UB Neurocognition Lab

Richard Lamb, associate professor at the Graduate School of Education and director of our Neurocognition Science Laboratory on UB's North Campus, will be traini...ng teachers at Enterprise Charter School on how best to use virutal reality technology as a classroom tool, but he’ll also be observing how it affects student learning and cognition his area of expertise. When virtual reality is tied with traditional classroom, teaching student engagement goes up, as does critical thinking and comprehension, Lamb’s research suggests. In fact, one of his studies examined the complexity of student writing and showed a deeper level of understanding among those exposed to material through virtual reality, as opposed to those who learned only from a textbook. The conclusion was essentially that virtual reality should be a primer for other types of traditional education, Lamb said. By exposing students early on, the teacher can always refer back to that experience with virtual reality. More:

Grant to expand UB Graduate School of Education’s technology efforts in inner city classrooms http://ow.ly/JcNB308hsvg Some of the students are still remembe...ring the virtual reality experience they had in November, and they’re having conversations with me about sessions that were literally five or 10 minutes each, says Schwab. And they did it here. The students, who can’t get over their first brief encounter with virtual reality, haven’t seen anything yet. They’re about to be benefactors of an ongoing program designed to show Enterprise Charter School teachers how to use technology already up and running in the Graduate School of Education. Lynn E. Shanahan, associate professor in the Department of Learning and Instruction who conducts research in disciplinary literacies, is the grant’s principal investigator. She has brought in two UB colleagues who are experts in using technology to enhance learning: Randy Yerrick, professor and associate dean for inter-professional education and engagement, and Richard Lamb, associate professor of learning and instruction, and director of UB’s new multidisciplinary Neurocognition Science Laboratory. The grant aims to provide teachers with enhanced tools to increase their students’ academic achievement. Shanahan’s goal is to increase learning opportunities for students by offering them the chance to participate in enhanced learning environments.