Comparative Study of ZOOM and VRLessons in Language Education
Hiroyuki Obari (Ph.D.)

Aoyama Gakuin University (Prof. Emeritus)
The 61st LET Annual Conference

August 10th, 2022

YouTube Links: 実際の授業動画
https://youtu.be/gPZU7cGzwis (早稲田授業, Servant leadership, Prof.
Weakley, 2022,6.27) 7 Groups, 6 CCC members vs. 3~4 students

2021: Zoom classroom, 2022: Face to face classroom
https://youtu.be/CxGv5Y1V6u0 (Cross-cultural IQ, Prof. Weakley, 2022.5.11)
https://youtu.be/BZTu22y94cI（東工大院 世界観授業, 2022.6.1) Online

https://youtu.be/epVh_6dudHU(存在論 by Dr Harre, Scientific Realism)
https://library.Educause.edu/resources/2022/4/2022-Educause-horizonreport-teaching-and-learning-edition (Educause Horizon Report 2022)

Tools for Learning
https://textinspector.com/
https://www.score-corpus.org/
https://www.english-corpora.org/coca/
https://voyant-tools.org/
https://www.grammarly.com/
https://www.trinka.ai/jp/
https://www.deepl.com/ja/home
https://textmining.userlocal.jp/
http://langtest.jp/ (Prof. Mizumoto)https://jasp-stats.org/ (Including Bayesian)https://papago.naver.com/

Oxford links: 授業教材
Oxford Martin Schoolhttps://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/
Oxford Internet Institutehttps://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/
Oxford Blavatnik Government Schoolhttps://www.bsg.ox.ac.uk/
Oxford Said Business Schoolhttps://www.sbs.ox.ac.uk/
Alister McGrath vs. Richard Dawkins
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=dawkins+vs.+alister
John Lennox vs. Richard Dawkins
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=john+lenox.+dawkins

Presentations
1) ASIA TEFL 2022 (2022.8.7)
https://youtu.be/TxfZ4mi8JmA2) My presentation at Cambridge Conference （2020.2.28）
https://youtu.be/TSzgjfh89Hg
3) JALT 2020, AIと英語教育 (2020.11.3)
https://youtu.be/VdUVZ1KLUcU https://youtu.be/AkwrOKCANL0
4) 2020Expo Education 講演 （2020.11.21)
https://youtu.be/AkwrOKCANL0

Outline
Theoretical Background
Case Study 1: VR lessons
Case Study 2: ZOOM lessons
Questionnaire
Limitations
Summary
Conclusion

Research
Questions:➢How does VR affectlanguage learning andthe higher-order
thinking skills?
➢How does interaction
with young CCC
members affectlanguage learning andworldviews?

Paradigm ShiftSociety 5.0

21st century, Society 5.0, DX
The Fourth Industrial Revolution. Industry 4.0
Our lives are transformed in many ways, andeducation is dramatically affected.
How to create a successful transition into new waysof language education in the 21st Century.

Changes in teachers’ role:
Facilitator, Curator, Mentor
Support the learning process by assigning theappropriate scope of learning to student
instead of giving the lectures, creating questions, andmarking.
Feedbacks are especially important to raise students’motivations.

Theoretical BackgroundSocio-Constructivism: Online Dialogue with CCCs
Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory of human learningwhich describes learning as a social process andthe origination of human intelligence in society or
culture. Human development is socially situated.
Social interaction plays a fundamental role in thedevelopment of cognition and knowledge isconstructed through interaction with others.
Does this theory work online?

Retention rates

Flipped Learning：PBL, TBL,CBL

12

Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy(McNulty, 2018)
Educational psychologist Benjamin Bloom developed a taxonomy of learning
objectives in 1956, as a structure to understand the learning process.

HigherOrder
Thinking
SkillsLowerOrder
Thinking
Skills1
3

AI/Google home speaker with iPads
Alexia + VR (Augmented reality)
2018

History of our VR research
2018, Started using VR at my AGU seminar with Smart
Speaker
2019, AI + VR, Integration, 220 points in TOEIC
2021, VR lessons with 7 CCC members with Immerse
2022, VR lessons with 6 CCC members with Immerse
July 2022, VR lessons with ION for 2 weeks +12 weeks

SMART CALL, 6 Exploring the impact of AI on EFL
teaching in Japan

1st Case Study: VR lessons with 6 CCCs

60 students took partin this project.

