UniVRsal Access

Broadening Participation in Informal STEM Learning for Autistic Learners and Others through Virtual Reality

Lead Staff:

Teon Edwards

Project Staff:

Jamie Larsen
Ibrahim Dahlstrom-Hakki
Jodi Asbell-Clarke
Zac Alstad
Erin Bardar

Summary

For UniVRsal Access, EdGE co-designed the STEM-based Virtual Reality (VR) game, Europa Prime, with learners who have sensory, attention, and/or social differences and researched how VR can be used to increase access to and broaden participation in informal STEM education, especially for neurodivergent learners.

During the first two years of the project, EdGE conducted extensive co-design with students at Landmark College, a post-secondary institute for learners with ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and other learning differences.

Throughout the project, we conducted research, such as on the preferences and performances of neurodivergent and neurotypical (by self-report) participants under a variety of sensory experiences, the game’s impact on participants curiosity about STEM, and the use of AI chatbots within VR.

Europa Prime was developed in collaboration with the team at MXTreality, an XR development company, and it is now available for purchase and play via the Meta Store!