A Virtual Reality Experience for Learning Languages

PubDate: May 2019

Teams: University of South Florida

Writers: Sarah Garcia；Ronald Kauer；Denis Laesker；Jason Nguyen；Marvin Andujar

PDF: A Virtual Reality Experience for Learning Languages

Abstract

This demo showcases an interactive virtual reality experience for language learning that allows users to enter a virtual world to explore and interact with their surroundings while learning Spanish. Through immersive game-play on the Oculus Rift, users explore Spanish translations of everyday household items in a search-and-find format, scoring points when they can correctly identify and select objects. Users are able to put what they learn into practice in real time. Study participants who tried the experience said they found this method of language learning to be more enjoyable than traditional methods of studying due to the gamification created and it not “feeling like studying”. As virtual reality headsets continue to become more accessible to the public, addresses the cost limitations of traveling overseas to achieve immersion in foreign language. This application can be expanded to most real-world scenarios and locations. Additionally, it can be applied to any language.