45 minutes lesson per
week

Pre-and Post TOEIC

Tests

Immerse platform

Many Topics

Questionnaires

6 CCCs taught English
lessons wit VR

Pre-and Post OPIc
Speaking Tests

20% dropped out

VR lesson with Immerse https://www.immerse.online/ja/why-vr-japan

Virtual lesson for 8 months （n=60)
45 minutes per week (1 vs 5~8 students)

VR online Lesson with a CCC teacher
45 minutes per week (1 vs 3 or 4 students), Occulus 2

Results: No
progresses at all.
OPIc Speaking test:

Pre 5.929

Post 5.714

TOEIC:No data of all (n=60), 20% dropped out.
1 student
Pre 625

Post 805

OPIc 6

OPIc 8

Speaking skills

Intercultural communication skills

Outcomes
Motivation to study abroad

Reduced the foreign language

anxiety

Participants’ comments
Summary of comments (Satake, 2021)
It was fun and useful to take practical English conversation
lessons at home using their avatar in various situations in
VR, where they were less nervous about speaking in English⇒VR English lessons helped Japanese learners of English to
reduce their foreign language anxiety in a short period

nd2 Case Study

During COVID-19
April 2021~January 2022

The Four Specific Purposes:➢To develop students’ higher order thinking skills and worldviews.
➢ Where are you coming from? What am I here for? What is your life purpose?
➢ Metaphysics; Interaction with CCC(Campus Crusade) from U.S.A.

➢ To acquire 21st century skills to prepare for digitalized societies.
➢ To acquire a more cross-culturally sensitive understanding via ICT
and to develop CQ. (COIL: Collaborative Online International Learning）➢ To improve English proficiency and presentation skills. Implicit
knowledge to use Language.

ZOOM
LMS/Course Power
MoodleMP4 movie
SNS/Facebook
Messenger/Line/Slack
Flipgrid
KahootDeep L/QuillBot
Grammarly /Trinka
Quizlet /PeerEval
YouTubeComputerized
Assessment
Learning Analytics
AI/VR/MR

Flipped Learning (Input →Output)
LMS
Materials

PeerEval

Outside the class

Facebook

PPT slides

Global
Education

Share

AI + VR

Essay writing

https://www.trinka.ai/jp/
https://app.grammarly.com/
https://www.deepl.com/ja/
translator

ZOOM Classroom
Interaction

Presentation

Q&A

Recording

Assessment

MP4

Flipgrid forSpeaking2nd Case Study 2: Interaction with 9 CCCs

17 students in thisproject. Flipped lessons.

90 minutes lesson per
week

Making DS(Digitalstorytelling)

9 CCCs interacted,

Zoom platform

discussions, feedback

with PeerEval

Many Topics (21stcentury, worldviews,
Cross-cultural CQ.

Questionnaires

Pre-and Post OPIc
Speaking Tests

Interaction and Dialogue

Worldviews related to Higher Order Thinking
The way you
look at theworld

What you believein(religious belief)

Cosmology(universe, etc.)

Evolution vs.
Creation

The meaning of
HumansProvidence

Concept of Time(past, present,
future)Cause and EffectRituals (funeral,marriage, New
Year, etc.)Purpose of Education: By John Lennox(Oxford mathematician) Who are you!

Where do we come from?
What am I here for?
What is the purpose of my life?

Curator’s role

For the digitalized society 5.0
EdTech (21st century skills)

10 Topics to becovered:AI and Society
Cross-Cultural IQ
Global leadership

YouTubeDocuments
VideosWorldviews / Ontology & Epistemology
Science & Theology
World Heritage
17 SDGs
Global issues from Oxford Martin School
Presentation skills

A ZOOM CQ Lesson

Breakout session: Presentation/Interaction

Breakout session: Presentation/Interaction

What is a Digital Storytelling?
PPT slides → MP4 Movie
DS is a process blending media to enrich and enhance
the written or spoken word.

DS merges the traditional art of storytelling with thepower of new technologies.
Students can demonstrate creative thinking, constructknowledge, and develop innovative products.

Assessment (Portfolio)
OPIc Speaking Proficiency Test (Pre vs Post)

Assess presentation with PeerEval

MPEG-4 movie product (PowerPoint slides + Voice)
Digital storytelling
Engagement by Observation (Filming each lesson)

Pre 6.7 (B1.1) vs Post 7.4 (B1.2)(OPIc speaking test ) n=17

B1.2=7.4 (SD.1.97)
B1.1=6.7 (SD.1.36)

CEFR Level

Box plots with individual data points
Box plots with individual data points

Changes of the individual data
Only 2 students less progressed, 15 students made progress.

