UBC is Entering the Metaverse: Gamifying Forestry

TitleUBC is Entering the Metaverse: Gamifying Forestry
Faculty/College/UnitForestry
StatusActive
Duration1 Year
Initiation04/01/2022
Project Summary

The metaverse is a proposed next evolution of the internet, involving the creation of "digital twin" virtual representations of the real world where people can interact in virtual reality. There are a wide-range of unexplored applications for an educational metaverse in Forestry such as virtual field trips, creative sandbox play, and exploration-based learning. In the Faculty of Forestry, field schools and outdoor exercises are critical learning experiences common to all undergraduate programs, yet it is challenging to provide these experiences from an urban campus. Game engines are a logical entry point into an educational metaverse because they provide the basis for simulating real-world environments including processes such as Sun position, lighting, shading, atmosphere, clouds, weather, gravity, and vegetation growth. This project will produce purpose-built mods for the open source Minetest game engine and develop Open Educational Resources for gamifying Forestry classrooms.

Funding Details
Year 1: Project YearYear 1
Year 1: Funding Year2022/2023
Year 1: Project TypeSmall TLEF
Year 1: Principal InvestigatorPaul Pickell
Year 1: Funded Amount41,558
Year 1: Team Members

Paul Pickell, Assistant Professor of Teaching, Forest Resources Management, Faculty of Forestry
Dominik Roeser, Associate Professor, Forest Resources Management, Faculty of Forestry
Michelle Zeng, Sr. Manager, Educational Strategies, Office of the Dean, Faculty of Forestry,
Ginny Hang, Graduate Student, Urban Forestry Leadership, Faculty of Forestry

Year 1: TLEF ShowcaseYear 1: TLEF Showcase