Increase classroom presence with 360-degree video

A flexible, open source technical solution that complies with GDPR

Kungsbacka Municipality was one participant in the recently concluded collaborative project Framtidens digitala lärande (Future digital learning in school). Researchers at Halmstad University and Region Halland and seven school organisers investigated how teachers can develop their teaching with analogue and digital learning environments and new ways of working and methods. This is where the idea of using 360-degree video for students who cannot be present in the classroom was born, says Lév Grünberg, developer at the City of Kungsbacka.

  - Video conferencing systems are not nearly enough to give students a genuine sense of presence. We didn’t see it as a helpful solution at all in this context. Instead, we wanted to use a 360 camera, so a pupil at home can step into the classroom and see and hear what is happening. The first idea was to stream via Youtube or Facebook, but we can’t do that because of the GDPR. We talked to Lars Lingman at RISE, and developed a technical solution. The City of Eskilstuna became interested and latched on.

The result was Inclubit-360, a web-based client-server system developed by Gunnar Oledal at RISE, which makes it possible to stream 360-degree video directly to a student at home. Inclubit-360 is open source software and can be installed on a server in the municipality. 

Communication is direct between the classroom and the student, no cloud services are used, no data is stored, and the GDPR is fully respected. In addition, the delay in data transmission is almost minimal compared to the most common online streaming services.  

Students feel almost as if they are in the classroom

The teacher in the classroom carries a 360 camera, which is logged into Inclubit-360 via his computer. The student at home wears a headset, which is connected to the Inclubit-360 via the built-in browser. The headset provides a 360-degree view of the classroom, following the teacher’s movements. The student can hear what is being said in the classroom. He or she can also communicate with the teacher and the classmates via a microphone, says Lév Grünberg.

  - Right now, we have several students testing Inclubit-360, for example at Kapareskolan in Onsala. We have received nothing but positive feedback from the students and their guardians, and school health services. The pupils mention they enjoy being in the classroom virtually and following the lessons. It almost feels like they are there.

The threshold is low, and it is easy to get started

In Eskilstuna, the use of Inclubit-360 hasn’t really taken off yet, but now it’s time, says Ranald MacDonald, digitalisation strategist at the City of Eskilstuna.

- The program has been installed on one of our servers. Some interested teachers have learned how to use the system with a camera and headset. We expect to test Inclubit-360 for the rest of the semester, and after the summer, more teachers and students can join in.

The primary target groups for Inclubit-360 are academically motivated students who cannot come to school because of illness and students with mental illness or other barriers.  

A few companies are working with this solution, but using Inclubit-360 is cheaper and more cost-effective, says Lév Grünberg.

  - It’s only the hardware, the 360 camera and the headset that costs money. Of course, there’s the cost of operation, but that is minimal. The threshold is low, and it’s easy to get started. In addition, the software uses open source code. Those who want to can therefore make adaptations and develop further on their own.

There will be a preliminary evaluation before the summer to show how it has performed in the first test phase, says Ranald MacDonald.

  - We look forward to hearing what teachers and students think about carrying a 360 camera or wearing a headset for an extended period. Is it a pain, or does it work well? We also want to know more about how Inclubit-360 works from a student health perspective. For example, is it possible to lower the threshold for those students to take the first step back into the classroom? We see a need for this in our activities.

What will the future of Incubit-360 be?

The next step in developing Incubit-360 is to make it an educational tool, integrating Powerpoint presentations and other digital tools used in the classroom, says Lév Grünberg.

 - Now, the student can follow what is happening in the classroom via his headset. But if the teacher shows a Powerpoint, for example, the student has to take off the headset and use the learning platform instead. So far, only one student can be in the classroom, but we want to build a safe environment where more students can be in at the same time. We would also like to see what happens when the teacher is educating the students from a distance, using Inclubit-360. But it assumes we get funding that allows us to continue the development work.

On the morning of 27 May, RISE and its two school partners will host a free webinar open to all interested parties. The aim is to show how 360-degree video allows absent pupils to be virtually present in the classroom and to point out how Inclubit-360 can be developed and improved in the future, concludes Lév Grünberg.

  - We want to both interest more school principals in participating and present the possibilities to potential funders. This technology opens up new ways to develop teaching and increase virtual and physical presence in the classroom. All schools can benefit from this! It would also be good to involve a researcher who could analyse its use and give us new perspectives. We hope that more people will join us on our exciting journey.