Virtual Booth

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the inability to physically visit a wastewater treatment plant posed a significant challenge to the Sustainable Water Management course offered to Applied Chemistry students. The hands-on experience of witnessing and understanding the complex operations of such facilities is crucial, because it relates directly to students’ future roles in environmental chemist and sustainable practice. Recognising the importance of experiential learning, we adopted immersive virtual-reality (VR) technology as a solution. The VR environment offered a compelling alternative: Students could immerse themselves in a simulated wastewater treatment plant that closely resembled the real-world setting. This virtual experience replicated not only the visual and auditory aspects of the plant, but also allowed interactive exploration and learning.