Dr. Brian M. Slator, Computer Science DepartmentNorth Dakota State University

Virtual Worlds for Education

NDSU WWWICNDSU WWWICWorld Wide Web Instructional CommitteeWorld Wide Web Instructional Committee

WWWIC’s virtual worlds research supported by NSF grants DUE-9752548, EAR-9809761, DUE-9981094,

ITR-0086142 and EPSCoR 99-77788

WWWIC faculty supported by large teams of WWWIC faculty supported by large teams of undergraduate and graduate students.undergraduate and graduate students.

Paul Juell

Donald SchwertPhillip McClean

Brian SlatorBernhardt Saini-Eidukat

Alan WhiteJeff Clark

MultiUserMultiUser

Exploration Exploration

Spatially-oriented virtual worldsSpatially-oriented virtual worlds

Practical planning and decision Practical planning and decision

makingmaking

Educational Role-playing Games

“Learning-by-doing” Experiences

Educational Role-playing Games

“Learning-by-doing” Experiences

Problem solvingProblem solving

Scientific methodScientific method

Real-world contentReal-world content

Mature thinkingMature thinking

Balancing Pedagogy with

Play

Games have the capacity to engage!

• Powerful mechanisms for instruction

• Illustrate real-world content and structure

• Promote strategic maturity (“learning not the law, but learning to think like a lawyer”)

Technical Approach

• Networked, internet based, client-server simulation

• UNIX-based MOO (Multi-User Dungeon, Object Oriented)

• Java-based clients (text version - telnet based; graphical versions)

The Projects

The Virtual CellThe Virtual CellDollar BayDollar Bay

Like-a-Fish hook VillageLike-a-Fish hook Village

Digital Archive for ArchaeologyDigital Archive for Archaeology

OthersOthers

The Geology ExplorerThe Geology Explorer

The Geology Explorer

• Similar to Earth, but opposite the Sun

•You are a Geologist and you “land” on Oit to undertake exploration

•Authentic Geoscience goals - e.g., to locate, identify, and report valuable minerals

Planet Oit

~50 places: desert, cutbank, cave, etc.

~100 different rocks and minerals

~15 field instruments: rock pick, acid bottle, magnet, etc.

~Software Tutors: agents for equipment, exploration, and deduction

Planet OitThe simulation

Maps of Planet OitMaps of Planet Oit

Virtual Field InstrumentsVirtual Field Instruments

Recent Advances

·New Modules:·Hydrology·Interpretation

·Expanded Graphical Client

·Redesign planet: sophisticated geologic map + tectonic setting.

The Virtual Cell

The Cell: Rendered in the Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML)

You are a Biologist who can “fly around” inside the cell.

You are assigned goals which range from “identify the nucleus” early to “synthesize ATP” later.

You set up experiments (for example, a chlorophyll assay)

Experimentation – bring samples back to the lab

Students can join from any remote Students can join from any remote location location

They can log in at any time of day They can log in at any time of day or nightor night

Human tutors cannot be available Human tutors cannot be available at all times to helpat all times to help

Students can become discouraged Students can become discouraged or “lost” in the world and not know or “lost” in the world and not know whywhy

In Virtual Environments:In Virtual Environments:

Tutors Tutors areare Needed Needed

Information is readily available Information is readily available

The simulation can track actionsThe simulation can track actions

The simulation can generate warnings The simulation can generate warnings and explanationsand explanations

Tutor “visits” are triggered by user Tutor “visits” are triggered by user actionaction

In Virtual Environments:In Virtual Environments:

Tutors Tutors areare Needed Needed

Student interact with the intelligent Student interact with the intelligent tutoring agenttutoring agent

Students can ignore advice and carry Students can ignore advice and carry on at their own riskon at their own risk

In Virtual Environments:In Virtual Environments:

Tutors Tutors areare Needed Needed

• Intelligent Software Tutoring Agents. (example: Diagnostic Tutors)

• 1. Equipment tutor• 2. Exploration tutor • 3. Science tutor • Detects when a student makes a wrong

guess and why (i.e. what evidence they are lacking); or when a student makes a correct guess with insufficient evidence (i.e. a lucky guess)

Tutoring is Done by:Tutoring is Done by:

Rejects the notion of standardized multiple choice tests

Pre-game narrative-based survey• short problem-solving stories • students record their impressions and questions

