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EduCodeVR: VR for programming teaching through simulated farm and traffic

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Abstract

Virtual reality (VR) technology has revolutionized science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) education by simulating real-world environments, offering innovative learning methods. This study focuses on designing an educational system within VR for Arduino UNO microcontroller development. Students engage in graphical programming and hardware integration of the Arduino UNO within VR environments, implementing intelligent control of farms and traffic. This approach helps students grasp practical applications of the Arduino UNO in real production contexts, further cultivating their programming skills and fostering innovative thinking. We conducted Arduino courses tailored for programming beginners, assessing the usability of EduCodeVR and its impact on students through learning outcome tests and VR system usability assessments. The results demonstrate that EduCodeVR, which uses STEAM education methodologies, effectively enhances users’ comprehensive literacy and computational thinking, highlighting the significant potential of integrating VR programming courses into STEAM education. Through this innovative teaching approach, students not only acquire knowledge, but also enjoy the pleasures of immersive learning.

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Data availability

The student data used in this study can be accessed via Figshare at https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.26148589.v2 The EduCodeVR Code accessed via Figshare at https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.26176930.

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Acknowledgements

This research was partially supported by the 2024 Gansu Provincial Special Research Project on Curriculum and Textbooks for Primary, Secondary, and Higher Education under project numbers GSJC-Z2024155.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Physics and Electronic Engineering, Northwest Normal University, LanzhouGansu, 730070, China

    Zean Jin, Yulong Bai, Wei Song, Qinghe Yu & Xiaoxin Yue

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  1. Zean Jin
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Contributions

J and W were responsible for the construction of the VR system, B provided educational advice, and Q and X handled course instruction. Everyone participated in the design of the teaching curriculum. Finally, J completed the successful summary and manuscript revision.

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Correspondence to Yulong Bai.

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Jin, Z., Bai, Y., Song, W. et al. EduCodeVR: VR for programming teaching through simulated farm and traffic. Vis Comput (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00371-024-03699-3

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