Assessment with a smart
phone during a presentation.

PeerEval
Assessment

Comments about the use ofPeerEval➢It is easy to reflect on presentation to
improve weakness and quickly to get
the mean score among evaluators.

➢

Quick feedback

Questionnaire

5: I totally agree

4: I somewhat agree

3: Neutral

2: I somewhat disagree

1: I totally disagree

Do you think you have improved your English proficiency?
76 % agreed.

I somewhat

I totally

disagreediasgree0%0%
Neutral

I totally agree

24%

23%

I somewhat
agree
53%

I totally agree

I somewhat agree

I somewhat disagree

I totally diasgree

NeutralDo you think OPIc speaking test would be useful to assess youroral English proficiency? 76% agreed.

Neutral

I totally agree

24%

23%

I somewhat
agree

53%

I totally agree

I somewhat agree

NeutralDid you acquire the higher-order thinking skills? (Analysis,
Evaluation, Creation) 71% agreed.

I somewhat
Neutral23%

disagree6%

I totally agree
18%

I somewhat
agree
53%

I totally agree

I somewhat agree

NeutralI somewhat disagree

2021.1
N=17
ZOOM

How much students agreed

70%
71%
77%
82%
82%
82%
82%

2022
N=145
HybridHow much students agreed

81%
68%
80%
88%
73%
64%
70%

Did the interaction with CCCs help you to improve your English?

Neutral
12%

I totally agree
I somewhat agree

53%

35%

I totally agree

I somewhat agree

Neutral

88 % agreed.

Did the interaction with CCC broaden your worldviews and make you more interested in othercultures? 82% agreed. (meet with CCCs every other week)

Neutral18%
I totally agree
41%

I somewhat agree
41%

I totally agree

I somewhat agree

Neutral80.7% agreed. (2022. July n=145, Waseda)

80.6% agreed.

Did the interaction at breakout rooms help you improve yourEnglish proficiency? 100% agreed.

I somewhat

agree
41%
I totally agree
59%

I totally agree

I somewhat agree

Comment by Student"I feel that interacting with CCC(Campus
Crusade for Christ) members was very
meaningful in learning their worldviews. I feltthat it was essential to listen to many stories
from people of different backgrounds tounderstand different cultures. "Comment by CCC member"In April, the students did not speak much
English, and their presentations were notgood. However, after meeting andconversing with the students many times,
they gained confidence, and by the last class,their presentations were quite good, and we
could see significant progress from thestudents."

Feedback from students:
この授業は私が今まで受けてきた英語学習の中で、最も有意義なものだと感じだ。というのも、私が受けてきた多くの英語の授業は、ほとんどが文章を読んだり、解釈するだ
けなのに対し、この授業はインプットよりもアウトプットメイ
ンの授業だったからだ。私は英語は読めるが話せないという悩みを抱えていた。英語を話せるようになるには、自律的に英語を話さないといけないということが、この授業を通して改めてわかった。特に学んだことは英語圏の宗教や考え方で、ネイティブとの交流やゲストスピーカーの講演が非常に為になった。

Research
Questions:➢How does VR affectlanguage learning andthe higher-order
thinking skills?
➢How does interaction
with young CCC
members affectlanguage learning andworldviews?

1) Interaction in person
Summary of
two studies

2) Interaction with VR
3) Interaction with ZOOM

4) Video on demand

Limitations of Research
1) Difficult to control the experiments over 8
months2) No obligation to take part in all VR lessons3) Lack of data between pre-vs. post
4) Number of participants5) Difference in instructional designs

John Dewey(Experiential Learning)

John Dewey once said, “If we teachtoday as we taught yesterday , we rob
our children of tomorrow.” Thetechnology we have at our fingertips canhelp us to become those memorable
teachers of tomorrow.

Implications for Future Research
1) Does Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory work even in digitalage?
2) Face to face, there was a synchronization phenomenon in
the frequency of brain responses. However, online, there
was no such synchronization at all. Online communication
can convey information, but not emotional empathy. How todeal with this ?
3) How to find out the good research methods to assess thehuman cognition?

