Virtual Reality Data Visualization for Team-Based STEAM Education: Tools, Methods, and Lessons Learned

We present a discussion of tools, methods, and lessons learned from nearly ten years of work using virtual reality data visualization as a driving problem area for collaborative practice-based STEAM education. This work has spanned multiple universities and design colleges. It has resulted in courses taught to both students majoring in computer science and students majoring in art or design. Within the classroom, an important aspect of our approach is including art and design students directly in real scientific research, often extended beyond the computer science aspects of data visualization to also include the research of collaborators in biology, medicine, and engineering who provide cutting-edge data visualization challenges. The interdisciplinary team-based education efforts have also extended beyond the classroom as art and design students have participated in our labs as research assistants and made major contributions to published scientific research. In some cases, these experiences have impacted career paths for students.