Development of Laboratories for Immersive Virtual Environments Using a Design Thinking Approach

PhD Thesis Proposal Defence


Title: "Development of Laboratories for Immersive Virtual Environments Using a 
Design Thinking Approach"

by

Mr. Pak Ming FAN


Abstract:

Immersive Virtual Environments are emerging as a transformative trend in the 
field of education, offering a new dimension to learning experiences. Among 
these immersive virtual environments, laboratory environments that are accessed 
through VR headsets stand out as a significant innovation. Such Virtual Reality 
Laboratories (VR Lab) may be referred to as Laboratories in Immersive Virtual 
Environments (LIVE). LIVEs offer numerous benefits, including enhanced 
engagement through immersive and interactive experiences, improved information 
retention, and the ability to simulate complex and hazardous experiments in a 
safe and controlled environment. Despite the numerous benefits, the 
incorporation of VR Labs into educational institutions is still in its early 
stages. One of the major reasons is that there are different pedagogical 
considerations but there is a lack of standards that professionals can follow 
to develop VR Labs that can fit into the curriculum. Currently, strategies to 
overcome these challenges and effectively utilize VR Labs in an educational 
context are being actively researched. Three major research problems in 
educational VR Labs include 1) Monitoring and assessment capabilities, which 
allow the instructor to provide timely guidance and feedback to enhance the 
learning process, 2) Optimization of VR Lab designs, which provide methods for 
optimizing learning in VR Labs under different scenarios, and 3) Improving 
self-learning in VR Labs using generative AI technologies. Meanwhile, design 
thinking is a widely recognized approach to problem-solving that fosters the 
creation of innovative solutions for complex issues. This methodology commences 
with the step of empathizing with users to define the user's needs. These 
defined needs then facilitate the ideation, prototyping, and testing stages, 
where solutions are formulated, developed and tested for deriving 
human-centered solutions. In this thesis proposal, we aim to address these 
three research problems in VR Labs using a design thinking approach and user 
studies.


Date:                   Wednesday, 29 May 2024

Time:                   2:00pm - 4:00pm

Venue:                  Room 4472
                        Lifts 25/26

Committee Members:      Prof. Ting-Chuen Pong (Supervisor)
                        Prof. Huamin Qu (Chairperson)
                        Dr. Xiaojuan Ma
                        Dr. Sai-Kit Yeung