Immersive virtual classroom as an education tool for color barrier-free presentations: a pilot study

Introduction

Color vision variations affect approximately 6–10% of males and 0.4–0.7% of females, although most of them live without experiencing significant problems.¹ Such variations are classified into three grades: monochromatism, dichromatism, and trichromatism. They are also classified according to the disorder or lack of cone cells: protan deficiency, deutan deficiency, and tritan deficiency. It is difficult for patients with long or middle wave sensitive cones to distinguish red-green colors or for patients with short wave sensitive cones to distinguish blue-yellow colors. If two or more types of cone cells lack or have abnormal cones, it is classified as monochromatism; if the cone cells are normal, it is classified as normal trichromatism.²

Patients with color vision variations often have problems in daily life, including school life, admission to schools, and obtaining a job. There is currently no effective treatment for this disorder. It is, therefore, necessary to consider how to use colors based on universal designs; this approach involves products or environments that are perceptible to patients with any color vision variations.³

In Japan, color vision tests during primary school medical examinations were abolished in 2002. However, before the termination of such tests, some studies showed that approximately 70% of primary or junior high school teachers were unaware of color vision variation. Approximately 80% knew that color vision variations could be detected during a medical examination using a color vision test. Moreover, approximately 90% of teachers were unfamiliar with the “Teaching Guidelines for Problems with Color Vision.” Thus, many teachers lacked knowledge and an understanding of color vision variations. After the termination of color vision tests, “Japanese Teaching Guidelines for Color Vision” was published to help teachers better understand color vision variation. In addition, the Color Universal Design Organization (CUDO) appraises and approves textbooks for the universal design of colors.⁴

However, it can be difficult for teachers to become aware of students who have color vision variations, and most teachers have not used the publication “Japanese Teaching Guidelines for Color Vision.” Color vision variations can cause problems for students in three main areas: school life, admission to schools, and the ability to obtain a job.³ For example, students with color vision variations may be reprimanded by teachers who have limited knowledge of, or who are unable to detect, the disorder.

In 2014, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology in Japan instituted the “Partial Revision of Ordinance for Enforcement of School Health and Safety Act” for medical examinations to help teachers learn more about color vision variation and to better assist students with such a variation in learning and career guidance. However, this Act did not assist teachers in learning more about color vision variation.

There are some supporting tools for individuals with color vision variations that use color universal designs to assist them in recognizing colors.^5,6 For example, designs have been developed so that affected individuals can perceive the colors in a design from a two-dimensional picture or on a website, but they are not designed to help educate teachers about color vision variations. Such designs involve a three-dimensional (3D) walking space without virtual reality (VR).⁷

It is well-known that virtual environments with a 3D space can assist in learning.^8–10 However, few reports have applied this process to teaching the problems of students with color vision variations. This study aimed to develop an experimental learning approach for understanding color vision variations using a color vision variation simulator in a primary school classroom using VR technology.

Methods

Experimental equipment

An iMac ME089J/A computer (Apple, Cupertino, CA) was used as hardware for the development of the execution environment, and Windows 7 Professional (Microsoft, Redmond, WA) was used as the operating system. Oculus Rift DK2 (Oculus VR, Irvine, CA) was used as the HMD for VR, and an Xbox360 controller for Windows (Microsoft) was used as an analog stick for controlling the viewpoint. Unity3D (Unity Technologies, San Francisco, CA), an integrated development environment, was used to construct the VR space with C# as the development language. “Japanese classroom set” (SbbUtutuya), a unity asset, was used as the 3D model for the virtual classroom and teaching materials. It is possible to develop this using an open-source software like Godot, but it is necessary to be certified by a professional organization that the software accurately displays color vision variations.

Based on existing guidelines for color vision variations, seven parameters were chosen, designed, and constructed in the virtual classroom as contents that are difficult for students with color vision variations to recognize or distinguish: 1) the color of chalk, 2) the color of a calendar, 3) the color of flowers, 4) the colors of paints, 5) a red pen, 6) the colors of figures or graphs, and 7) the color coding used in maps (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Seven parameters were selected, designed, and constructed in the classroom.

“Color vision variation Simulator for Unity” (Gulti, Tokyo, Japan), a unity asset, was used as a color vision simulator; it was developed based on the theory of color vision simulation by Brettel et al.,^5,6 and was verified and approved by the CUDO.¹⁴ In this study, the “Deuteranope” mode was used to simulate a deutan deficiency. In addition, “dichromatism mode” and “trichromatism mode” were included; the former was applied to the “Simulate Intensity,” a parameter that showed the degree of simulation and was maximized, while the latter involved the state when the simulator was turned off.

Usability and utility tests

Objective

The test evaluated the usability and utility of the system for educational purposes.

Experimental set-up and tasks

The participants, who did not have color vision variations, were recruited by snow-ball sampling. The test took approximately 30 min and was performed in the authors’ study room with a single participant and a test navigator. The participants were seated when using the system (Figure 2).

Figure 2. The participants followed the instructions of the navigator and experienced the differences between normal and abnormal color vision while moving through the virtual classroom.

Before the test started, the objectives of the test were explained, and the participant completed the pretest questionnaire.¹⁸ Then, the participant received additional explanations regarding the outlines of the system and items in the virtual classroom that must be watched, and he/she was given instructions on how to operate the controller. The participant was then connected to the Oculus Rift to start the test. The Oculus Rift was set up based on the participant’s height.

