Virtual Reality to teach children what to do in emergency situations: the case of Australia

In a study carried out by the University of South Australia (UniSA) and published in the Journal of Educational Computing, a research team led by Safa Molan (PhD) and his supervisor Delene Weber developed an immersive virtual reality (VR) experience which allowed the children to be projected into an emergency scenario of a forest fire and asked to complete some simple tasks. The results collected demonstrate how living this immersive experience made the young participants more confident in themselves and in their ability to calmly evaluate options and make wise decisions to protect themselves from a forest fire. “Well-designed VR can be an opportunity for children to apply newly acquired knowledge, reinforce concepts learned and receive immediate feedback - explains Professor Weber of UniSA -. Children don't have to be passive victims of disasters, and with purpose-built virtual reality experiences like these, we can help them not only understand the risks but also realize they can help."

Read the full article (in Italian) here