XR Hub 29 October: now also order in the virtual classroom in 'groep 7/8', and identifying physical violence using VR 

How can the use of virtual reality contribute to scientific research and education? On 29 October, at the XR Hub, scientists will discuss the use of VR in developing classroom management skills and the automatic detection of physical violence. The plenary session will be followed by demonstrations of the projects discussed in the XR lab.

• Location: Smitsborg, Nettelbosje 1, Groningen;
• Time:
  • 10.30 -11.30: plenary session (also available via a video stream; please let us know when you register)
  • 11.30 -12.00: VR aps demos in the XR Lab
• Sign up: send an email to realitycenter rug.nl.

• Language: English

Programme

> New in ‘Order in the classroom with Virtual Reality’: Year 7/8 module | Ilse Nieuwenhuis and Jolien Mouw (Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences)
The project ‘Order in the virtual classroom with VR’ aims to support (future) educational professionals in developing their classroom management skills. This is achieved by allowing them to practise in a safe virtual reality (VR) classroom. With the latest module, they can practise teaching 'groep 7/8' (pupils aged 9–13) in three different scenarios: pupils returning after a break, a whole-class instruction, or an instruction to a small group whilst the rest of the class is working.
Classroom management is of fundamental importance in all these situations, but each situation requires different skills. In addition to classroom management, trainee teachers can work on their instructional skills, differentiation and encouraging independence.

> GUARD Research Project | Resul Adanur (Faculty of Science and Engineering)
GUARD is a PhD research project investigating how wearable devices, similar to the sensors already found in everyday smartwatches, could automatically detect physical assault. By tracking signals such as heart rate and skin conductance alongside body movements and combining these with machine learning, the system aims to recognise signs of physical distress in real time.
To test this in a realistic yet safe manner, a VR experiment has been designed in which participants are placed in threat scenarios of varying intensity, comparing an AI-based auromatic-alert bracelet afainst a manually triggered device, as well as a control group. This makes it possible to study genuine stress responses without actually putting anyone in danger.

> Call for Proposals 2.0 | Rik Boer (Human Centered Technologies, Hanze) en Gert-Jan Verheij (Center for Information Technology, UG)
Through the ‘XR-lab Hanze-RUG’ initiative, we are offering researchers and lecturers at the University of Groningen the opportunity to have a proof of concept developed by fourth-year students from Hanze University of Applied Sciences. The result can be used for research or teaching, or as part of a grant application, for which the CIT’s Visualisation team can build a fully-fledged version of the XR app.
During the meeting, this initiative will be explained in more detail and a number of completed examples will be showcased. The deadline for the Call for Proposals is early January 2027, with the students carrying out the work between February and June 2027.