Language Performance Laboratory (LPL) & Extended Reality (XR)
Super-Immersion into Languages and Content Disciplines
OPTIMIZING FILM-BASED LANGUAGE SIMULATIONS THROUGH XR-ENHANCEMENTS
CASE EXAMPLE:
INTERNATIONAL PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION IN HEALTH & LIFE SCIENCES
SUMMARY
LPL-XR: “Synergetic Super-Immersion into Languages and Content Disciplines”
LangPerformLab (LPL), a so far unique online-laboratory for training, documentation and analysis of language and communication performance, enables film-based immersion journeys in real-life locations and “quasi-authentic” communication settings ranging from informal everyday contexts to case-specifically tailored encounters in education and working life. Trial-implemented so far primarily in the context of (foreign) language education at school and the accompanying research, the LPL has proven its added value especially through strong narrative storylines and their successful film implementation, resulting in highly immersive user experiences – with, so far, no elements of XR at all. However, following the implementation of our latest simulation series including trips e.g. into the stone age, the medieval times and to international workshop settings addressing global health and sustainability, the idea of optimizing the film-based immersion adventures through selected XR-enhancements has been raised explicitly – by 16-year-old pupils and as “one of the most appealing future development visions”. This feedback, combined with parallel running think-tanks on simulation design for purposes of international higher education e.g. in the field of health and life sciences, has helped us in identifying the perfect match between the opportunities provided through the present technology progression and our future development intentions. Hence, by merging the top features of both the film and the XR media, a new generation of simulation solutions for maximizing synergies between language education and international medical communication will be designed, implemented and evaluated for long-term international use – beginning with the “case-example-setting” of Health & Life Science Alliance Heidelberg/Mannheim and the Innovation Campus Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
K.Haataja | CRI | April 2024
