Research on the Construction and Development of Interactive

Micro-Course Resources Based on VR Technology

Pei Xiao

* a

College of Computer and Information Science, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, 400000, China

Keywords: VR (Virtual Reality), Micro Course, Micro-Curse Resources, Interactive VR Micro-Course Continuum.

Abstract: With the spread of 5G networks, VR (Virtual Reality) technology has been widely used. The VR technology

could be introduced into micro courses to build micro-course resources based on virtual reality technology.

It can make the courses content more innovative. Hence, integrating VR technology into micro courses will

become an important research. In this study, a curriculum scenario such like real environment was

constructed based on virtual reality technology firstly. Then, the concept of "interactive VR micro-course

continuum" was innovatively proposed. Finally, the following conclusions were drawn: the VR micro

courses provide users with personalized teaching methods, interactive learning processes and immersive

learning experiences, and lay the foundation for the development of highly interactive virtual reality micro

courses.

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9376-7571

1 INTRODUCTION

Due to the vigorous development of the Internet and

the sudden epidemic, innovative online course

resources have become one of the most important

research fields in recent years. Micro course is an

extension of online course resources. Specifically, it

is an online video course that aims at a certain

teaching link or knowledge point and supports

various learning methods. Micro course has the

characteristics of prominent theme, clear direction,

diverse resources, vivid situation, short and concise

(Hu 2011). It is precisely because of the short time

of micro course that students' attention is difficult to

concentrate on course for a long time. In addition,

the current micro course also lacks interaction and

immersion. These problems need to be solved to

improve the teaching effect of micro course.

Hu et al. further analyzed the proportion of

research content in Chinese micro courses from

different dimensions such as theory synthesis,

design, development, application and evaluation.

They pointed out that the proportion of micro-lecture

design and development account for 33.63 % of

micro-lecture research, indicating that there is still

much room for improvement in the construction and

development of micro-course resources (Hu and

Wen 2016). The VR technology integrated with

artificial intelligence (AI) can provide a new

breakthrough for the innovation of two-dimensional

micro courses to three-dimensional immersive micro

courses. According to a report released by the

Chinese Information Center in 2021, VR technology

is one of the key directions in the field of new

generation information technology. The use of VR

technology can create a highly immersive and

interactive digital environment, which can provide

users with an immersive interactive experience in

cyberspace (Liu 2016). Similarly, the application of

VR technology in traditional video courses is also a

research hotspot. Figure 1 shows the number of

papers on VR video courses over the years. As can

be seen from the figure, when VR technology began

to rise in 2016, there have been studies on VR video

courses, and new research papers have been

published every year since then. Therefore, this

study integrated VR technology into micro course to

construct a virtual interactive learning environment

for learners, namely VR micro courses. The addition

of VR technology can break the boundaries of

educational video, help educators explore topics that

are difficult to present in the traditional course, and

356

Xiao, P.

Research on the Construction and Development of Interactive Micro-Course Resources Based on VR Technology.

DOI: 10.5220/0011912100003613

In Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on New Media Development and Modernized Education (NMDME 2022), pages 356-361

ISBN: 978-989-758-630-9

 2023 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. Under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

can greatly enrich the course content (Guo 2010).

Liu et al. indicated that VR micro courses would

fundamentally reconstruct the representation of

knowledge points, the change of plots and the

creation of situations (Liu and Wang 2020).

Therefore, integrating VR technology into micro

courses to create VR micro courses will become an

irresistible trend.

Figure 1: The number of papers on VR video courses

In order to solve the problems of insufficient

interaction and immersion of current micro courses,

this research reconstructed micro courses with the

help of VR technology, which could effectively

promote the develop of teaching resources. First of

all, this study expounded the value and significance

of interactive micro-course resources based on VR

technology from three aspects of personalized

teaching method, interactive learning process and

immersive learning experience. Then, the specific

process of constructing curriculum scenarios in the

early, middle and late stages of VR micro courses is

analyzed. Finally, the concept of “interactive VR

micro-course continuum” was proposed and

explained based on based on the development

process of planar micro-course video to

three-dimensional panoramic VR micro-course

video, from limited interaction to advanced

interaction of micro-course resources. The research

results can provide reference for the innovative

development of micro courses.

2 SCENARIO CONSTRUCTION

OF VIRTUAL MICRO COURSE

In this section, a new type of VR micro course was

developed, and the whole development and

production processes were introduced in detail.

Developing VR micro courses not only simply

transfer the course scene from two-dimensional to

three-dimensional, but also focus on the course

production steps and user experience design. This

research took science, readability and

purposefulness as the standards, and integrated the

video course production methods and the inspiration

of teaching interaction into VR micro courses,

aiming to guide learners to immerse themselves in

VR micro courses, and make them to reach the state

of in-depth learning.

