An innovative virtual reality educational environment for school physics education
The improvement of science and physics school education is a key priority on the agenda of EU commission. Quality and efficient school physics education is seen as a priority of strategic importance and according to EU "science teaching at primary school has a strong long-term impact" on students and "corresponds to the time of construction of intrinsic motivation, associated with long-lasting effects".
Science and physics are considered by school teachers to be a hard domain for students to study and deeply comprehend. Indeed, physics domain consists of concepts that traditional teaching methods cannot properly teach.
The main aim of the proposed project is to assist students in better studying and learning physics with the utilization of new educational technologies. Specifically, a 3D virtual reality educational environment will be developed possessing innovative educational infrastructure, and offering immersive and efficient learning opportunities, engaging students in various educational activities, learning scenarios and offering students an attractive, entertaining and efficient way to learn various topics of the challenging domain of physics. The virtual educational environment and the laboratories will be designed in a way that supports students to form appropriate mental models of involved concepts, by visualizing them and allowing interactions with the virtual phenomena and processes.