Similar post-game survey with different but analogous scenarios

Surveys analyzed for improvement in problem-solving

Assessment

Qualitative

The Geology Explorer:The Geology Explorer:Assessment ProtocolAssessment Protocol

Pre-course Assessment:Pre-course Assessment:400+ students400+ students

Computer Literacy Assessment:Computer Literacy Assessment:(244 volunteers)(244 volunteers)

Divide by Computer Literacy Divide by Computer Literacy and Geology Lab Experienceand Geology Lab Experience

Geomagnetic Geomagnetic (Alternative)(Alternative) Group: Group:

(122 students)(122 students)

Geology Explorer Geology Explorer TreatmentTreatment Group: Group:

(122 students)(122 students)

Non-Participant Non-Participant Control Control Group:Group:

(150 students, approx.)(150 students, approx.)

CompletedCompleted(78 students)(78 students)

Non-Non-completedcompleted(44 students)(44 students)

CompletedCompleted(95 students)(95 students)

Non-Non-completedcompleted(27 students)(27 students)

Post-course Assessment:Post-course Assessment:368 students368 students

Example: Fall, 1998Example: Fall, 1998

Mean Post-Intervention Scenario Scores for 1998 Geology Explorer - NDSU Physical Geology Students

Grader Grader GraderGroup No. One Two ThreeAlternate 95 29.3a 27.0a 42.6aControl 195 25.1a 25.5a 44.5aPlanet Oit 78 40.5b 35.4b 53.4b

Within any column, any two means Within any column, any two means followed by the same letter are not followed by the same letter are not significantly different at P=0.05 using significantly different at P=0.05 using Duncan’s multiple range mean separation Duncan’s multiple range mean separation test. test.

Mean Post-Intervention Scenario Scores

Module:Group No. Organelle ID Cellular Resp.Alternate 94 19.7b 13.7bControl 145 17.4a 10.6aVcell 93 22.7c 17.3c

Within any column, any two means Within any column, any two means followed by the same letter are not followed by the same letter are not significantly different at P=0.05 using the significantly different at P=0.05 using the LSD mean separation test. LSD mean separation test.

Teaching Principles

• Game-likeGame-like• Spatially orientedSpatially oriented• Goal-orientatedGoal-orientated• ImmersiveImmersive• Role-basedRole-based• ExploratoryExploratory• InteractiveInteractive• Multi-userMulti-user• Teach through learn-by-doing techniquesTeach through learn-by-doing techniques

Advantages of Virtual Worlds

• Collapse virtual time and distanceCollapse virtual time and distance• Allow physical or practical Allow physical or practical

impossibilitiesimpossibilities• Participate from anywhereParticipate from anywhere• Interact with other users, virtual Interact with other users, virtual

artifacts, and software agentsartifacts, and software agents• Multi-user collaborations and Multi-user collaborations and

competitive playcompetitive play

To visit WWWIC Projects:www.ndsu.edu/wwwicwww.ndsu.edu/wwwic

Choose the project you want to view from the list at Choose the project you want to view from the list at the leftthe left

DANA is intended to be a cross-platform information retrieval system for web-based multimedia utilized in anthropological research.

Ultimately, the goal of the DANA project is to create a network of distributed, federated databases containing research quality digitized 3D models, photographs, and video of archaeological and cultural data.

To the user seeking to access a broad variety of data, the client application will seem as though it is a user-friendly interface to a single online database. In actually, the user will be conducting searchers across a wide variety of databases located across the globe.

Digital Archive Network for Anthropology (DANA)

DANA is a recent advance!

DANA Fact Sheet

Though further research is required to implement the distributed, federated network aspects of DANA, the database browsing application currently supports servlet search capabilities for Postgress, mySQL, and Oracle databases.

DANA currently only displays VRML 97 and HotMedia 3D models, though the addition of 3D file formats supported by the NCSA Java3D Portfolio is expected soon.

Technology Used: Java3D Java JDK 1.3 Java Web Start Java Servlets JDBC NCSA Java3D Portfolio IBM’s HotMedia Classes

Starting The DANA Applet

After installing Java Web Start and the Java3D API, return to the application launch page at:http://atl.ndsu.edu/archive/dana.htm

Once there, click the “Launch DANA Applet” button.

Next a “login” box will appear, where the user enters in his/her username & password and then clicks the “Login” button to start the DANA applet.

Future Educational Uses For DANA

Immersive Virtual Lab

Digitally-Enhanced Museum Exhibits

Shared/collaborative research environment Global student education lab

Multi-use Kiosk and Web-based presentations