2.1 Preliminary Preparation

2.1.1 Hardware

When making a VR micro course, it is needed to

take a panoramic live shot of the scene. To take a

panoramic picture, multiple cameras need to be used

to take pictures at the same time for later picture

synthesis, or use a panoramic camera directly. At

present, mainstream panoramic cameras include

Insta360, MAX, RICON, etc. The insta360 camera

has the function of automatic synthesis, which can

save production time. Hence, Insta360 camera was

used to record panoramic course scene in this study.

How to effectively output the completed panoramic

scene requires the help of a display and a handle.

According to the characteristics of VR micro-course,

this study selects HTC VIVE head-mounted display

and VR handle to provide the audience with the

medium to experience VR micro course. The

audiences used HTC VIVE head mounted display

and handle to participate in VR micro courses. More

convenient to watch learning videos and experience

interactive processes in virtual space. for example

the viewing angle of the VR micro course can be

freely selected and audiences can interact with the

virtual scene, which can make the audience feel that

they are participating in a real course. This

effectively improves the immersion and interactivity

of micro courses.

2.1.2 Software

The mainstream software for VR video development

includes: Pr, Unity3D, Ins360 Studio, etc. Pr is a

non-linear video editing software for graphic image

design, 2D and 3D video clips. In the process of VR

micro course production, the Ins360 Studio software

synthesizes the set video into a 360-degree video,

adjusts and modifies the video parameters. Use Pr

software to process the video as required. Unity

software is a world-leading industry software, which

provides a powerful platform for creating 2D, 3D,

Research on the Construction and Development of Interactive Micro-Course Resources Based on VR Technology

357

VR, VR, MR and other games and applications.

Unity is one of the essential software in the

production process of VR micro-course, and unity

builds a bridge between the virtual world and the

real world. Therefore, by using unity software to add

the micro-course video recorded by teachers in the

real world to virtual reality technology (VR), VR

micro-courses with the characteristics of the times

and new technologies can be created.

2.2 Production of VR Micro Course

2.2.1 Production Process

In this study, binary teaching as a case, according to

the teaching case design courseware content. First,

In this study, binary teaching as a case, according to

the teaching case design courseware content. In this

study, binary teaching as a case, according to the

teaching case design courseware content. In the

stage of learners ' learning new knowledge, the

teachers in the VR micro-course, as the imparters,

impart new knowledge to students around the binary

content ; in the stage of cooperative exploration of

learners, the teachers in the VR course act as guides

to assist learners to actively participate in curriculum

activities, strive to explore and think about

problems, and cultivate innovative ability ; in the

stage of learners ' summary evaluation, teachers in

VR courses, as evaluators, should evaluate learners

in a multi-dimensional and diversified way to avoid

a single evaluation method. Evaluation should not

only look at the results, but also pay more attention

to the development of learners in all aspects, so as to

stimulate learners ' interest and enthusiasm in

learning, and achieve good teaching and learning

results for teachers ' teaching in VR micro-courses

and students ' learning in VR micro-courses. Then,

the shooting script of VR scene is designed, which

controls the virtual camera's movement and rotation

angle in the PC or Android system. In the VR micro

course, the virtual camera needs to rotate around the

target point to observe the scene from different

angles, and it also needs to shift the camera to

simulate the perspective of the experiencer walking

in the virtual scene. The shooting scripts are coded

in C# language, and then the scripts are written into

the main camera. Finally, the apk file of VR micro

course is export. Install the apk file on an android

system or VR device to watch the VR micro course.

2.2.2 Function Design

To highlight the interactive function of educators

and learners in the VR micro course, the branching

function of the VR micro course is designed based

on mastery learning theory. In the VR micro course,

the course is divided into several small units, the

latter unit of learning based on the previous one,

according to the level of students to master the

real-time adjustment of learning content (Yang et al.

2020). The dialog box analysis function is added to

the course, which can provide personalized course

later content according to the learners’ answers to

questions. These functions can effectively help

learners learn and understand the learning content.

2.3 VR Micro Course Teaching

We invited and organized students to participate in

VR micro lesson experience. The course content

included binary and related knowledge. Students

learned these knowledge points in VR micro course

and interact with educational games in VR micro

course to deepen students’ understanding.

The human-video interaction is a major feature

of VR micro course, which can simulate the

interaction between students and teachers in the

actual course to the greatest extent. In the course

questioning, this interaction can analyze the learning

effect according to the students’ answers and provide

personalized teaching guidance (Yang et al. 2020).

In VR micro courses, the combination of 3D virtual

scenes and human-video interaction provides

students with a more immersive, exploratory

teaching experience that enhances the potential

value of learning (Heng et al. 2020). With the

characteristics of interactivity and immersion of VR

micro courses, educational VR games can be added

to the course. In the educational VR game, students

can manipulate the virtual avatar and play different

roles to complete the tasks set in the course,

achieving the purpose of learning knowledge (Wang

et al. 2015). Educational VR games can teach

through play and effectively improve students’

interest in learning.