Summary during COVID-19
Education for the 21st century➢Interaction with VR and CCCs
➢Higher Order Thinking Skills➢Cross-cultural Sensitivity➢Autonomous Learners

SENSE

THOUGHT72

Conclusion (Einstein)“Education is what
remains after you
have forgotten what
you have learned inschool. ”

Final comments➢Dominus illuminatio mea.
The Lord is my light.
(Psalms 27:1) University of Oxford➢The fear of the Lord is the beginning of
knowledge. (Proverbs 1:7)
74

Acknowledgements:
This work was supported by JSPS
KAKENHI, Grant in Aid for
Scientific Research (C), 20192023. Grant Number: 19K00798

References (Cast study 1)
ACTFL, Assigning CEFR Ratings to ACTFL Assessments.
https://www.actfl.org/sites/default/files/reports/Assigning_CEFR_Ratings_To_ACTFL_Assessments.pdf
Council of Europe, Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment: Companion Volume
with New Descriptors, Strasbourg: Council of Europe, 2018.
Higuchi, K., KH Coder, 2001-. https://khcoder.net/en/
Hojo, R., "A study of students' anxiety over classroom English (6)," Bulletin of Joetsu University of Education, vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 495506, 1996.

Horwitz, E. K., Horwitz, M. B., & Cope, J., "Foreign language classroom anxiety," The Modern Language Journal, vol. 70, no. 2, pp.
125-132, 1986.
Immerse: the first VR English teaching platform. https://www.immerse.online/
Melchor-Couto, S., "Foreign language anxiety levels in second life oral interaction," ReCALL, vol. 29, no. 1, pp. 99-119, 2017.
Oculus Quest 2. https://www.oculus.com/quest-2/
Parmaxi, A., "Virtual reality in language learning: a systematic review and implications for research and practice," Interactive Learning
Environments, 2020.
Swender, E., Conrad, D. & Vicars, R. ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines 2012, Alexandria/ VA: American Council for the Teaching of
Foreign Languages, 2012.
Tono, Y., CEFR-J. http://www.cefr-j.org/index.html

Young, D. J., "An investigation of students’ perspectives on anxiety and speaking," Foreign Language Annals, vol. 23, no. 6, pp. 539–
553, 1990.

References (Cast study 2)
What is Society 5.0? Retrieved from https://www8.cao.go.jp/cstp/english/society5_0/index.html
Trilling, B., & Fadel, C. (2009). 21st Century Skills: Learning for Life in Our Times. San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons.
Carl Benedikt Frey & Michael A. Osborne (2013). The Future of Employment: How susceptible are jobs to computerization?
Retrieved:/Users/michaelosborne/Documents/Research/future_of_employment_paper/old/.texpadtmp/future_of_employment_1
8.dvi (ox.ac.uk)
Yuval Noah Harari (2018). 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, London: Jonathan Cape.
SDGs. Retrieved from https://www.undp.org/sustainable-development-goals
Oxford Martin School. Retrieved from https://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/

Rick Warren, A Life Purpose, TED Talks.
Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/rick_warren_a_life_of_purpose
Peer Eval for assessment. Retrieved from https://peereval.mobi/

Thank you for listening!
Please contact me for more information:obari119@gmail.com

Blessings to you all !
78

How can we use technology to serve humanity (and education) best?
ICT Education in the Post-Corona Era

Not "state and capitalism-centered" but "life and humanrights-centered" for a new society. “sharing, caring andlearning community”.
We share resources and capital, care for each otherwithout leaving anyone behind, and solve various
problems.
The "renovation of learning" that we seek is also tonurture children who will promote the construction ofthis "new society”.

1) How does technology impact the cognitive abilities of students/
children?

a.

Higher-order thinking skills through interaction with young people from overseas andlistening to the lectures by Foreign professors impacted the cognitive abilities.

b.

In the realm of cognitive science and brain science (for example, I think that the
influence of social networking sites has led to the spread of thinking and cognition thatmakes immediate and reflexive value judgments).

c.

From an educational perspective in terms of its impact on the "development ofcognitive abilities," in the direction of "a shift from memorization to utilization/inquirybased thinking and cognition" which will lead students to higher order-thinking skills.

d.

ICT terminals have become part of the infrastructure or teaching tools.

e.

With the help of ICT, the traditional knowledge aspect (memorization) is being
developed, while the cognitive ability to tackle some kind of "question" to pursue
curiosity or solve a real problem in society is required.

