Forward by Dr. Gina Childers, Director, Research and Development at NC New Schools/Breakthrough Learning and Rebecca Hite, Research Assistant at the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation at North Carolina State University

Recently, two Duplin County schools in North Carolina participated in a ground-breaking research project hosted by NC New Schools/Breakthrough Learning and the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation. The investigation focused on the efficacy of a three dimensional (3-D), haptic-enabled virtual reality instructional tool (known as zSpace®) in teaching science content to high school students. With the launch of NC New Schools/Breakthrough Learning’s STEM Accelerator initiative, innovative STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education practices are critical in promoting student learning, inquiry, and collaboration in all schools. This research provides unique opportunities for students and teachers to interact with cutting-edge instructional technologies that will augment how students interact with, experiment with, and learn science. Below, Andrew, a student at one of the Duplin County school research sites, wrote about his experience using zSpace® to learn about the human heart.

My name is Andrew, and I would like to share an experience I had at school using a 3-D tool (zSpace®) which helped me learn about the heart.

First, I would like to share a little bit about me and my interests. I am a 9th grader at North Duplin Jr. – Sr. High School in North Carolina. My favorite subjects are biology and math because they are interesting, and I feel like they help me understand the world. I plan to go to college after graduation to study biology at an in-state school such as Davidson College, the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, or North Carolina State University because they are my top picks! I play competitive chess, and I also like solving puzzles like the Rubik’s Cube®.

When I first used zSpace®, I started out in a simulated room that let me practice how to use the stylus and how to move around in the 3-D environment. The surroundings within the 3D virtual world were very realistic (although I could tell it was a simulation). The way you could interact with the world makes it feel as if I was in the virtual world. When I moved my head, the virtual world would immediately respond to my actions. The 3-D eye wear added to the experience, making me feel truly involved. When I moved the stylus, zSpace® responded quickly like I was using a laser pointer.

After becoming familiar with the way zSpace® worked, I got to experience a lesson about the heart. During the lesson, I could pick up the heart, bring it closer to my face, rotate the heart so I can see all the sides, feel the heartbeat through the stylus, and dissect the heart to see how the inner parts worked together. Being able to interact with the heart while learning made it easier for me to understand compared to a traditional classroom experience or reading from a book.

I think that using this as a teaching tool could be very beneficial to students as it engages your attention. This could be particularly useful for students who may have problems paying attention because it stimulates your senses. I think it would be hard to get bored on zSpace®!

I think that if I had the chance to just play with zSpace® without teacher instruction, I would spend hours playing on it and learning. In my opinion, zSpace® could make many resources available for schools and students who would not normally be able to access such things.

Andrew’s experience, interest, and excitement in using novel instructional tools to learn science was not unique in comparison to the other participating students involved in this experience. In Andrew’s writing, readers can imagine his excitement by his selection of words: realistic, involved, interact, engages, stimulates. His account highlights the importance (regardless of tools or practices employed in the classroom) that students’ imagination and curiosity are ignited and sustained during the learning process.

Through research and partnerships that provide the latest technological supports for STEM instruction to teachers and students, may all students have access to robust STEM experiences to ignite a passion for science to last a lifetime.