Dulwich College, Beijing

Dulwich College, Beijing is a prestigious international school and sister school of Dulwich College, London. With 1,600 students from nursery to year 13, Dulwich is proudly named one of the leading international schools in China.

Having previously explored virtual reality in the classroom, Dulwich were keen to acquire a tried and tested product created specifically for education. As the world’s leading virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) solution for education, ClassVR was the perfect solution.

We spoke with Director of EdTech and Innovation, Yosef Karasik, about why Dulwich College invested in ClassVR and how the technology has enhanced learning throughout the school.

POSITIVE REACTIONS FROM ALL

Introducing new technology to the classroom can sometimes be intimidating, for both students and teachers. However, Yosef expressed the overwhelmingly positive reaction to ClassVR from the whole school community.

“I was worried it was going to be one of those prize items that ends up sitting in the cupboard, but it has been used so much we’ve recently purchased another set. The internal demand for headsets has been high due to their ease of use and countless capabilities. On average, after a quick 20-minute one-to-one session showing teachers how to use the portal, they are more than comfortable using ClassVR independently.”

EVOKING EMOTIONS THROUGH EXPERIENCES

“ClassVR allows us to provide students with interactive and experiential learning opportunities, opening up a whole range of new possibilities.” Expressed Yosef, who is passionate about only implementing technology that will enhance learning experiences.

“We’re using ClassVR for a lot of different things, from reading and writing exercises to virtual field trips. You name it, ClassVR is being used for it!”

An important part of IB (International Baccalaureate) Geography is learning about developing countries. At Dulwich College, IB Year 13 students use ClassVR to fully immerse themselves in these countries, exploring their surroundings through 360° images and videos. This immersive experience has allowed them to create emotional connections to their learning and foster a deeper understanding.

“Our 17/18-year-old students were able to deeply empathise because looking around and virtually experiencing a developing country is significantly more impactful than just watching a video.”

OUTSIDE OF THE TRADITIONAL CLASSROOM

Earth Day is an annual awareness day, recognised and commemorated in schools and classrooms across the globe. To take their commemorations one step further, Dulwich introduced a lunchtime activity, allowing several clubs to present their plans to help protect the planet. VR was used alongside their presentations as a powerful way to engage and educate students.

“We set up a ClassVR station and invited students to experience VR on the ocean clean-up project. We were able to reach students who had not experienced VR and for some teachers, this was also their first-time experiencing VR, so it was really impactful.”

DEVELOPING LITERACY AND COMMUNICATION

Year 2 students at Dulwich have been using ClassVR to enhance their language and communication skills through group activities. In groups of three, students were tasked to choose a ClassVR scene and describe what they saw to their teammates, using adjectives and descriptive words they recently learned in class.

“The aim was to have one student using the headset and describing what they’re seeing, one student writing, and one student observing. This allowed the students to practice using new vocabulary, enhance their understanding of new words and terms, and develop their teamwork and communication skills.”

“The students rotated roles every two minutes, so everyone had equal chances at describing, writing, and observing, which they found really engaging. Exploring and experiencing different scenes meant that our students could improve their standards of spoken and written English, but they were doing so in a really meaningful way.”

IMPROVED LEARNING THROUGH TECHNOLOGY

When asked to summarise his favourite aspects of ClassVR, Yosef listed three main factors: web-based, very intuitive, and centralised control.

“The empathy aspect of immersing yourself in a scenario is so different to watching or hearing about it. I think that because teachers can take full control and guide students into discovery, that's what makes it different. Even if it's a static scene, it's you who’s in control of the exploration.”

Looking ahead to the next school year, Dulwich has exciting plans to continue the positive impact of ClassVR. With a focus on creating purposeful and meaningful content, older students will be creating their own VR/AR experiences to be used by other students.

“Knowing that your creations will actually be used means you have more ownership of it and more pride in making it,” concludes Yosef. “We’re one of those early adopters, but our team was created to pioneer the next big thing and drive change, so we can’t wait to see where our journey with ClassVR takes us.”