From our Learning Lab: Impact of 5G on the Future of Learning and Collaboration - A Good Disruption
Many industries are on the cusp of a technical revolution. In the education sector, 5G environments have the potential to take learning and collaboration to a virtual next level. The high-capacity 5G mobile network can achieve upload and download speeds up to 100 times faster, in addition to being able to reduce latency by 10 to 50 times compared to current 4G. This opens the door to a whole new dimension of collaboration and interactivity.
The COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown over the past year and up to now have given a new dimension and relevance to our mission: as learners can no longer meet in classrooms, talk to their teacher in person, participate in workshops or visit various locations, we quickly grasped the importance of maintaining human and cultural connections during our project.
In partnership with OVA, a leader in the fields of spatial computing, virtual, augmented and mixed reality, LCILX participated in the ENCQOR's 5G project to test the potential and explore what virtual collaborative spaces could look like in an educational context. ENCQOR ((Evolution of Networked Services through a Corridor in Quebec and Ontario for Research and Innovation) is establishing the first Canadian pre-commercial corridor of 5G digital infrastructure, that is, the next generation of digital communications and the key to unlocking the incredible potential of smart cities, smart power grids, e-Health, e-Education, connected and autonomous vehicles, on-demand entertainment and media and the Internet of Things (IoT), among others. The tests were conducted using the campus and students of LaSalle College (a member of the LCI Education network) to replicate the classroom of tomorrow.
Our research included:
- Creating the virtual classroom of the future based on an immersive and collaborative platform (VXP)
- Testing access to the virtual classroom in 5G with the campus and students of LaSalle College in order to replicate the classroom of tomorrow.
- To break the barriers of the physical classroom in order to reach all students who would otherwise not have access to this quality education.
So we asked ourselves the question: what will the future of learning look like?
When COVID-19 forced all students to turn solely to online courses, they lost the ability to benefit from the immediate guidance and support normally provided by their professors and peers.
This was the starting point for the development of an online collaborative experience platform accessible remotely via the 5G network - our VXP. To make this happen, we used StellarX, a virtual reality content creation tool designed by OVA.
This platform serves as a framework in the form of a web page that serves as an access point for students to learn about the virtual reality activity, to download the necessary software, to participate in virtual audio meetings with their professor and classmates, as well as to access guides and resources regarding installation and configuration as well as any other relevant educational material.
The goal in creating this central hub was to minimize the constraints of a multimodal activity that requires the linking of different technologies.
In order to determine the parameters of the ideal infrastructure, the solution was tested in four environments with different connection schemes:
Result, challenges and recommendations:
The 5G Technopedagogy
Teachers and students loved the experience on the platform and provided us with great feedback on how we can improve the experience in the next phases. The learning experiences and techno-pedagogical activities conducted and tested during the project were well received and fit perfectly into the 5G learning experience. These included:
- Virtual Reality activities: An immersive VR activity built in StellarX, accessible from a headset or desktop/laptop computer.
- High-quality video vignettes (regular or 360°): A high-quality 2D video or panoramic video that allows students to preview the VR experience, or as a complement to the VR experience.
- Interactive activities (regular or 360-degree), such as manipulating 3D models and environments and accessed via a VR headset, desktop, laptop or phone.
- The use of visual and auditory elements to add to the ambiance and create an additional level of immersion in the virtual reality environment
- Collaborative activities, requiring students to work together to solve the problems presented
- Video or audio conferencing: virtual meetings that allow students to communicate with each other and with their teacher, which can run in parallel with VR activities.
- E-learning micro-modules: accessible e-learning modules that can be used as instructional support materials, either directly related to the course content, or as a reminder of the virtual classroom experience. They can be built with any HTML5 compatible authoring tool (e.g., Articulate RISE).
In addition, student feedback has shown us that there are barriers to participating in activities that require wearing a VR headset. Thus, we would like to target a virtual classroom experience that is accessible from any device, whether it is a VR headset, laptop, or cell phone.
The Connection Method (bandwidth and latency)
We observed that 5G is not yet optimized which caused some issues regarding the deployment of high-quality content.
According to our tests, the best performance for accessing the virtual classroom and techno-pedagogical activities on the 5G network is achieved when the user uses an Ethernet cable connected to the Inseego17 device. However, this connection method requires a fixed installation for the user.
For a more spontaneous and mobile connection method, the results obtained with the cell phone and a USB tethering connection are satisfactory. There is a huge difference in the available bandwidth. As for latency, the results obtained are very satisfactory. Both options offer a good virtual classroom experience. We conclude that the Inseego/Ethernet cable method offers the best performance.
The Quality of Virtual Activities
Virtual classrooms must provide a solid educational experience of value. This means ensuring that the virtual classroom meets the technological comfort level of learners, provides an intuitive and quality user experience, engages learners, and contributes to knowledge retention.
First, the gamification21 and interactivity of pedagogical activities promote knowledge and learning retention, particularly by making training more fun and less dry through the use of game mechanisms (challenges, reward system, collaboration with peers, etc.). As proof, in the feedback survey submitted to students following our tests, many said that they had retained the essence of the material and content presented to them. In a pedagogical setting, this is the main objective: to ensure that the material is well assimilated and retained by the learner. Numerous studies have shown that gamification significantly increases the retention of knowledge by learners.
Technological fluency has a negative impact on student learning and experience. When choosing the type of activity for a multimodal techno-pedagogical path, this ease of use should not be underestimated. In the case of a training solution integrating a virtual reality component, training to cushion this impact should be developed.
Many of the problems identified by users are related to the change in environment required to access the VR activity. The software required to participate in VR is physically installed on the users' desktops and requires manual launch. To take advantage of the 5G network and its full potential, the web must be used as the backdrop for launching any techno-pedagogical experience that will be offered to the user.
Once the issue of technological fluency has been overcome, we believe that VR as a pedagogical medium will have a positive impact on content retention and learner engagement levels.
The Virtual Classroom of the Future - Next Steps
So what does the future hold for the virtual classroom of the future using an immersive and collaborative platform (ellicom/LCILX VXP) in combination with a virtual reality environment (OVA StellarX)?
Training Accessible Anywhere from Any Device
The past year has highlighted an immediate need for online courses that can be accessed anywhere, whether on campus or at home. As part of our project, we have been working to bring together students from the Montreal campus of the LCI Education network virtually. In the near future, we plan to bring together global students from around the world.
A Repository of Educational Content
Our goal is to develop a single repository for educational material, capable of handling document uploads and downloads, document collaboration, as well as streaming of high quality video and complex virtual reality activities.
A Double Advantage: Synchronous and Asynchronous Learning
When it comes to bringing students together locally and globally, the different schedules and time zones of learners must be taken into account. That's why we hope to develop virtual classroom experiences, exercises, and activities that students can participate in not only live, but also on their own time, either in collaboration with their classmates or on their own.
Self-guided Learning
As we try to extend the virtual classroom experience and make it remotely accessible, it is imperative that we empower learners in the use and navigation of the classroom. This involves the development of guides and materials that will allow students to become familiar with the virtual classroom experience on their own.
At the end of this first phase of research and development, we can say that the virtual classroom of the future and learning in 5G not only fills a gap in an environment that does not allow us to move as easily as before, but also has the potential to break down barriers and open the door to immersive infrastructures and global collaboration scenarios.
For more information, please contact us at LCILX@lcieducation.com.