Erasmus+ programme
Strategic partnerships in the Adult Education sector
Project number: 2020-1-PT01-KA204-078597
“The VRSciT project consists of a virtual educational journey to each participating EU country, virtually visiting cultural, social and natural sites in Portugal, Spain, Italy and Lithuania, and using virtual reality engagement and interaction techniques to realise the journey, giving users a unique learning experience. The adoption of virtual reality technologies removes the barriers to remote visualisation of the environment, which, through digitisation, allows for a high-value learning experience.
“The VRSciT project aims to explore new approaches to educational tourism, using 3D modelling and 360° virtual reality environments to deliver innovative virtual learning journeys in four different countries. To this end, the partners intend to develop the following products:
- a literature review on virtual reality technologies;
- VRSciT SPOT tool for interactive virtual reality experiences ;
- a set of website tools;
- training to share good practice in the use of virtual reality technologies in educational tourism;
- publicity events (conferences) in the partner countries to present the results of the project and to share the international experience gained during the project.
“The VRSciT SPOT tool will allow people to immerse themselves not only in the landscapes of north-eastern Trás-os-Montes (Portugal), but also in other spectacular or culturally important regions of the partner countries, thus broadening their horizons and visiting partner entities from all over Europe virtually, but also in reality. The project provides opportunities for all people, regardless of their social background, to access scientific information and engage in educational activities. The project team hopes that this will touch and interest people living in difficult or disadvantaged circumstances, such as those in difficult economic situations or with physical disabilities, who will be able to use the latest technologies, and that this will foster social inclusion by allowing unrestricted access and interaction with technologies that would otherwise not be possible.
The target group of the VRScriT project is therefore adults who are engaged with or educated by the partner institutions and who visit partner institutions such as museums. This target group will have the opportunity to benefit from scientific and educational tourism in a new interactive learning environment. The project is expected to have a significant impact, as the intellectual outputs will be presented and made publicly available, the training and dissemination events will attract the right target groups and the outputs will be known and noticed. There is an institutional innovation in the project, made up of institutions linked to the tourist or cultural aspect, but also to the scientific aspect, which is one of the key components of the European Union’s adult lifelong learning policy. All this will allow institutional representatives and visitors to:
- (i) in the specific field of adult education:
- improving people’s basic skills in mastering new technologies and information;
- deepen and strengthen subject skills (in cultural literacy, science and technology, European citizenship, cultural diversity and community development);
- integrate the knowledge you have acquired into your life;
- promoting language skills (language proficiency);
- improve personal motivation and critical thinking.
- ii) creating new opportunities:
- Disseminating international best practice (creating local and regional dynamics that increase opportunities for technological innovation, as well as developing entrepreneurial and sustainability projects for the whole community);
- encouraging the development of innovative activities (contributing to the expression of scientific and technological enterprises);
- Promote the creation of a more active, responsible and interventionist citizenship (creating and strengthening individual cognitive, social and cultural environments in a structured and guided way).
Project objective
The project partnership believes that this project will enable the target groups to acquire and consolidate skills needed in adult education, but also to develop them in the areas of European citizenship, cultural diversity, employment and community development, with an emphasis on promoting learning, digital literacy, debate and the sharing of scientific and technological knowledge.
The whole idea of the project is based on an international comparison of approaches, issues, solutions and best practices in the implementation of innovative cognitive educational tourism strategies and new procedures. It is also expected that each partner will have the opportunity to benefit from the research on the innovations introduced and to build on the achievements of the project in their future activities.
Project results
IP1 – Literature review: application and impact of virtual reality in educational and cultural institutions
Intellectual Product (IP1) to present a selection of innovative learning methods combined with virtual reality technologies to adult educators, museum educators and adult education experts. To achieve IP1, a literature review on virtual reality for educational tourism will be carried out by selecting and reviewing existing 3D objects to be evaluated by museums and higher education institutions.
IP2 – “VRSciT SPOT” development
The aim of this intellectual production is to create “VRSciT SPOT”, a different, innovative informal virtual reality experience that will be present in every museum in the partner country to promote digital literacy and the use of science content in informal learning environments, in combination with educational tourism. “VRSciT SPOT aims to address the gap in socio-cultural knowledge and educational tourism by promoting the recognition of the region’s values through 360° video footage and other socio-cultural content. “VRSciT SPOT will present four different interactive experiences inspired by each partner country, combining a 360° virtual reality environment with 3D models and animations. VRSciT SPOT will be an informal learning environment for adults. Participants will be introduced to an innovative way of understanding concepts through an engaging and entertaining experience that enables the user to collaborate in the VLE’s Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).
IP3 – a web-based toolkit to improve the use of virtual reality-based applications
This intellectual product aims to:
- development of the project’s online toolkit;
- open source. material based on real objects;
- editing of 3D 360° videos of open source regions in partner countries;
- lesson plans based on the use of virtual reality experiences in education.
The project will also provide 12 examples of lesson plans for adult educators to appreciate the scientific, cultural and social heritage of the four countries. These lesson plans aim to stimulate scientific creativity and curiosity, foster critical thinking and cultural spirit in these adults, and contribute to the acquisition of new knowledge in these specific fields. Since the lesson plans will be available online, they can be implemented in museums or adult education classrooms, with the possibility of transferring them to another sector – general education – and adapting them to schools, regardless of the country.
Partnerships
- Centro Ciencia Viva Bragança (PT) – coordinating body
- Instituto Politécnico de Bragança (PT)
- Lithuanian Museum of the History of Education (LT)
- Public Institution eMundus (LT)
- Fundacion Castilla y Leon (ES)
- Universidad de Leon (ES)
- MAG Museo Alto Garda (IT)
- Pixel (IT)
Project period: 2020-09-01- 2023-08-31
