Plumbing tutors at Oaklands College, working with the College's Digital Innovation team, are recording workshop demonstrations with the College's 360-degree cameras. Students are due to watch the recordings through VR headsets, which lets them revisit practical techniques and gives them the feeling of being present in the workshop.
The first recording is a pipe-bending demonstration by tutor Mark Norris, showing how maths is applied to practical plumbing tasks. The teaching team, headed by Eden Longley, planned and filmed the demonstrations with Digital Innovation, and John Vincent supported the team on what is described as the College's first VR project. A two-dimensional desktop version is also planned for the College's online learning platform, Canvas, so students can watch without a headset.
Anna Fairchild, the College's Future Technology & Learning Environments Manager, says the aim is to let learners look closely at a technique again and build confidence before applying it in the workshop.
