Music Education & Augmented Reality in Theatre
Kaylee McGuire, kaylee_mcguire1@baylor.edu
Baylor University, with Dr. Kelly Jo Hollingsworth
Music Education
Texas Music Educators’ Perceived Effectiveness of Inclusion
To make music accessible for all students, some students require accommodation or modification of general music lessons, along with instrumental classes such as band and orchestra. Students with disabilities are often included in music classrooms in a variety of ways, which may differ based on the student or school system. The purpose of this study is to evaluate Texas music educators’ perceived effectiveness of inclusion in music education classrooms. For this study, survey questions included experience teaching students with disabilities, practices in their classroom, and administrative support they receive when teaching students with disabilities. This study will assess current trends in inclusion in Texas music classrooms, educator knowledge and experience working with students with disabilities, and administrative support for educators when working with students with disabilities. Research questions are as follows:
i. Are there differences among Texas music educators’ perceived effectiveness of inclusion, curriculum adaptations/modifications, or student achievement based on years of teaching experience or specialty area?
ii. How frequently do music educators address music versus non-music objectives as their primary teaching focus when working with students with disabilities?
iii. What are the similarities and differences among Texas music educators’ perceived effectiveness of inclusion, curriculum adaptations/modifications, instructional support, or student achievement found within the current study and the results found within the VanWeelden and Whipple (2014) study?
Hypothesized outcomes include moderate differences of inclusion between teaching experience and specialty eras. Hypothesized outcomes also include a substantial amount of response noting lack of training to work with students with disabilities in educator pre-service training and professional development.
Yasmin Nearor, yasminnearor@gmail.com
University of Montevallo, with Dr. Bart Pitchford
Theatre
Defined Space: Creating an Experience
The world is constantly implementing technology into the workplace, leisure, and education. The use of Virtual Reality is used to submerge participants into an escape from the world. For many during the pandemic in 2020 this technology provided some normalcy. However, three years later, society is getting reacquainted with the idea of in person interactions, public sporting games and maskless indoor spaces. The use of Augmented Reality (AR) is a returning approach to exploring the world, as this technology does not completely submerge a participant into a cyberworld. Instead, AR allows participants to stay grounded in reality with a few virtual tweaks. AR started off as a technology of science fiction, and it’s now one of many highly used technologies for engaging people in schools, entertainment, and advertising. If AR has success in areas such as education and how knowledge is illustrated in places like the Alder Planetarium, can AR enhance and improve a live theatrical production? Thus, the purpose of this research is to examine the viability of augmented reality in theatre. This process is exploring AR used as an aesthetic and service through methods of AR glasses and Smartphone apps in four case studies. These include AR glasses in the Wizard of Oz, AR app in Elements of Oz, GalaPro app with captioning on smartphone in Escaped Alone and highlights of AR glasses with captioning. In addition, this research investigates some obstacles that AR faces in theaters and its contribution for further accessibility and entertainment.
Thomas Schnaible, thomas.schnaible@ttu.edu
Texas Tech University, with Dr. Jason Tham
Musical Theatre / Psychology
A Qualitative Examination of Mental Models of Users in Virtual Reality Experiences
This study strives to evaluate and document the experiences of users of varying levels in accomplishing Virtual Reality tasks. Individuals utilize mental models to inform their decisions when approaching various problems. These mental models are developed through prior lived experiences and interactions with their environment. With little qualitative research in this area of study, understanding exactly what users think when placed in a virtual environment will inform a better understanding of how to create an intuitive and overall enjoyable experience. Trials will begin in fall utilizing think-aloud testing and a semi-structured interview. Users will express their thoughts, feelings, and mental models while engaging in Virtual Reality tasks. Tasks will be selected from a variety of games or experiences offered on Steam VR, Meta Quest 2, or PlayStation VR. It is hypothesized that users will rely heavily on their physical experiences and struggle to interact with virtual objects and navigation in the environment. Further predictions include confusion and/or overwhelming stimuli resulting in stress and dissatisfaction with their experience. This information will help create a foundation in which others can investigate comprehension and learning in a Virtual or Mixed Reality space.
Session Location
- Foster 226
Session Date/Time
- Thursday, 11:15am - 12:15pm
Session Type
- Oral Student Presentations
- Student Presentations