3 THE ROLE OF VR MICRO

COURSES

VR micro-course is the product of the integration of

information technology and education and teaching.

It seamlessly connects the teaching and learning of

real classroom and virtual classroom, and provides

learners with personalized teaching methods,

interactive learning process and immersive learning

NMDME 2022 - The International Conference on New Media Development and Modernized Education

358

experience. Aims to use intelligent teaching methods

to promote the improvement of teaching quality. The

role of VR micro course is shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2: The role of VR micro courses

3.1 Provide Personalized Teaching

The traditional teaching video only seeks to copy the

classroom teaching content and teaching methods to

the network platform, relying on video to explain,

without fragmented design and reconstruction of

teaching content, unable to use network technology

to achieve personalized teaching, and there are many

problems affecting the teaching quality (Huang et al.

2015). The teaching process includes two stages of

knowledge teaching and internalization, which are

learner centered (Fan et al. 2012). The impartation of

knowledge is a process in which the teacher takes

the leading position to teach knowledge and the

students receive knowledge. The internalization of

knowledge takes students as the main body, which

requires students to complete through practice or

homework after receiving knowledge from teachers.

Personalized teaching respects the teaching of

students' personality, and teaching should be carried

out according to each student's personality, interest,

specialty and needs, that is, what students need,

teachers need to grant, and students in this teaching

mode are completely in an autonomous learning

state. n this study, VR technology is used to integrate

personalized teaching into micro lessons. Teachers

adopt different teaching methods and micro lesson

making methods according to learners' cognitive

level to teach students in accordance with their

aptitude and individualize their teaching.

3.2 Provide Interactive Teaching

Processes

The course resources on MOOC, Netease Cloud

Classroom and other learning platforms are very

rich, and learners are not limited by time and place

to choose courses according to their own learning

interests and needs. During the learning process,

learners can adjust their speaking speed or send

bullet screen comments according to the content

taught by the teacher. Although the course video

provides some interaction, the depth of these

interactions is shallow, and teachers and students

cannot achieve effective two-way interaction. The

VR micro course provides the function of interaction

between teachers and students, and interaction

between students and teaching content. This function

is to judge learners' mastery of current knowledge,

analyze students' needs and learning abilities, and

adopt different teaching schemes, so as to reflect the

interactivity of the learning process and achieve

effective interaction of learners in the virtual course.

3.2 Provide Immersive Teaching

Experience

The flow theory says immersion is about focusing

on the current target situation and forgetting the real

world (Fan et al. 2012). VR technology uses

headstock displays to close users' vision and hearing,

create virtual audio-visual, and create a sense of

psychological engagement and situational learning

for learners. Integrate the immersive experience

brought by VR technology into the micro course, so

as to increase the average retention rate of learning

content. Immersion has three factors: condition,

experience and result.

First of all, in the process of VR micro course

production, two conditional factors are defined, that

is, learners have clear learning goals in the

experience process and the course will give

immediate feedback on learners’ interactive

behavior. Then, in the experience factors, the

learner's experience is increased by integrating the

learner’s action and perception, focusing the

learner’s attention and giving the learner an absolute

sense of control over the activity. Finally, the result

factor is to achieve the staggered effect of immerse

learners in space and time. Through these three

factors, learners can be fully immersed in the

learning process to achieve better learning results.

4 INTERACTIVE VR

MICRO-COURSE CONTINUUM

From the traditional 2D course video with limited

interaction to the advanced interactive VR micro

course, the interaction between learners and course

content is developed, which effectively improves

learning efficiency.

Based on the development process of VR

Research on the Construction and Development of Interactive Micro-Course Resources Based on VR Technology

359

micro-lecture, we put forward the concept of

“interactive VR micro-course continuum”. In

interactive VR micro-course continuum, the

interaction level between learners and courses is

divided into limited interaction, intermediate

interaction and advanced interaction, and matches

with the corresponding courses, forming a rich and

complete system framework, as shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3: Interactive VR micro-course continuum

