch of this iVR program focused on at-risk, alternative high school juniors and focus groups indicated increased engagement and flow with the immersive virtual reality. The age groups targeted with this launch will be more diverse so it will be important to assess engagement and understand often.
- While there are assessments embedded in our iVR game, interviews and focus groups to discuss individual experiences will be helpful in understanding user point of view.
- Multi-interviewer focus groups should help to ensure accountability and data validity.
