KUALA LUMPUR - Virtual reality (VR) technology is no longer limited to video games or entertainment, but is now being used as an educational tool to help students understand subjects often perceived as boring, technical and difficult to grasp.
Nur Fadzillah Mohd Ali, Digital Development Manager of Must Read, a local publishing company applying VR technology, said the response so far from students, teachers and the general public who have tried the technology has been very encouraging.
She said some students who visited the Kuala Lumpur International Book Fair (PBAKL) last year have returned to this year’s exhibition to watch new historical animations.
"In the past, students only read history books which sometimes felt distant and boring.
"Now, with VR technology offering a 360-degree cinematic and immersive experience, they can ‘enter’ the story and personally feel the atmosphere of the warrior era, as if they are right in the middle of the historical events themselves,” she said in an interview with Bernama recently at PBAKL held at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur (WTCKL).
Fadzillah said among the projects introduced is Hero Nusantara, an interactive learning platform that uses VR to bring to life 14 key historical figures from Malaysia and the Nusantara region, including renowned names such as Tok Janggut, Mat Kilau and Rentap.
She said that through strategic collaboration with Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI), especially the History Department, the company ensures that every story conveyed through the technology is factually accurate and aligns with the education syllabus.
In addition, she said the company is also expanding the use of VR into other subjects such as science and engineering.
"For example, students can observe cloud formation in science subjects or learn how to repair machinery in engineering in a practical way without any physical risk,” she said. - BERNAMA