Enhancing Life Still Sketch Skills Through Virtual Reality Technology: A Case Study at Mianyang Teachers' College, Sichuan

Introduction

With the growth of science and technology, especially digital technology, virtual technology has influenced every part of existence. Many college and university artists and lecturers are interested in using modern technology to make art. They seek new ways to express themselves, maximise creativity, and investigate whether new technologies may improve art teaching (Hou,2021). Most art nowadays was generated utilising two- and three-dimensional software. These digital technologies have been absent from every stage of artistic building, from sketching to completion. New technologies are used in he virtual and physical worlds to varying degrees (Hamad & Jia, 2022). Due to the widespread availability of low-cost HMDs and revolutionary tracking technologies, virtual reality has conquered many new industries, including gaming, entertainment, sales, and manufacturing, despite decades of research. Higher education is just starting to use VR for instruction. VR is one of the most innovative technologies worldwide (Thomas & Mark, 2021). In contrast to the traditional education classroom, where the teacher performs and controls the curriculum, VR can be used to create immersive learning experiences to help students appreciate a conducive learning environment and experience real-life feelings that help them retain their memories. Artists and teachers in China are still very dependent on the traditional knowledge and abilities in producing life still sketches (Bao, et al., 2016). The traditional way of art class has certain limitations (Liu, 2021) and the limitations reported are in terms of lack exposure in improving students' hands-on skills (Zhang & Maas, 2019). Dobricki et al. (2021) agrees that there is a serious shortage of exploration and research on applying virtual reality to various scenarios due to lack of resources and less exploration in the higher education context in China (Meyer et al., 2019). With the latest development in technology, there is a need for paradigm shift among the teachers and artists to keep abreast with the technological trends that has greatest impact within educational contexts.

In Chinese university art and design programmes, professors still use Chinese painting and its expression methods and features to teach using appropriate materials (Yang, 2012). Students continue to use this method because it helps them preserve their country culture, grow in a godly environment, and develop their abilities. Mastering Chinese art depends on Chinese culture, thus teachers must find ways to expose students to a vibrant and dynamic national culture. Due to globalisation, many current arts, both local and international, are imbued with numerous ideas and cultures, allowing pupils to interact with many civilizations. With 5G, very fast, dependable, and low-latency Internet, enormous data transmission and instantaneous virtual reality engagement are possible. Complete 5G marketing enables extensive usage of virtual reality in education. VR+ education is growing rapidly (Li & Xie, 2021).

Despite the development of colleges and universities, there are several teachers who have been loyal in terms of sustaining the traditional painting part in teaching and learning that infuse the cultivation of students’ creativity. Teachers can strengthen the skills and knowledge of their life still sketch by embracing VR to further sustain the Chinese traditional culture. The main purpose of this study is to investigate options for selecting how to apply virtual reality technology to the knowledge and abilities of life still sketch at Mianyang Teachers' College in Sichuan, China. This study seeks to answer the following research question:

What are the most important aspects to consider while applying virtual reality technology to increase life still sketch skills and knowledge at Mianyang Teachers' College in Sichuan, China?