Author(s):
Many students find that visualizing and working with geometry in three dimensions is the most difficult part of multivariable calculus. The Calculus in Virtual Reality Project (CalcVR) has created and published a virtual reality (VR) app available to users at no cost (on Google Play Store, iOS App Store, and Oculus Labs). The CalcVR app has over 50 lessons, interactive quizzes, and playgrounds that cover topics in multivariable calculus. Additionally, the CalcVR Project team has been developing course activities and supplemental materials to aid faculty in using the CalcVR app in their courses (available at https://calcvr.org). The CalcVR app allows users to interact with surfaces, curves, vector fields, and many other objects in a 3D environment. CalcVR materials offer the best graphical representations with curated examples and explanations, as well as the ability for users to input their own functions and explore different topics. Early research on the CalcVR Project focused on what students noticed and how they interacted with the VR environment. Later research work has included student interviews to compare a VR implementation of materials that were adapted from a collection of geometric activities studied at several universities in the past several years. The CalcVR Project looks to continue to create innovative VR materials related to multivariable calculus and help faculty implement these tools in their courses with as little effort and cost as possible.
Coauthors
Jeremy Becnel, SFASU, Nacogdoches TX
