Exploring the use of virtual reality technology to generate social innovation in rural Indigenous communities. The project will involve collaborative initiatives between college students, the community, and high school students and teachers to develop the VR prototype to support innovation in cultural tourism and disseminate knowledge on the use of VR technology for economic and social benefits of Indigenous communities.
Project Dates: June, 2023 – May, 2026
Funding Amount: $360,000
Project Summary
This project is an exploration into the suitability of using virtual reality (VR) technology to support initiatives of importance to the Huu-ay-aht First Nation (HFN), a remote and rural Indigenous community situated primarily within the Anacla and Bamfield regions on the west coast of Vancouver Island. The study will:
- identify the potential benefits and/or drawbacks of using VR technology in areas such as education and tourism for communities like HFN,
- evaluate the community's level of interest in that technology,
- conceptualize and develop a culturally appropriate and sustainable VR experience or training program that would be of lasting value to the community, and
- build capacity for supporting emergent technology training along the way.
The project is a collaborative initiative between community members, college students, teachers, and school-age students in the Anacla and Bamfield regions.
Research Team
Tony Trudel, Lead Researcher
Tony is an accredited Virtual Reality (VR) educator and small-business owner with a wide range of expertise in the use of emergent technologies. He has attended or helped facilitate hundreds of educational events that were held on social VR platforms, and he recently graduated from UBC’s Master of Educational Technology program. As such, Tony is well-prepared and eager to share what he’s learned to support others in their selection and use of emergent educational technologies, which includes not only those related to VR but those related to Augmented Reality (AR), Mixed Reality (MR), and Artificial Intelligence too. Tony has been teaching at NIC for well over a decade, first English then math, and he continues to teach in those areas. Before establishing his place at NIC, Tony had been an assistant language teacher in Okinawa, Japan and a teacher on call for the Sooke and Comox Valley school districts.
Partners
