The Influence of Immersive and Collaborative Virtual Environments in Improving Spatial Skills

Abstract

The use of Virtual Reality (VR) is growing in popularity in educational contexts. In this work, we present a novel software application based on immersive VR in which users can interact simultaneously with a model in a shared virtual scene and maintain audiovisual communication. The 3D model-building activity within the application was designed to improve spatial skills. Twenty-nine industrial engineering students completed the modeling activity in groups of two or three. Post-test scores showed significant improvement over pre-test scores for both spatial tests used to measure the effectiveness of the instrument in improving spatial skills. Participants rated the application favorably in terms of usability and functionality. Results suggest that spatial training in a collaborative immersive virtual environment has the potential to be an effective approach to improving spatial skills.

Keywords

• collaborative systems
• virtual reality
• spatial skills
• STEM education