Technology and learning in the digital age

Advanced Visualisation and Gaming Technologies will not only enhance learning in the digital era, but potentially advance the typical pedagogy approach for high school students into an andragogy style of education and learning.

To support this, each field needs to be understood, and how can we test or prove this prediction in the context of teaching VET subjects?

Individually, gamification technologies utilise not only motion graphics and advanced visualisation, but also includes input or feedbacks like joystick controls, keypress operations and much more, sometimes rewarding the person for correct results, (or punishing them for incorrect results), whilst simultaneously challenging them through a series of levels or tasks. This makes the whole learning experience fun, often quick and addictive - drawing the person back for another attempt for level progression and learning.

These education-based games are referred to as ‘smart games’, with very defined knowledge and learning requirements prior to the game developers’ input. The key stakeholders of a smart game include curriculum designers, training providers, teachers, game developers, 3D modelling, scene and character designers, riggers, software providers, financial management and the end user i.e., students.

Both these emerging technologies utilise 3D modelling, photorealism, hyperrealism, animation, and motion graphics, captivating the observer’s visual senses. The famous saying “one picture is worth ten thousand words” by Fred R Barnard, describes the power of images. If one picture is worth ten thousand words, how many words is a short, photorealistic animation worth?

Furthermore, according to O’Connor, Joseph J’s “Recruiting In A Visual Era”, ninety percent of information transmitted to the brain is visual. These two statements suggest, visual graphics provide much more information than any other form of communication, differing to the more common learning space - reading, writing and discussion. A ten second assembly animation describes not only scale, shape, materials, and finish, but also can communicate in multiple views, order of fabrication and final result, visually communicating from start to finish each step required to complete a practical task or project. Developing this, how does each advanced visualisation and gamification technology differ?

Advanced visualisation technologies differ from gaming technologies. They don’t have the ability for feedback or input, relying solely on watch and look for interpretation or re-enactment. This creates new challenges like frame rate, speed or flow for animations, camera rigging, real time render engines and photorealism, illustration details like annotations, technical drawings, and graphics design (Refer to PICTURE 1, ANIMATION 2 and PICTURE 2). These challenges alter the stakeholders slightly compared to gaming technologies, creating a collaboration between 3D modelling, product and graphic designers, training providers, teachers, software providers, financial management and the student. Now that we have a better understanding of each digital technology, how can these technologies revolutionise pedagogy, into an andragogy approach of education and learning?

To understand this better we need to have a clear understanding of pedagogy or andragogy and the difference between the two. According to Andragoška spoznanja’s “Studies in Adult Education and Learning”, pedagogy is the view of the learner as a dependent, utilising teaching methods like lectures, assigned readings, drills, quizzes, note memorising and examinations. These teaching methods being applied to a very child-like learning environment, take the assumption, that the learner is a blank canvas with little to no life experiences or knowledge. Whereas andragogy is the view that the learner is independent. According to Knowles M.S (1980) “From Pedagogy to Andragogy”, andragogy is the natural progression of self-directed learning and maturity, attaching more meaning to their learning experiences, with the want to apply their gained knowledge to their life and living more effectively tomorrow.

By better understanding the difference between pedagogy and andragogy, now we can unpack how these two technologies can potentially advance the typical pedagogy approach for high school students, into an andragogy style of education and learning. One thing in common between the two technologies is the detail and depth the visual content can communicate. This detail, even though it’s proven to explain more in terms of communication, it’s not seen to be dictated or lectured by the teacher, allowing the student or learner to self-interpret their understanding of the content rather than being explained. The process of working from an image or animation subjectively creates independent learning and this independent learning is the beginning or the foresight of andragogy. This leaves students to their own devices for learning, self-education, and growth. To finalise the prediction, how do we test or prove this assumption made in the original statement?

To test or prove this assumption in the context of teaching VET subjects, advanced visualisation and gaming technologies could be trialled into a VET-subject learning space. To do this, choosing a theory or practical unit of competency and creating a video game or visualising the end goal, project or learning requirement allows the chance to collect data or judge students engagement, successful completion, end artifacts, test results and final submissions.

To summarise, both advanced visualisation and gaming technology will enhance learning in the digital era. These technologies allow communication, interpretation and learning to a higher level of degree, creating opportunity for self-directed learning, thus advancing typical pedagogy into an andragogy approach of education, and learning for the VET subject space. In turn, this will provide the students with the tools of success in learning and progression during their adult life.