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The ASCILITE 2022 Conference was ASCILITE‘s 39th International Conference on Innovation, Practice and Research in the use of Educational Technologies in Tertiary Education. The conference was hosted by the University of Sydney from 4-7 December, in-person and online.

The focus of ASCILITE 2022 was on the ‘value and importance of connecting, of strong relationships, empowered by educational technologies’. As you browse the program sessions and full papers, hear from some UTS LX.lab attendees on the sessions that stood out to them, and some reflections on what they heard.

Introducing innovative technology-enhanced learning: pain-points and how to overcome them

One of the biggest challenges with technology-reliant learning and teaching is redundancy. Technology moves on, things stop working or are no longer supported, and you end up with a ‘graveyard’ of expensive equipment. Dr Christian Moro (Bond University) explored common pain-points experienced by educators when using the latest interactive AR and VR technologies in teaching. 

As part of his session, Dr Moro shared a number of tips on how to effectively use technology in teaching, which I have re-interpreted in a few key points below:

  • Use technology only where necessary, not for novelty. Focus on the student experience and where the technology actually enhances the learning process.
  • “The tech on its own doesn’t teach!” Teaching with technology needs to be done with direct instruction by teachers with technical know-how.
  • Investment in the latest technology cannot be correlated with successful student outcomes. Buy fewer devices, but use them wisely.

Related to his investigations into VR and AR specifically:

  • Think about alternative and creative ways of assessment to accompany the novel ways of learning afforded by VR/AR and similar technologies.
  • Technology enhanced learning provides an opportunity to get away from the primacy of text and static imagery. It widens the lens on communication modes to include spatial, audio-visual and interactive approaches.
  • AR and VR keeps students’ bodies moving by its very nature, which helps maintain an active brain and heightened level of engagement.
  • Lean toward facilitating students as producers, not just consumers of information in tech-mediated environments.

VR technology for music performance training under pressure

Virtual Reality (VR) technology has made tremendous advancements from its early days and was a hot topic at ASCILITE 2022. Researchers from the University of Melbourne (Margaret Osborne, Solange Glasser and Ben Loveridge) are exploring the use of VR to provide musicians safe, realistic performance environments and techniques to overcome performance anxiety. The study induced situational stress to a musician through the use of Ritchie’s Plank Experience, a VR experience that transports the subject into a ‘walking the plank’ simulation outside a virtual skyscraper, used as a proxy for a high stress scenario.

The idea was to evoke acute physiological distress and the activation of the parasympathetic nervous system while the musician performs a violin piece. Throughout the study, the subjects’ heart rate, self-reported anxiety levels, and confidence were continuously monitored and recorded. Early results from the study indicate that the musician is receptive to centering techniques to regulate their stress response, which decreased anxiety, increased confidence and increased performance focus.

I personally think that the acclimatisation hypothesis described in the study could enhance the effect of training and performance in the future. I can imagine the possibilities in practising a presentation or keynote speech in front of a large virtual audience prior to the actual event – the cure for my stage fright may very well be close at hand!

Language learning and virtual reality

One of the sessions I attended was about language learning and the use of VR to aid in vocabulary acquisition, where researchers Mehrasa Alizadeh (International Professional University of Technology) and Neil Cowie (Okayama University) used a scoping review to determine which direction their current VR project should take. They found overwhelming positive evidence for using VR in language learning, noting that the immersion into language culture and environment helped the students to maintain their motivation for learning the particular language. One example of the VR platforms they explored was ImmerseMe.

The researchers discussed two research questions: the psychological and emotional states of students and their language learning outcomes. A consistent result amongst a majority of the papers described the students’ emotional state as fun and motivated, however some studies mentioned that it may have been due to the novelty of a new toy and that some students were more engaged with the device rather than the actual language learning objective. 

My personal insight after listening to this presentation is that language learning can endorse a positive experience for the learner – with a cautionary note that some participants can experience motion sickness or disorientation when using VR.

VR-generated feedback for improving online presentation

One of my favourite presentations was from the National Institute of Education (NIE), at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Presenter Choon Lang Gwendoline Quek discussed an interesting study where VR-augmented headsets were used to give feedback on presentation skills. Using a VR Oculus headset and VirtualSpeech, participants were measured on speaking pace and listenability and would use that feedback to improve their presentation skills.

Whilst the study results showed no significant improvement, I do think there is merit to this study, as it could lay the groundwork for more improvement if conducted over a longer period of time. I found it interesting that VirtualSpeech could also collect data for eye contact, the use of filler words, loudness/delivery and keywords, in addition to speaking pace and listenability. Perhaps with regular use, this type of feedback could lead to improvement in presentation skills.

Changing teaching and learning practice through design

Julie Luu initiated her presentation by discussing the research group formed by the Educational Designers (EDs) Community of Practice at Monash University. Highlighting the diversity of the community, Julie noted that they wanted to share their story, experience, and research directly relevant to their work with the broader design community.

We wanted to be heard in our own voice, share our experience with the wider design community, and conduct research that directly impacts our work. And that’s how we started.

Julie Luu, Monash University

With her research team Ingrid D’Souza and Tristan Cui, Julie explored the influence of learning designers on affecting a change in teaching practice, using the ‘social influence’ lens to understand the practices of educational designers. According to Pratkanis (2007) social influence is described as the impact that people have on the beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors of others through social influence processes such as persuasion, conformity, and obedience. These processes can occur through direct communication or through indirect means such as observation or imitation.

The results revealed a clear requirement for collaboration with academics to effectively implement desired changes. Building strong professional relationships, fostering effective communication, and establishing a supportive environment were crucial factors in enhancing the influence attempts of the EDs. An intriguing insight that emerged was the impact of cultural challenges within the university on the capability to exert influence. 

I was left with two key insights: firstly, I suggest that the learning design community at UTS consider engaging in research through our established Learning Design Meetup community of practice. This approach can help members to leverage the collective knowledge and expertise of their peers, enhance their professional development, and advance the field of educational design. Secondly, I pose two questions to my fellow learning designers at UTS: How much do we reflect on our daily practices in our profession, and how do we think about our capacity to influence academics’ teaching practices and, in turn, students’ learning experiences?

Engaging with ASCILITE

UTS has a three-year institutional membership with ASCILITE, and will cover membership fees for any UTS staff who wish to join. Read more about the benefits of ASCILITE and how you can join!

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