Introduction

Emerging Media Lab
About EML
A collaborative space for UBC faculty, students and staff for exploration of emerging technologies and development of innovative tools and solutions. This wiki is for public-facing documentation for our projects and procedures.
Subpages
	Main EML wiki page; Public EML website; EML Resources; EML Onboarding; EML Offboarding; EML Operations; EML Projects;

Overview

In collaboration with the UBC Master of Education in Literacy Education (LITR) and Master of Educational Technology (MET) Program, the Virtual Reality (VR) Makerspace project aims to provide a collaborative, open space for creativity. It is built with inclusive practices and accessibility in mind, and will be used initially by students in the LLED 559 (Digital Media Literacies) course in the Online Master of Education in Literacy Education program, with the potential to be expanded to K-12 classrooms. The core functionality of the project is centered around a "cardboard challenge", where students are tasked to build with pieces of cardboard. This will be brought to a VR environment and students will have access to a variety of materials as well as open collaboration spaces.

"Making has traditionally not focused on inclusivity and as such our problem is to re-examine maker challenges utilizing the Liberatory Design Thinking model that helps to create culturally responsive making content. This grassroots project needed to be supported by a group that would be responsive to cutting edge solutions with an inclusivity focus." - Dr. Melanie Wong and Dr. Keri Ewart, Principal Investigators

Application

Phase 1

As part of the weekly provocations, students in the LLED 559 (Digital Media Literacies) course in the Online Master of Education in Literacy Education program will have an opportunity to virtually tour and engage in a Virtual Reality (VR) Makerspace environment. This VR makerspace will be used during asynchronous and synchronous (live zoom sessions) discussions to provoke ongoing inquiry and support course assignments. This VR Makerspace will be shared with students in the UBC Master of Educational Technology Program (MET) as well.

Cardboard Challenge

This challenge exposes makers to the idea of possibilities. Cardboard is an everyday material that is often discarded; but what about being able to re-image the use of cardboard to create arcades and other objects to solve real-world problems. This inclusive maker challenge is inspired by Caine’s Arcade (Link).

Primary Features

The key features of the VR Makerspace include:

Multiplayer ability
Object interaction
Object slicing
Open environment with inclusive design elements
Custom characters

Development Overview

The following technologies were used in the creation of the project:

Unreal Engine 5.3.1
Perforce

Design Overview

The following technologies were used in the creation of the project:

Blender 4.0
Twinmotion 2023.1.2
Revit 2023
Unreal Engine 5.3.1
Figma
Miro

Environment

VR Makerspace Environment

Rather than adhering to the traditional classroom setup of solid walls and rigid structures, we designed a fresh environment tailored to enhance students' learning and inspire creativity. The VR Makerspace consists of a central room complemented by several smaller pods serving as "breakout rooms". Users will first convene in the main space for instructions and large-group brainstorming before dispersing into the smaller pods for small-group collaboration on their assignment, such as the cardboard challenge. With semi-open facades and wood slats, we've designed the space to facilitate visual interaction, enabling individuals to observe and draw inspiration from their peers while working on their own project.

Avatar/Assets

With the intention of creating an inclusive space, we implemented an non-human avatar design in which users would be able to change certain visual features as their personal representation in the VR space.

Initial Version

Users will have the option to change the skin color of their avatar.

User Interface

TBU

User Research

TBU

First Time Setup Guide

Provide enough information for a first time user to get up and running
Known Issues affecting functionality or stability of the program

Poster

Upload a pdf link of your poster to the wiki. An editable version of the document is preferred.

Team