Addressing Educational Disadvantage through Virtual Reality

我们的项目旨在为那些经常被排除在科学之外的人提供平等的机会。我们重点关注两类受众：残疾儿童残疾儿童处于疫情恢复曲线的后面。残疾儿童伙伴关系的研究揭示了这一流行病对残疾儿童及其家庭的破坏性和持续性影响，随着限制的解除，这些脆弱社区正在被抛在后面。我们的项目可以利用最有效的科学领域，在covid - 19安全的环境中为他们带来令人兴奋的科学。光年基金会2020/21年影响报告指出：“对于患有更复杂残疾的儿童，科学提供了一种独特的方式来激励和传授关键的生活技能，如做出选择或处理意外结果。太空和外星世界等主题具有很高的吸引力，特别是对于那些行为具有挑战性的男孩等较难接触的群体。”（tinyurl.com/LYFImpact）该项目将使残疾儿童能够发挥其潜力并实现其愿望。虚拟现实（VR）头戴设备让孩子们有机会沉浸在夜空中，在安全可控的环境中看到核聚变和核物理等领域的前沿研究设施。虚拟现实技术的使用将通过提供令人兴奋的、包容的和可访问的活动，使年轻人能够体验否则无法到达的场所和设施，从而增强他们对STEM科目的信心。政府已经确定北约克郡海岸是一个弱势地区——一个所谓的“机会区”——并且正在寻求改善社会流动性和提高教育标准的结果。通过瞄准约克郡山谷内的机会区域和农村社区，这些社区不像那些靠近城市中心的人那样有相同的教育经历，该项目将有助于为这些学生提供公平的竞争环境，并开辟科学，无论他们的能力或社会背景如何。以前的项目将移动扩展项目带到农村社区（如物理研究所的实验室在一个卡车项目在威尔士，这是由PI提供的）已经证明了教师和学生的一个非常积极的经验。除了这些短期成果外，卡车实验室项目还促使20%的教师寻找更多机会让学生参与STEM （tinyurl.com/LIALeval2017-18）。因此，通过使用VR头显将科学中心、实验室和天文馆带到这些社区，以及通过大学教职员工和学生直接谈论他们的经历，这个项目不仅有可能对直接参与的学生的愿望产生影响，而且通过提高教师的意识和激励他们对学生的科学热情，产生更长远的影响和更大的影响。

Our project aims to offer equality of opportunity for those who are often excluded from engaging with science. We are focusing on two audiences : Disabled Children Disabled children are behind the Covid recovery curve. Research by the Disabled Children's Partnership has revealed the devastating and ongoing impact of the pandemic on disabled children and their families, and as restrictions are lifted these vulnerable communities are being left behind. Our project can bring exciting science to them in a Covid-secure environment, using areas of science that will be most effective. The Lightyear Foundation Impact Report 2020/21 states: "For children with more complex disabilities, science offers a unique way to inspire and impart key life skills such as choice making or dealing with unexpected outcomes. Themes such as space and alien worlds have high appeal, particularly for harder to reach groups such as boys with challenging behaviour." (tinyurl.com/LYFImpact) This project will empower disabled children to reach their potential and build their aspirations. Virtual reality (VR) headsets offer these children the chance to immerse themselves within the night sky and see facilities at the cutting edge of research in areas such as fusion and nuclear physics within a safe and controllable environment. The use of VR technologies will boost their confidence with STEM subjects by delivering exciting, inclusive and accessible activities that allow the young people to experience sites and facilities that would otherwise be out of reach. Young People in Geographically Remote Areas The Government has identified the North Yorkshire Coast as a disadvantaged region - a so-called 'opportunity area' - and are looking to improve outcomes on social mobility and raise educational standards. By targeting this opportunity area and rural communities within the Yorkshire Dales who do not have the same exposure to educational experiences as those close to city centres, this project will help to level the playing field for these students and open up science regardless of ability or social background. Previous projects taking mobile outreach projects out to rural communities (such as the Institute of Physics' Lab in a Lorry programme in Wales, which was delivered by the PI) have demonstrated an overwhelmingly positive experience for both the teachers and the students. In addition to these short term outcomes, the Lab in a Lorry project prompted 20% of the teachers to seek out further opportunities to engage their students with STEM (tinyurl.com/LIALeval2017-18). Thus, through using VR headsets to bring Science Centres, Laboratories, and Planetariums to these communities, as well as through University staff and students talking directly about their experiences, this project has the potential to not just have an impact on the aspirations of the students directly engaged, but also to have longer-term effects and greater reach by enhancing teacher awareness and inspiring them to enthuse their students with science.