Examining the Feasibility of Virtual Reality to Motivate and Prepare International Students for Community Engagement Activities – An Inquiry among Service Learning Experts

Alshathri, Iman; Komlodi, Anita; Kuber, Ravi

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/117384 Copy

Description

Title

Examining the Feasibility of Virtual Reality to Motivate and Prepare International Students for Community Engagement Activities – An Inquiry among Service Learning Experts

Author(s)

• Alshathri, Iman
• Komlodi, Anita
• Kuber, Ravi

Issue Date

2023-03-13

Keyword(s)

• Virtual Reality
• Community Engagement
• Homelessness
• Preparation

Abstract

There are numerous benefits for students to participate in community en-gagement (CE). However, international students are less likely to get in-volved compared to their domestic counterparts. This paper describes a study with service learning experts to identify ways to motivate and prepare inter-national students to engage with CE. One of the goals of the study is to in-vestigate whether using technologies, such as virtual reality (VR), could offer promise to promote behavioral change to participate in CE both in the short- and long-term. Our findings have revealed an array of strategies adopted by experts to pique the interest of and promote engagement among international students. The potential of using VR to support ‘social good’ is described, along with design suggestions for developing VR applications. This study is the first step in a series that aims to determine how we can promote long-term engagement with CE activities among international students.

Publisher

iSchools

Series/Report Name or Number

iConference 2023 Proceedings

Type of Resource

• Other
• text

Language

eng

Handle URL

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/117384

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2023 is held by Iman Alshathri, Anita Komlodi and Ravi Kuber. Copyright permissions, when appropriate, must be obtained directly from the author.

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