Personal Blogs

Poster: https://www.dropbox.com/s/8dtiuk675m91dwb/EF_R3329930_TMA%2002_poster_1080p.mp4?dl=0

Conference Website: http://www.open.ac.uk/blogs/OU-H818/

VR App: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.zephyrlearning.uk.OUVR2

Presentation Slides & Notes: https://www.dropbox.com/s/oq2oijqjvfan9oz/ef_H818conf_prese07022021_final2.pdf?dl=0

Abstract

There is wide acknowledgement that human environmental impact is having a devastating effect on many areas of the globe.  The increased forest fires in Australia and the USA and the impact of plastic pollution on sea life are just two of many examples. The outcome is that our behaviour is damaging the very life support system on which we depend. Additionally, much of the environmental damage has historically come from the Global North.  It is suggested that these more affluent populations and their global corporations must shoulder a large part of the responsibility to affect substantial change and demonstrate leadership.  Change that could start to reverse the human induced environmental damage.

Part of the solution is likely to be changing environmentally damaging behaviour through environmental education delivered via a range of organisations including Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs). However, the predicament that we are in suggests that the impact of this education is yet to be felt at a global scale, at a pace that is required (BBC, 2019).  Perhaps the reason for this is that current environmental education has not connected viscerally with individuals in sufficient numbers to stimulate change?

Research by the Virtual Human Interaction Lab at Stanford University suggests that the Virtual Reality (VR) immersive environment and in particular its effect of presence can sustainably change human behaviour (Markowitz et al., 2018).  Potentially complementing this as an educational medium is the phenomena of Dystopian Dark Tourism.  This is where people visit historic sites of death and disaster, for a range of reasons.  VR offers the potential to expose individuals to a future dystopian dark world, that may come to pass if action is not taken.

It is proposed that delivering immersive VR environmental education, using Dystopian Dark themes may have a more significant impact than traditional environmental educational methodologies.  For humans to truly change behaviour there often needs to be a clear reason that connects directly with individuals’ personal sense of safety, in essence fight or flight.  In combining these three areas, environmental education, VR and Dark Dystopian themes it is suggested that the learning may create a sense of impending threat sufficient to trigger a sustained change in environmental behaviour.

This presentation will consider the development of VR Environmental Education using Dystopian Dark tourism themes.  The initial VR output will be a rudimentary proof-of concept app designed for Android mobile devices.  Ultimately the target group would be senior decision makers in environmental NGOs, with the aim of stimulating investment for full production.  It is envisaged that the fully developed app would also be developed for iOS and both versions would be available as an Open Education Resource.

POST CONFERENCE Q&A RESPONSES ARE IN THE COMMENTS TO THIS POST

References:

BBC (2019) ‘Climate change: ‘Clear and unequivocal’ emergency, say scientists’ [Online] Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-50302392 (Accessed 24 January 2021).

Markowitz, D. M. et al. (2018) ‘Immersive Virtual Reality field trips facilitate learning about climate change’, Frontiers in Psychology. Frontiers Media S.A., 9(NOV). doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02364.