Forewarned is forearmed: Learning with Virtual Reality

The “Danger Recognized – Danger Averted” project develops and tests innovative teaching formats in which pre-service teachers of chemistry and engineering use virtual reality to safely design disposal processes for hazardous materials in virtual environments. Instead of dealing with safety regulations purely in theory, the students design and implement their own VR scenarios that simulate realistic laboratory environments. In these environments, they can practice disposing of hazardous materials correctly and without risk, assessing hazards, and taking protective measures—skills that will be essential in the students’ future professional careers. 
The project is practice-oriented and interdisciplinary. Students work together in teams, receive subject-specific, pedagogical, and media-didactic input, and apply this directly in VR development. Accompanying self-study materials and user-friendly authoring tools, as well as a library of 3D models, facilitate the learning process and reduce reservations about using the technology. The resulting VR scenarios are then to be integrated into teaching practice, used on an ongoing basis, and continuously refined. 

In addition, the VR learning scenarios will be made available to other universities and interested parties to raise learners’ awareness of the responsible handling of hazardous substances and provide them with a safe, realistic training environment. At the same time, the project strengthens the participants’ digital, pedagogical, and collaborative skills.