Open Web XR Studios for Collaboration, Critique and Exhibition - Toolkit 1 - for A-Frame

Abstract

The Open Web XR Studios prioritizes open-source open-access, inclusive, accessible, sustainable, and scalable approaches to remote learning. The aim is to support diverse students, fields of study and levels of computational learning. Through online and blended Extended Reality (Web XR) the project participants aimed to decentre studio and critique practices to include remote participants. This project took place in the context of COVID 19 within remote and online learning environments.

The collaborative project team developed three aligned web-based XR pilots for teaching, creation, critique, and exhibition of digital media by students and educators. Using research-creation and course-based research methodologies, the project team at OCAD University and collaborators at York University implemented three testbeds in First Year undergraduate, Third Year undergraduate and blended upper-year undergrad and graduate courses. Outputs include three aligned ‘sister’ GitHubs including software, pedagogical support materials and user guides.

Course-based research (CBR) took place in two Fall 2021 undergraduate courses at OCAD University: ‘Form and Time’, a required First Year course, Faculty of Art (Doyle, Jones) and ‘Digital Atelier’ in the Digital Futures Program (Ji). As well CBR was undertaken at York University in the Fall 2021 hybrid upper-level undergraduate/graduate seminar Spatial Computing in Responsive Environments, Digital Media (Wakefield). The three instances approached Web XR as follows:

- Form and Time included an assignment introducing capture by photogrammetry to create a collaborative network of small immersive galleries in Web XR

- Digital Atelier included a generative art assignment inspired by conceptual art (Sol LeWitt), displayed using P5.js embedded in Web XR

- Spatial Computing in Responsive Environments’s iterative assignments included building a multi-user Web XR space using Three.js and Node.js

Each of the streams has produced templates and frameworks with supporting materials available through the eCampus catalogue.