2) Over reliance on technology/ what do you
think technology will be like in the future?
a.

Science and technology will continue to advance further, and technology has extended the reality ofhuman augmentation to extend human capabilities. We may be living in the age of human augmentation.
In the field of education, AI, VR/AR/XR, etc. are being used for language learning. Especially Big data isused to analyze the history of learners and apply it to individualized learning. Learning Analytics will be
more useful. AI/BIG data will replace some teachers in the future.

b.

AI will reach Singularity by 2045. AI could do almost the same kind of tasks just like humans. AI would be
able to think and feel like humans.

c.

Some scientist (Kurzweil) predicted that AI is expected to reach Singularity by 2045. Functionally, it may
be able to perform tasks similar to humans, but the major difference between humans and AI is a sort ofmetaphysical thinking. Humans consist of body, soul, spirit, and mind. What is the difference between
the purpose of human life and the existence of AI? What makes a human being a person? When I
attended the DCM Conference at Oxford University, the keynote speaker, a prominent Computer Scientist
and creationist, said, “Then the LORD God formed a man[a] from the dust of the ground and breathed into
his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. Can God breathe on an AI and it
becomes a person? (Genesis 2:7) This is also a major question of the worldviews. Were do we comefrom? what am I here for? what is the purpose of life or AI? Humans can not create a being.

3) What are the greatest challenges or dangers of the(over)use of technology in the future?
The most obvious ones that come to mind are health issues,changes in interpersonal relationships, and copyright andsecurity issues. For example, in the introduction of digitaltextbooks, there are those who argue for the advantages of
paper textbooks (teaching materials) due to health concerns.
Personally, I don't think that these problems and concerns
outweigh the benefits of ICT, but I do think that these negative
aspects should be taken into consideration. However, I do thinkthat we need to take these negative aspects into consideration.

4) What will happen to our brain activities?
--The Corona Disaster has increased online meetings and other non-face-to-face communication.
Does this affect brain activity? By Professor Kawashima (2022, January 17, Asahi Newspaper)

Using a brain activity sensor developed by NeU, Tohoku University and Hitachi High-Technologies
When we are communicating well with others, the fluctuations in our brain activity are synchronized. It is a synchronizationof brain activity.
Face to face, there was a synchronization phenomenon in the frequency of brain responses. However, online, there was nosuch synchronization at all.
The online communication tools that are heavily used in the Corona Disaster are not communicating for the brain.
Not being in sync means that you are not in a state of empathy, that you are not in a heart to heart connection
with the other person.

In fact, communication is not deepening and we may become isolated.
Even though information can be communicated, -- In other words, online communication can convey information, but notemotional empathy.
The more the switching increases with the use of SNS, the lower people's ability to pay attention.

5) Important questions?
What is the difference between reality and Virtual/XR/MR?
AI will advance to get closer to reality?
Even college students were already showing signs of brain aging. These people were observed tohave various mental and psychological abnormalities, such as low self-esteem, high anxiety anddepression, and reduced empathy and emotional regulation skills.
We need to return to a society where normal interpersonal communication is possible, not a day, nota moment too soon.
Our current conclusion is that our brains feel as if we are watching a picture-story show, but thevoices are not in sync with each other.
The new Corona has caused the children's self-esteem and self-esteem to drop dramatically.
The world will become a very difficult place in the future when children who are poor communicators
become the center of society.

6) How can we use technology to serve humanity (and education) best?
ICT Education in the Post-Corona Era

With the new Corona, those who seek a society that is not "state andcapitalism-centered" but "life and human rights-centered" have begun
the search for a new society. In other words, we call that society “sharing,caring and learning community”. A society in which we share resources
and capital, care for each other without leaving anyone behind, and solve
various problems. Without the construction of this society, we will not beable to stop the runaway growth of capital and technology. There will be
no future for human beings. The "renovation of learning" that we seek isalso to nurture children who will promote the construction of this "newsociety”.

Aim for a new society:

It is necessary to aim for a newsociety that is "life and humanrights-centered" instead of "stateand capital-centered.

Future Education
1) A good use for computers in education is to be oneof the stationery like pencils and erasers.
2) Raise awareness and discuss the future of ICT
education and schools in the new Corona and postCorona era, which will develop under the global 4th
industrial revolution.
3) Aim for a new society that is "life and human rightscentered" instead of "state and capital-centered.

Dominus
illuminatiomea