07-03, 11:15–11:55 (Europe/Paris), Carré 2N (Crime & Risk)
This session presents 6 years of VR in the courtroom. Through discussing PleitVRij, we will spark a conversation on successfully implementing XR. How can we bring technology and didactics together?
In this session, we will take the audience through 6 years of VR in the courtroom by discussing the PleitVRij use case. PleitVRij is a cutting-edge VR environment that facilitates an authentic and unique learning experience for students, through a live interaction between lawyer and judge within a virtual environment. It is a perfect example of implementing XR in the learning process of students and has been successfully tested by more than 500 students. In 2018, the PleitVRij environment (stimuleringsregelingproject 2018) was implemented in pleading skills courses in law faculties at multiple institutions. PleitVRij is a virtual courtroom in which students from different institutions meet to practice their pleading skills as future lawyers or prosecutors. Or their skills in giving verdicts and managing parties in their role as judge. Other students give peer feedback on these performances. The VR environment has several benefits. First, students gain an authentic and professional experience of pleading in a realistic courtroom environment. Such a realistic environment for pleading is very difficult to offer law students in their education if not for the use of VR. Furthermore, by bringing students from different institutions (and working groups) together, students have to plead to an unfamiliar other student, instead of to their supervisor. This makes the experience more realistic. In addition, students can observe other unfamiliar students and learn from providing them with feedback. These unfamiliar students are also more likely to provide them objective feedback (based on a shared rubric). Over the course of 6 years, the development team of PleitVRij has gained plenty of experience with the benefits and challenges of implementing XR in the classroom. We will present our lessons learned and have a conversation with the audience on what is needed to bring technology, didactics and institutes together.
I am a project manager at the university library from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. A part of this profession is my role as a manager of our Tech Lab. Within this Tech Lab, I support lecturers in using 3D scanning, modelling and printing technologies as well as XR in their education. I am also concerned with encouraging a shift towards open education and implementing object based teaching and learning techniques at the VU.
Participating in innovating in education or research! For 30 years I have been active in innovation in education now. This in collaboration with teachers or researchers. I find the new possibilities of deploying technology especially exciting. What educational challenge can you solve with newly available technologies? A few examples: using the first digital learning environment in the Netherlands via the web to support the online learning course (1995 together with Betty Collis), the first holodeck application in VR: PleitVRij.nl (2017 together with Wilbert Kolkman, Hedwig van Rossum and Sylvia Moes) and De klas op orde met virtual reality (2019 together with Jolien Mouw) 1e price Onderwijspremie 2024. Current projects are in XR technology and 3D.
Showcase 2021: https://youtu.be/bEaiA99dGs8