Integrating 360 VR, 3D Printing, and the Undergraduate Archaeological Classroom

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Pedagogy in the Undergraduate Archaeology Classroom" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Over the course of the twenty-first century, archaeologists have increasingly embraced digital technologies for research, data curation, and public engagement. Yet, like the practice of pedagogy as a whole, greater emphasis and systematic investigation is required on the role of new technologies in the archaeological classroom. Beyond 'wow factor' and earning social capital in the neoliberal university, does the integration of digital technology in the archaeological classroom improve learning outcomes? Do students feel a greater sense of connection with course content and engage in deeper critical reflection? In this paper I examine the impact of integrating VR goggles and 3D printing in two undergraduate archaeology courses that I taught in the fall of 2022. I assess the impact of both technologies via anonymous student feedback collected as part of mid-semester and end-of-semester evaluations. In addition to discussing results, I examine how to integrate both technologies into a relational pedagogy (i.e., learning with) that treats students as active learners and teachers.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Pedagogy in the Undergraduate Archaeology Classroom   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 35535.0