Designing Immersive 360° Video for Online Instruction

Concurrent Session 10

Session Materials

Brief Abstract

An interactive demonstration of immersive 360° Video content developed for online instruction with best practices shared from a pedagogical and instructional design perspective.

Presenters

Lead Presenter: William Egan, Penn State University

As a Senior Instructional Designer with Penn State University's World Campus, Bill specializes in designing and developing effective instruction for online and blended learning environments for a variety of graduate and undergraduate disciplines. Bill has over eight years of instructional design and educational technology experience in both K-12 and higher education. Prior to joining World Campus, Bill worked as the educational technology and design specialist for a grade 6-12 cyber charter school in Pennsylvania. Bill received his bachelors degree in Marketing from the University of Pittsburgh and his M.Ed. in Business Education from Bloomsburg University.

Extended Abstract

Building upon exploratory research, Penn State World Campus has moved to designing, developing, and piloting 360° video content as an enagaging way to support instructional objectives. Penn State World Campus is implementing 360° video within online course design as a way to evaluate the instructional effectiveness of immersive content in online learning. Does virtual reality (VR) have a place in online learning? The question may still stand, but 360° video is seen as a viable stepping stone towards virtual reality.

Instructional Designers are working with several online programs such as Nursing and Special Education to develop 360° video content that supports stated learning objectives. Along the way, best practices related to conceptualizing pedagogically focused content, 360° video production and post-production, accessibility considerations, and course design implications were discovered.  

This interactive demonstration will showcase examples of 360° video content through desktops and VR headsets within an online learning context. Collected data and feedback to support initial findings will also be shared and discussed. The goal of this presentation will be to generate a conversation with attendees about the practical application of immersive content in online learning and to discuss the next steps in the journey towards virtual reality within online education.