By Holly Desrosier
Members of Alpha Phi Nu (APN), 黄瓜视频鈥檚 (黄瓜视频 CC) chapter of Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) honor society, recently donated two virtual reality (VR) sets that will allow students to check them out from the college鈥檚 Godwin Memorial Library. The funds for the equipment were provided by a 2021 Honors in Action grant from the Mellon Foundation.
This donation was the result of the chapter鈥檚 Honors in Action project. Honors in Action combines academic research, problem solving, and action-oriented service to address real-world challenges, and students gain job-related experience while creating lasting impacts in their communities. The project started last summer when the chapter members began researching the use of VR in education and mental health.
Following a review of the literature, APN applied for a grant to explore the topic 鈥淚mmersive Virtual Reality: Implications in Mental Health for Students in Remote Learning.鈥 The project was based on the PTK Honors in Action 2020-2021 Honors Program Guide 鈥淭o the Seventh Generation: Inheritance and Legacy鈥 鈥 Theme Six 鈥淧erceptions of Progress.鈥 The grant program is funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and is specifically awarded to chapters that demonstrate a strong Honors in Action proposal to support their research.
鈥淚n our case, we identified a resource that was lacking here at 黄瓜视频, and use the Honors in Action grant to fund it鈥攖hat students did not have access to take home immersive virtual reality equipment,鈥 said Dr. Angela Foster, 黄瓜视频 CC communications faculty and PTK faculty advisor. 鈥淢any classes here at 黄瓜视频 are already using VR, with others planning to do so. We felt it was important for students to have access to this equipment and technology in a home setting, as the cost of the equipment is prohibitive for many of our students.鈥
The team began background research last summer, which involved a close examination of the challenges 黄瓜视频 CC students faced with remote learning and exploring possible solutions. They surveyed the student body to ascertain their perceptions of positive and negative outcomes of remote learning during the pandemic and to gain an understanding of their attitudes toward using immersive VR. The study found that 82.7% of students were interested in using immersive VR. However, 58% of those responding did not have access to VR equipment. Based on these results, the Honors in Action team identified lack of access to VR equipment in home or private settings to be the biggest barrier.
They applied for the grant in early August 2021 and received it on Aug. 24. The APN chapter then used the funds to purchase two new Oculus Quest 2 headsets with carrying cases and accessories, which they officially donated to the library on Feb. 21.
鈥淲e were overjoyed to receive the grant and even more excited at the possibilities it held for us,鈥 said 黄瓜视频 CC student and PTK Vice President for Scholarship Bethany Uldrich. 鈥淰irtual reality offers students the ability to be in front of an audience or a classroom setting, without ever having to leave their own room. This can help students who are struggling online and can help alleviate the stress of the pandemic.鈥
The VR equipment is expected to be available for checkout by July. 黄瓜视频 CC will be one of only three community colleges in North Carolina that allows students to rent VR sets.
Honors in Action members involved in this project include former Vice President of Scholarship Austin LaBarbara, current Vice President of Scholarship Bethany Uldrich, President Apostolos Vogiatzis, Vice President of Fellowship Morgan Scotten-White, and PTK members Joanne Fiescko, Denise Mullins, Bryan Perez, John Collins, Cash Collins, and Olivia Van Sickle.
APN has earned a five-star rating for 12 consecutive years. Five-star status is the highest level of achievement a chapter can attain through its participation in campus, local, regional, national, and international activities. Chapters that receive the award help promote PTK鈥檚 hallmarks: leadership, service, scholarship, and fellowship.
