The team behind the Knowledge Building Design Studio Programme partnered with NIE Library to pioneer an immersive virtual reality (VR) experience to showcase NIE’s sustainability efforts.
The aim of the Knowledge Building Design Studio Programme was to foster student-driven solutions to address real-world sustainability issues through collective knowledge building. It brought about a new way of engaging student participants from various schools. Using an authentic problem-solving learning environment, students are given the opportunity to explore issues related to sustainability and innovate solutions.
A central highlight of the October 2023 iteration of the programme was an eco-trail campus tour of NIE, which allowed students to experience firsthand the institution’s sustainability features. By leveraging technology, the team worked to give the students a better experience, as well as to overcome barriers such as difficulty of access to some parts of campus. The Knowledge Building (KB) team collaborated with NIE librarians to integrate knowledge building into a VR platform by using thinking prompts and scaffolds to create a journey of knowledge discovery and inquiry.
This VR platform not only brought to life NIE’s efforts, but also offers students the chance to discover real-world knowledge on sustainability initiatives and heighten their curiosity about these efforts. Combining 360-degree videos and an interactive aerial view of the campus, the experience enables participants to explore sustainability features in an engaging way.
This immersive VR experience was also presented at Kids’ Conference Asia in July 2024. The event, which was hosted in NIE, was graced by Ms. Beatrice Chong, Deputy Director-General of Education. The conference attracted 180 participants including primary and secondary school students, along with teachers and international researchers.
Beyond the interactive element, this VR platform represents a promising educational tool that offers a dynamic way to appreciate the green initiatives on campus which may have been otherwise overlooked by visitors, students, and staff.
As NIE continues to push the boundaries of sustainable development with the different installations that had enabled the campus to achieve the Green Mark Platinum award in 2012, 2017, and 2022, this collaboration with the Library serves as the first step to bring attention to these efforts. The continual collaboration between the KB team and the NIE Library team seeks to sustain this immersive learning experience for the different visitors to NIE.
A sneak peek into the interactive VR experience
Primary school participants of the Kids' Conference Asia (July 2024) trying out VR headsets
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