Agenda

In the past year, video conferencing platforms such as Zoom and Google Meet have become the common tool used for meetings and classes all over the world. But after all this time, the issues and limitations of this approach are clear, especially when it comes to education and learning.

For this reason, this semester some researchers of the VeDPH tested a new digital solution called Mozilla Hubs (https://hubs.mozilla.com/), a collaboration platform that everybody can use with just a browser, allowing the participants to meet as avatars in a costumed virtual space. A “room” or “scene” inspired by the Venitian cityscape was created and, to test the platform, a Virtual Archaeology lesson was designed and taught, regarding the spolia, ancient manufacts reused as building materials or decorations that are present all around Venice. During the class it was possible to give a generic introduction, showing images and text, and then the students were able to see live 3D models of the ancient context explained by the speakers. At the end, the students filled out a survey on the usability and effectiveness of the class, and the overall results were encouraging.