ISLA XR Platform

challenge:

Create a platform that allows instructional designers to build interactive learning applications and distribute the apps to any XR device; collect user data; and provide feedback for improved education experiences.

Solution:

When developing ISLA (Intelligent Simulation Learning Applications), we leveraged the team’s experience building simulation learning applications for NASA. The approach to the architecture was to make the platform nodal, modular, and interoperable. This would allow us to continue adding features to the product as new technologies became viable (biometric feedback, natural language processing, etc.) and current technologies matured (encryption, blockchain, etc.) Interoperability would provide opportunities to publish to any hardware ecosystems as well as write APIs in order to hook into other platforms such as Learning Management Systems.

To get to our first version of the platform, we used Agile methodology, targeting the following features:

• Ability to ingest assets, including 360 video spheres, images, and audio files into a database

• Ability to place buttons with customizable text within a sphere

• Ability to place a custom text block within a sphere

• Ability to link assets within an application based on a modeled decision tree

• Ability to place a value on user decisions within an application

• Ability to publish a learning application to Google Daydream, Oculus, VIVE, and GearVR

• Ability to track the user’s path as she navigates an application

• Ability for a teacher and student to communicate in headset via a VoIP