Virtual Reality as a Hybrid Learning Solution for Education in Peri-and-Post COVID-19 Qatar

The proposed project seeks to address the pressing issue of achieving high-quality, uninterrupted education in a lockdown-like scenario via the design and development of an original Virtual Reality (VR)-Based Hybrid Education solution to be built and implemented for Qatar-based K-12 educators and students. The VR for Hybrid Learning prototype will pilot in several classrooms in Doha during the Spring semester 2022, and also for students in the Master of Arts in Sports Administration Program in the ExecutiveEducation Program at Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q). While there is a growing research literature supporting the benefits and potential of VR for distance learning and hybrid education, this work remains at the cutting-edge of education technology practice in Qatar, therefore making an applied VR for Hybrid Education product prototype of vital, actionable importance (including pilot tests, usability tests, and field experiments). The key local beneficiariesandstakeholderswho submitted Letters of Supportas well asin-house/outside collaborators include: (1) Doha College; (2) Lebanese School of Qatar; (3) International School of London Qatar; (4) ACS International School Doha;(5) Qatar Academy;(6) Nefaish Animation (creative studio); (7) Mezan Studios (game development studio); (8) the Digital Advancement and Media Applications (DAMA) Labat NU-Q;and(9) the Executive Education Program at NU-Q. The key research objectives and tangible outcomes of this proposal entail: (1) theory-driven basic research on experiential learning and solution-driven applied research on the design and development of VR solution for hybrid learning in collaboration with not only Education Advisors from K-12 Schools in Qatar but also Qatari digital platform/game developers and creative studios as local stakeholders; (2) user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) testing of the VR solution among K-12 students in the Qatari education system in the peri-and-post COVID-19 pandemic era t