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Running head: COSPACES CRITICAL REVIEW

CoSpaces EDU: A Critical Review Andrew D. MacLean V00857643 EDCI 767 Section A01 University of Victoria Dr. David Blades 15 October 2018

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CoSpaces EDU: A Critical Review It is difficult to imagine in the 21st century, a Canadian elementary or secondary school which has not been somehow impacted by the growing incorporation of educational technology into the classroom. Whether simply the transition from overhead to digital projectors, or the more complex adoption of tools such as Google Suite to facilitate collaboration and content delivery, many of these technologies have become ubiquitous for both educators and students, simplifying necessary processes and responding to the changing nature of education in the digital age. While many of these educational technologies have faced - and responded to - the critique of educators at various points leading up their adoption, the same is not true of all applications, and nowhere is this more evident than the hundreds of mobile “apps” now readily available to educators for use in the classroom. This paper serves as a critical review of one such application called CoSpaces EDU, a digital creation platform for the education sector focused on incorporating virtual and augmented reality into the classroom. Through a critical examination of the software’s functionality and its potential applications to science education, this paper seeks to help educators decide whether they should introduce it into their teaching, or instead incorporate one of the many other useful tools that will positively impact their pedagogy and their students learning experience with science education. Application Overview Launched in April 2016 by Munich based virtual reality startup Delightex (Graham, 2016), CoSpaces is a “an intuitive educational technology [platform] enabling students and teachers to easily build their own 3D creations, animate them with code and explore them in Virtual or Augmented Reality.” (“What is CoSpaces Edu?”, n.d.). Aimed at helping to improve digital literacy skills, enhance creativity and foster collaboration in the classroom, the platform

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professes utility “across all age-levels [and] subject areas” (“CoSpaces Homepage”, n.d.) allowing users to create, explore and interact with content in a novel virtual environment. Availability and Access Available as a free web browser application with no download or installation required, CoSpaces has been specifically designed for the classroom, ideal for use on Google Chromebook devices, and available as a free standalone application for iOS and Android through the Apple and Google Play stores, respectively. Functioning on most tablets, iPads, iPhones and iPod touch devices, CoSpaces also integrates with most major virtual reality headsets, including the Oculus Go, Samsung Gear and ClassVR, with Google Cardboard compatibility provided through the iOS and Android apps. CoSpaces basic license plan, the free version of their software, is offered to educators with no advertisements, accommodating up to 30 students, and providing access to most of the important features, including the creation and management of classrooms and assignments, importing of external files, and the ability to view creations in both virtual and augmented reality environments. At a cost of $3.50 per student per year, the upgraded professional license adds many useful, but not integral, additional features to the app, including unlimited classroom spaces, seats and assignments, the ability to archive content, and access to their proprietary “physics engine” (“License Plans”, n.d.). User Support With on-going support available to users through both an active online community forum and an in-depth frequently asked questions page, Delightex has created a platform with an obvious focus on providing accessibility to educators. Their series of YouTube tutorials exploring different use cases for CoSpaces, and numerous downloadable onboarding resources continue to highlight this focus on educators and students, including a free online training course which

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endeavors to demonstrate how teachers “can integrate CoSpaces Edu into [their] classroom to enhance [their] lessons and engage students in learning.” (Aquila Education, n.d.) Science Education Applications Developed for use across multiple subject areas and topics, the application of CoSpaces to science education is emphasized by Delightex in various ways, including the incorporation of a physics features into the core of their application, and the inclusion of a “STEM and Coding” category as part of their lesson plan resource center (“Lesson Plans”, n.d.). The following section examines some of these potential science education use cases for CoSpaces in the classroom, providing cautions and concerns for educators looking to incorporate any of the strategies into their lessons. Physics Applications Presented by CoSpaces as a key feature of their professional software license, the physics engine purports to help students “discover the modern way to understand science and the world around us.” by activating “real world physics” and allowing “objects in your scene [to] react as they would in real life” (“Physics Engine”, n.d.). Featuring physics variables including gravity, friction, and mass, and the ability to perform virtual experiments that incorporate velocity and acceleration, the app seems well suited for a Grade 11 physics unit exploring complex concepts such as projectile motion, mass, and force of gravity, in a fun and engaging virtual environment. This virtual nature not only has the benefit of allowing students to explore these concepts safely, but also requires minimal physical resources and cleanup by the teacher. Biology, Chemistry and Earth Science Applications While the physics applications are certainly highlighted on the CoSpaces website, the software also holds significant value in its ability to provide an effective and engaging scientific

