Development of Collaborative Chemistry Experiment Environment Using VR

Abstract

In recent years, the importance of distance learning has been reaffirmed, but there are some subjects where learning is ineffective owing to the difficulty of interaction. For chemistry experiments, some researchers have tried to conduct remote experiments using head-mounted display (HMD)-based virtual reality (VR). However, in these attempts, there is a concern that collaborative learning, which is important in science education, is lacking. In this study, we proposed a new environment for remote chemistry experiments using network services and HMD-based VR. Specifically, we conducted VR experiments of flame color reaction and metal ion separation and identification, which are often taught in high school chemistry, and then evaluated the effectiveness of the proposed environment using exams and questionnaires. The results confirmed effective learning in the chemistry experiment using HMD-based VR, suggesting that collaborative learning was possible in VR spaces.