Volume 15, Number 5

A Preliminary Study on Multidisciplinary Design Framework in a Virtual Reality Learning Environment

  Authors

Choong Wai Keng¹, Maizatul Hayati Mohamad Yatim² and Noorhayati Saad¹, ¹Taylor’s University, Malaysia, ²Sultan Idris Education University, Malaysia

  Abstract

This article presents a preliminary study on the effectiveness of the multidisciplinary design framework (MDF) for teaching and learning in a Virtual Reality Learning Environment (VRLE). The aim of the study was to investigate the students’ learning experiences with fully remote multidisciplinary groups, practicing collaborative design in a VRLE. The objective was to introduce and implement a synchronous multidisciplinary design teaching and learning engagement framework with asynchronous online documentation that manages and evaluates evidence of learning outcomes. This study employed a sequential explanatory mixed method research on a quasi-experiment involving 30 undergraduate students from the creative media specializations in collaboration with 39 other students from the business, computing, communication, and product design degree students over a 14- weeks duration. Students were surveyed using online questionnaires, interviews, and observations by the module facilitator for the quantitative and qualitative data collection. A triangulation protocol was used for the convergence coding of three data sets. Results revealed that there were 85% students scoring grade A’s as compared to 69.3% from the previous cohort that was without the framework and VRLE support. Overall, the students’ commented that the multidisciplinary design collaboration was beneficial, realizing the advantage of collaborating to merge various skill sets and knowledge to solve problems that couldn’t be solved alone. The study’s finding implied that the MDF effectively achieved the teaching and learning outcomes and could be applied to all higher education multidisciplinary collaborations in a VRLE.

  Keywords

multidisciplinary design, virtual reality learning environment, education technology.