4.1 Limited Interaction

As a teaching assistant tool, traditional teaching

videos provide learners with visual information,

vivid video images and knowledge content in the

learning process. Researchers analyzed the learning

effect of teaching videos and learning basic theories,

and found that traditional teaching videos did not

pay attention to the interaction between learners and

teaching videos. Usually, the learner can only adjust

the video playback progress, this adjustment does

not have any other response to the course content. It

can be concluded that the interaction between

learners and courses of traditional teaching videos is

limited. Hence, the traditional teaching video is

defined as the primary state of interactive VR

micro-course continuum. Located on the left side of

the interactive VR micro-course continuum

4.2 Intermediate Interaction

Compared with the primary interactive continuum,

the intermediate interactive continuum added the

function of human video interaction. Bullet screen is

the earliest human-video interaction, which appeared

in Japan’s video website in 2006 and then was

applied to various online education platforms. When

sending educational video bullet screen, user

comments will be displayed on the interface, which

have the characteristic of real-time and refined. For

China's micro courses, there are some meaningless

interactions, and most micro course videos can only

be played in a linear way, so students cannot interact

effectively with the video. Simply integrating

teaching videos into micro classes cannot improve

the teaching effect, but teaching videos that allow

learners to interact randomly with the content can

effectively promote teaching efficiency. In order to

improve the learning effect, learners can interact

with the course. In the intermediate interactive

continuum, learners interact with the learning

content through reading, listening, writing and other

learning behaviors. Then, teachers and students

solve the doubts in learning by asking questions for

human-video interaction. Finally, the learners

themselves renew their understanding of new

knowledge and old knowledge video from the

simple to the deep.

4.3 Advanced Interaction

In the advanced interactive continuum, in addition to

the video screen, sound, operation buttons, bullet

screen and other interactive methods, learners can

also become the role in the virtual classroom and

enter the virtual scene. Learners can get the learning

experience like real courses, that is, learners and

courses are highly interactive. In the famous video

game Facade, players interact with virtual characters

by typing words, thus promoting the development of

story. The interactive technology of Facade games

can be applied to VR micro courses, which can

effectively promote the development of interactive

methods in VR micro courses. In the virtual micro

class environment, learners can walk freely in the

scene and interact with the course content by

controlling handle. which has achieved advanced

interaction. Advanced interaction can not only make

learners’ thinking diverge, expand their knowledge

category, enrich their knowledge inventory, but also

enable learners to improve their operation and

practice ability with the help of virtual scenes.

5 CONCLUSION

To solve the problem of lack of immersion and

interaction in traditional micro courses, this study

proposes to combine VR technology with micro

courses. The VR micro course was developed and

students experienced VR micro courses. According

to the development of course video interaction, the

concept of interactive VR course continuum is

proposed. The follow conclusions can be drawn:

(1) On the basis of traditional micro courses, the

VR micro-course is constructed by adding VR

technology, and its construction process is

introduced in detail.

(2) In the VR micro course, the interactive

function is designed and added. It can judge

NMDME 2022 - The International Conference on New Media Development and Modernized Education

360

students’ learning effect and provide personalized

teaching content according to their answers to

classroom questions.

(3) The role of VR micro course is summarized:

provide students with personalized learning style,

interactive learning process and immersive learning

experience.

(4) The concept of “interactive VR micro-course

continuum” is proposed, which expounds the

development process from the limited interactive

traditional teaching video to the advanced interactive

VR micro course.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors gratefully acknowledge financial

support from Smart Education Research Institute of

Chongqing Normal University 2021 Special Project:

“Development of interactive course resources based

on VR technology” (YZH21025).

REFERENCES

Fan, F., Zhang, Y., Bai Q., et al. (2012). Analysis of

application effect of teaching mode based on

interactive micro-video teaching tesources. J. Modern

Educational Technology. 22(06), 24-28.

Guo, Z. (2010). Case teaching process optimization

research. J. China University Teaching. 01, 59-61.

Hu, T. (2011). “Micor courese”: the new trend of regional

education information resources development. J.

E-education Research. 10, 61-65.

Huang, Z., Ruan, W., Cheng, X., et al. (2015). On Bloom's

Theory of mastery learning and its application in

teaching. J. Popular Science & Technology. 17(11),

106-108.

Hu, S. & Wen, C. (2016). Research status and trend

analysis of micro-course in China. J. Distance

Education In China. 08, 46-53.

Heng, S., Zhao, H., Fan, C., et al. (2020). The influence of

video game virtualization on self – concept. J.

Advances in Psychological Science. 28(05), 810-823.

Liu, Y. (2016). Research and Application of VR

Technology in Education. J. Computer Knowledge

and Technology. 12(16), 207-208.

Liu, G. & Wang, X. (2020). Virtual reality reinventing

online education: learning resources, teaching

organization and system platform. J. China

Educational Technology. 11, 87-96.

Wang, W., Hu, J., Liu, H. (2015). Status and development

of virtual simulation experiment teaching in foreign

universities. J. Research and Exploration in

Laboratory. 34(05), 214-219.

Yang, G., Qiu, C, Zhen, X., et al. (2020). An empirical

study on the promotion of learning motivation and

writing performance based on virtual panoramic

learning method. J. E-education Research. 41(01),

91-98+121.

Yu, S. (2015) Problems and reflections on school micro

course construction. J. Journal of Teaching and

Management, 07, 32-35.

Research on the Construction and Development of Interactive Micro-Course Resources Based on VR Technology

361