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

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Department of Computer Science and Engineering


PhD Thesis 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, we aim to 
address these three research problems in VR Labs using a design thinking 
approach and user studies.


Date:                   Tuesday, 23 July 2024

Time:                   4:00pm - 6:00pm

Venue:                  Room 5506
                        Lifts 25/26

Chairman:               Prof. Shengqing WU (HUMA)

Committee Members:      Prof. Huamin QU (Supervisor)
                        Prof. Ting-Chuen PONG (Supervisor)
                        Prof. Andrew HORNER
                        Prof. Pedro SANDER
                        Dr. Yi CAI (EMIA)
                        Prof. Chong Wah NGO (SMU)