Global Virtual Classroom: An enriching experience for preservice teachers across continents from Taylor’s University, Malaysia and Centro Escolar University, Philippines through Virtual Micro-Teaching activities using EngageVR. Taylor’s School of Education organized an online event entitled “Virtual Reality Role-Playing Activities for Teacher Trainees Using EngageVR” in collaboration with School of Education, Liberal Arts Music and Social Work, Centro Escolar University, Philippines.
This virtual event was conducted on EngageVR and YouTube. The session started with Opening Remarks by Dr. Logendra Stanley Ponniah from School of Education, Taylor’s University and Prof. Dr. Maria Rita Lucas, Dean, School of Education, Liberal Arts Music and Social Work, Centro Escolar University. The presentation by Ms. Kasthoori Naidu, Lecturer from Taylor's School of Education on classroom management skills focusing on “Importance of Establishing Class Rules”, followed by another presentation by Dr. Charles Sharma Naidu, Director of Taylor's VORTEX XR Lab on Immersive Learning and EngageVR. The highlight of the event was the virtual micro-teaching activities that were conducted on the EngageVR platform.
Two groups of pre-service teachers from both institutions have collaborated and carried out virtual micro-teaching sessions on EngageVR without having to leave their respective home countries. This session has created a new milestone for students from both institutions as it had allowed these teacher trainees to explore and experience classroom management skills in a virtual environment as avatars in a multi-cultural setting. Furthermore, the EngageVR platform supports teacher trainees’ need to develop their classroom management skills in a less risky environment like in a simulated classroom setting. Therefore, this platform supports pre-service teachers by providing them with a virtual avenue that allows them to gain early exposure to work-based learning environment in particular on classroom management skills.
At the end of the session, all student teachers who have presented the virtual role-playing task received valuable feedback from the panelists of this session. The Closing Remark was delivered by Assistant Prof. Dr. Richard Rillo, Lecturer from School of Education, Liberal Arts Music and Social Work, Centro Escolar University, Philippines.
More than 50 participants attended this virtual event which was moderated by Dr. P. Thivilojana S. Perinpasingam, Senior Lecturer, Taylor's School of Education, who is also leading this virtual classroom project. The event was also carried out in collaboration with Taylor's VORTEX XR Lab, where the EngageVR familiarization session was led by the Specialists Dr. Charles Sharma and Mr. Faisal Athar. It is also an initiative by Taylor’s Impact Lab: Education for All, to promote virtual teaching innovation in a global classroom setting.
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