Refugees to get to know Cologne better with the help of virtual reality

A pilot project called "Language and Culture Lab for Refugees" aims to make it easier for refugees to access Cologne's cultural and linguistic environment with the help of VR.

Most refugees have never been to Germany before fleeing their home country. As a result, they are often not familiar with the cultural customs of Western culture or the language. Many therefore find it difficult to integrate into everyday life in Germany. In order to facilitate their access, the skip institute of the Fresenius University of Applied Sciences and the Cologne City Library launched the pilot project "Language and Culture Lab for Refugees". The aim of the project is to make it easier for refugees to access Cologne's cultural and linguistic environment with the help of a specially programmed VR application.

VR shows how life works in Cologne

With the help of a VR application, test subjects can virtually test how to find their way around Cologne and how the city works. Firstly, an everyday situation in a Cologne doctor's surgery was programmed. During the doctor's visit, cultural particularities of the city of Cologne are also conveyed: Pictures on the wall explain, for example, what the Rhenish constitution and FC Köln football club are all about.

Added value of VR in the education sector

"The aim of this pilot project is, on the one hand, to demonstrate the added value of virtual reality applications in education. Secondly, by immersing refugees in a virtual world, we want to give them the opportunity to overcome their fears and learn more quickly and confidently. We hope that this will make a meaningful contribution to living together," says Prof Christopher Wickenden, initiator and Dean of Studies of the 3D Design and Management programme at Fresenius University of Applied Sciences. Especially when language barriers make access difficult, VR with images and audio effects can make life in a new place easier to understand.

Further situations are planned

The application, which was presented at the "köln digital" exchange on 17 October, is now entering the test phase. Refugees are now to test and evaluate the programme. Test persons are being sought for this. Further situations will then be filmed, e.g. in the supermarket, at school or in public offices.

Source: Financial news