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visualization platform for students. Take, for example, a unit on organ system structure and function from the Grade 12 Anatomy and Physiology curriculum. Due to the nature of the subject matter and ethics regarding accessibility to human organs, students would traditionally be limited to examining two-dimensional photographs or videos, perhaps scale models if they were already available in their school. Through the use of the CoSpaces mobile application and free, digital models developed by organizations such as the Smithsonian Institute (Smithsonian Institute, n.d.) and the U.S.National Institutes of Health (U.S. National Institutes of Health, n.d.), it becomes possible for students to explore these systems in a whole new way, observing the organs in an accessible virtual environment which enables perspective not possible with two-dimensional representations. This same visualization use case could similarly be applied to the many other content areas within the BC secondary science curriculum where concepts are not able to be easily visualized outside of a textbook or a static on-screen representation. On the micro scale this might include such concepts as the structure and function of DNA from Grade 10 Science, structure and geometry of organic compounds from Chemistry 11, or cell structure and function from Grade 11 Life Science. On the macro scale, this might include topics such as eclipses and moon phases from Grade 11 Earth Science, the water cycle from Grade 11 Environmental Science, or the modelling of earthquakes from Grade 12 Geology, many concepts which already have models freely available through the CoSpaces collaborative Gallery feature. Concerns and Cautions Despite the potential benefits of CoSpaces in secondary science education, there are also concerns and cautions for each of the use cases identified above. The first of these concerns surrounds the use of the physics engine as a novel way to engage students with these generally complex concepts. While CoSpaces copywriters were effective in their use of scientific language

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to highlight the potential value for physics education, there is little information available on the background behind the physics engine functionality. Though this lack of transparency is understandable considering the proprietary nature of the codebase, it does call into question the credibility of the marketing claims, and in turn the accuracy of the simulations. With this lack of background information in mind, educators looking to use CoSpaces for physics simulations should be careful to provide additional context to their students, perhaps even performing a comparison of real-world results to those of the software before it is used in class. The credibility issue aside; however, there is also a concern that the physics engine requires educators to be well-versed in the CoBlocks proprietary visual programming language in order to appropriately utilize the feature. While not a detrimental factor in-and-of-itself, the additional knowledge is something which could make its implementation problematic for some educators who may not have a background in computational thinking or programming. Much as with its use for physics experimentation, the use of CoSpaces for accurate scientific visualizations should also be incorporated only under caution. Though CoSpaces does provide a rich Gallery feature which grants access to resources created by other educators, these creations are not curated by CoSpaces staff, and there is currently no way to identify the validity or reliability of the simulations. Indeed, even the models readily available from online sources pose concerns for the practicality of this use case, as the number of free and credible models are extremely limited, with others having a significant cost, an inaccessible format, or are simply too inaccurate and could lead to science-related misconceptions. As a result, it is important for educators to ensure they are critically examining all models being used in visualizations, and to ensure that the tool is appropriate for their given curriculum.

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Conclusions While there are certainly some concerns which have been identified in this review, what has been highlighted through the examination of this powerful educational tool, is an innovative platform committed to engaging with educators to maximize its positive impact, providing the resources necessary to effectively incorporate it into the classroom and beyond. Though CoSpaces certainly has room to grow in terms of applications in the science classroom (and may need to scale back on its marketing of the current benefits), considering its affordable price point and active educational community, when used with caution it certainly has the ability to effectively engage students with complex science concepts, and provide access to content previously restricted to only two-dimensions. Indeed, with the growing popularity of augmented and virtual reality in everyday life, CoSpaces appears to be a timely, accessible and relatable tool for students, allowing them to explore scientific content in a whole new way and enabling them to take on a much more active role in their micro and macro scientific learning experiences.

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References Aquila Education. (n.d.) CoSpaces EDU Course Description. Retrieved from https://aquilaeducation.thinkific.com /courses/cospacesedu CoSpaces EDU. (n.d.). Homepage. Retrieved from https://cospaces.io/edu/ CoSpaces EDU. (n.d.). Lesson Plans. Retrieved from https://cospaces.io/edu/lesson-plans.html CoSpaces EDU. (n.d.). License Plans. Retrieved from https://cospaces.io/edu/plans.html CoSpaces EDU. (n.d.). Physics Engine. Retrieved from https://cospaces.io/edu/physics.html CoSpaces EDU. (n.d.). What is CoSpaces Edu?. Retrieved from https://cospaces.io/edu/ about.html Graham, P. (2016, April 12). Delightex Reveals VR Development Platform CoSpaces. VRFocus. Retrieved from https://www.vrfocus.com/2016/04/delightx-reveals-vr- developmentplatform-cospaces/ Smithsonian Institute. (n.d.). Smithsonian 3D Digitization. Retrieved from https://3d.si.edu/ U.S. National Institutes of Health. (n.d.) 3D Print Exchange. Retrieved from https://3dprint.nih.gov/...