First, the participant experienced the dichromatism mode. During this experience, the navigator in charge asked seven questions about how the participant saw colors. The participant answered the questions orally while operating the viewpoint. Second, the participant experienced the trichromatism mode and answered the same questions. Finally, the participant completed a questionnaire about usability and utility (10 cm visual analog scale [VAS]) and finished the test.

There were four items in the questionnaire: ease of operation with the controller, immersion with the HMD, clearness of the display, and VR sickness. There were two questions about whether the participant learned about problems with color vision and whether the system promoted a better understanding of color vision variations.

The test was consistent with the “Ethical Guidelines for Medical and Health Research Involving Human Subjects” (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology, Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare, 2014) and was performed after written informed consent was obtained from the participants. The questionnaire was completed anonymously and was self-administered. Personal information was treated in accordance with the Act on the Protection of Personal Information and information security policy of the University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan. Ethics approval was obtained from the Research Ethics Committee of the University of Tokyo (1139).

Results

The participants were 10 university students (two males and eight females) at the Graduate School of Medicine; they were 21–47 years of age, with an average age of 26.6 years and a standard deviation (SD) of 7.3 years.¹⁸

All participants answered that they were familiar with the term “color vision variations,” but only four knew situations when students with color vision variations had difficulties. One participant answered that she had previously used a color vision variation simulation tool only to check the coloring of her website.

Table 1 shows the results of the questionnaire regarding utility and usability.

Regarding utility, whether they could learn the locations of color vision problems was 9.6 ± 0.6 (VAS average ± SD) and whether the system promoted a better understanding of color vision variation was 9.0 ± 1.0.

Regarding usability, the ease of operation was 7.3 ± 1.7, immersion with HMD was 8.4 ± 1.6, clearness of the display was 5.8 ± 2.2, and VR sickness was 6.6 ± 2.5.

Some remarks were included in the free description field, including “to use things which contents we have to understand only by color should be avoided,” “although the colors are similar, if the tints of them are different, some people could not tell them apart,” and “we should be careful of how to show graphs: how to use colors, designs or patterns.”

Discussion

We developed an experience-based educational support system using VR technology to provide information about color vision variations and evaluated its usability and utility for participants without color vision variations.

Approximately 20% of the teachers in a previous report stated that they became aware of problems with the colors of chalk.¹⁴ The result of this study shows that a few participants had not noticed difficulties in students with a color vision variation, although they knew the term “color vision variations.” In addition, few participants had used color simulation tools. Although the participants were students, there was an apparent minimal interest in, or awareness of, the problems associated with color vision variations.

In the evaluation of the system’s utility, the average score was 9.6 for the question “How well do you understand what items are difficult for children with color vision variations to see or distinguish?” and the confidence interval was small. The other question item, whether the system promoted a better understanding of color vision variations, also received an average score of 9.0. This high evaluation is a result of the participants being presented with the world of the virtual classroom in both two-color and three-color modes, so that participants could experience the differences in color between the two modes alternately. Furthermore, for student participants with different color variations, only the problematic points as shown in Figure 1 were used, and the participants were operating the system while asking questions, which may have made it easier for them to focus on the target in the virtual classroom. It was suggested that additional educational effects could be achieved by organizing and expanding the content.

The usability evaluation results show that the average ease of operation with the controller was 7.3 (SD: 1.7). In this system, a video game controller was used as the operation device; therefore, whether the participants had experience operating a game controller influenced the results. In addition, because the movement speed of the viewpoint during rotation was set to slow to avoid VR sickness, the usability evaluation might have decreased.

The average immersion of the HMD was 8.4, suggesting that the participants received a high degree of immersion using the HMD because their actual surroundings were eliminated by wearing the HMD, and the display followed the motion of the participant’s head.

Regarding the clearness of the display, the average (5.8) was lower than that for the other parameters, and the confidence interval varied widely. It is assumed that the experience of wearing the HMD differed among the participants. Color noise was sometimes seen in the display because the HMD tilted due to head movement or looseness of the headband. In addition, a participant stated that the HMD display resolution was low, which caused a decline in immersion. The HMD resolution should therefore be improved.

Most participants experienced VR sickness. One participant experienced VR sickness during rotation movements with the controller. The VR sickness is consistent with many studies that reported that visual rotational motion could cause visually-induced motion sickness.^15–17 An unfamiliar controller operation might have caused VR sickness. The user interface should therefore be improved, and the ability to rotate the controller should be restricted.

From the results of the free-response question regarding whether one’s understanding of color vision variations increased, the reason for the better understanding of the changes in color vision was not only that the participants answered the questions while comparing the three-color vision modes with the two-color vision modes, but also that the navigator explained to the participants the specific things to think about during the experience. The system could be used to develop better graphs for PowerPoint presentations, not just by schoolteachers and staff but also by students and other occupational workers.

There are limitations to this study. First, the participants were students even though the system was developed for teachers. Second, the evaluations were subjective, and the teaching efficacy could not be measured quantitatively.

Conclusions

We have developed a VR system that allows children with color vision mutations to experience their color vision and demonstrate its properties. With this system, teachers will be able to increase their knowledge of color vision mutations and solve color vision problems in the classroom. In the future, it is necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of this approach for teachers.

Data availability