One of the services we provide as the Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) team is support in the creation of 360° and Immersive Reality content.
What is a 360° scenario?
A 360° photograph or video is an omnidirectional image or recording which can be played by most devices such as a mobile phone and laptop and can be hosted on webpages and platforms, including iris. When viewed, the learner either rotates their device to see the scenario in 360°, or moves their head when wearing a virtual reality head-mounted display (VR HMD). A 360° scenario comprises of a series of videos and/or images to create e-learning and instructional videos and scenarios.
Why use 360° scenarios in healthcare education?
Multimedia allows the learner to see and understand situations to aid their learning and development of new skills. This forms an essential part of well-designed e-learning.
360° scenarios augment this experience by providing a sense of spatial dimension and location to the learner to simulate a situation with a greater degree of realism.
Some of the greatest benefits include:
- Safely simulating a situation where risk is involved
- Familiarising the learner with an environment
- Facilitating a more realistic learning experience
What form do 360° scenarios take?
360° photography is frequently used in real estate and travel industries to provide consumers with a realistic sense of the physical environment to help inform their decision.
Check out the 3D virtual tour we created of our libraries to guide staff and students to all the services and locations that may be of use to them within the various trust libraries.
360° videos overcome the problem of a video being limited to our immediate field of vision, meaning we can survey our entire surroundings as we can in real life. This level of immersion is particularly useful when dealing with complex and multifaceted learning situations, such as the Decontamination Tent 360° scenario we created as part of the Major Incident Chemical Biological Radiological & Nuclear e-learning.
How do we make 360° content?
We have a range of hardware and software that we use for making 360° content. For room scanning, we use a Matterport Pro2 3D camera which uses lasers to capture the dimensions of an environment. For 360° video we use a Ricoh Theta Z1 which produces high-quality 4K spherical videos. For processing 360° videos we use an online authoring tool, CenarioVR, to turn the video into a 360° scenario with interactive elements.
We are also aquiring a handheld 3D scanner which will enable us to generate high-quality scans of objects and equipment for educational purposes. These can be used as standalone models or incorporated into immersive reality environments.
What’s next for 360° scenarios in the Trust?
We are currently developing a 360° scenario ‘The Deteriorating Patient’ alongside colleagues in the Intensive Care Medicine & Acute Medicine department. This scenario follows the development of a patient’s condition and choices to select and see how the situation develops.
How can I start a 360 scenario project?
If you would like to have your training developed into a 360 scenario or virtual reality experience, you can contact us by filling out this form. One of the TEL team members will be in touch to arrange a consultation. You can also follow us on Twitter to receive all the latest developments.
