Understanding Immersivity and the Link to Learning
One of the primary features of the full-dome is that of immersion; the extent to which
the display environment provides sensory stimulation to a comparable degree to that of the real world. This is achieved through a display which completely fills the viewer’s visual field. Immersion is a term commonly associated with ‘virtual reality’ systems, such as Head Mounted Display systems and Cave Automatic Virtual Environments. The advantage of the full-dome over these mediums is that it accommodates large groups of viewers in a single presentation, and as such is well suited for use in education and research.The initial task in the research conducted by the Experiential Learning CETL in collaboration with the University of Plymouth’s School of Psychology was to clarify current understandings of the nature of immersivity, presence and flow, and their effects on participants, drawing on the evidence of different disciplines. The second task, and the major outcome of the research, was the delivery of a methodology to test the effect of immersivity on learners, this methodology forming the starting point for a separate and detailed programme of research into the effect of immersivity on specific learning outcomes.
The research carried out with the IVT focuses on the way in which the immersive display affects users’ representation of space, by examining spatial learning using an environment presented in the theatre in comparison to non-immersive mediums. In addition to measures of spatial learning, we obtained measures of spatial ability from participants. This helped in understanding whether visual immersion assists in forming mental representations of three-dimensional space, and how the use of immersive technology relates to individual differences between users. Research has also been performed to examine the way in which the full-dome environment affects emotional states and social processes. The aim of these projects was to provide a basis to further examine the role of the full-dome as a tool for education and research.