Spatial learning in virtual environments by children and adults after active or passive experience

Theories of spatial learning, such as those of Siegal and White (1975) and Piaget and Inhelder (1967) have considered active exploration of environments to be beneficial or essential for the development of specific spatial knowledge. Real world empirical research in the form of both laboratory experimental and broader environmental studies tends to support this suggestion, demonstrating that active exploration of an environment, in both children and adults, gives better spatial learning than passive experience. Based on these findings, the working hypothesis adopted in this thesis is that active exploration of a virtual environment (VE) would also result in better spatial learning than passive experience of the same VE. Also considered is the equivalence of real and virtual world experiences, and the degree of transfer of spatial learning between VEs and real equivalent environments. Seven experiments were undertaken, all utilising a yoked active passive paired-subjects design. A range of VEs was employed across the experiments, including a room, a corridor, and both complex and simple small towns. Three studies used children as participants and five, adults, all having both males and females. The key finding was that the experimental hypothesis was supported for children but not for adults. Active child participants (when using a familiar input device) demonstrated superior spatial learning to that of their passive counterparts, but active adult participants did not show superior spatial learning to that of passive counterparts. Underestimation of distances was a universal feature, but was greater in female than male participants. Otherwise, the general equivalence of real and virtual world experiences was confirmed, with transfer of spatial learning occurring from virtual environments to real world equivalent environments for both adults and children

Using A Digital Planetarium For Teaching Seasons To Undergraduates

Computer-generated simulations and visualizations in digital planetariums have the potential to bridge the comprehension gap in astronomy education. Concepts involving three-dimensional spatial relationships can be difficult for the layperson to understand, since much of the traditional teaching materials used in astronomy education remain two-dimensional in nature. We study the student performance after viewing visualizations in an immersive theater and in non-immersive classrooms for the topic of seasons in an introductory undergraduate astronomy course. Using weekly multiple-choice quizzes to gauge student learning, comparison of curriculum tests taken immediately after instruction and pre-instruction quizzes show a significant difference in the results of students who viewed visualizations in the planetarium versus their counterparts who viewed non-immersive content in their classrooms, and those in the control group that saw no visualizations whatsoever. These results suggest that the immersive visuals help by freeing up cognitive resources that can be devoted to learning, while visualizations shown in the classroom may be an intrinsically inferior experience for students

tCAD: a 3D modeling application on a depth enhanced tabletop computer

Tabletop computers featuring multi-touch input and object tracking are a common platform for research on Tangible User Interfaces (also known as Tangible Interaction). However, such systems are confined to sensing activity on the tabletop surface, disregarding the rich and relatively unexplored interaction canvas above the tabletop. This dissertation contributes with tCAD, a 3D modeling tool combining fiducial marker tracking, finger tracking and depth sensing in a single system. This dissertation presents the technical details of how these features were integrated, attesting to its viability through the design, development and early evaluation of the tCAD application. A key aspect of this work is a description of the interaction techniques enabled by merging tracked objects with direct user input on and above a table surface.Universidade da Madeir

The use of a virtual environment in the education of engineering students

This study explores die educational value of using duree-dimension (3D) interactive technology in a virtual reality (VR) environment to augment the learning of engineering students at the polytechnic level in Temasek Polytechnic, Singapore. The virtual environment (VE) consists of a factory floor with different planning tools and machines which students need to interact with to achieve an optimum production rate. Forty second- year engineering students opting for the Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) third year elective were used as subjects. They were separated into two groups of twenty students. The second-year examination results from these two groups of students showed that there was no statistical difference between them, implying that both groups of students had similar initial knowledge. The VR augmentation group used a combined lecture/tutorial format to cover theories of the subject and used die VE as a learning tool to further improve their understanding by solving problems. The traditional instruction group used course notes, tutorial work sheets and teacher-led discussions. The instruments used include a post-test to measure performance, a survey questionnaire consisting of thirty-three 4-point Likert Scale questions, three essay questions, one ranking question and a final concept map type of question. This was followed by an interview to provide a deeper understanding of the use of VR in augmenting the learning process by probing for further details. Results in die post-test indicated that there was no significant difference in the score obtained by students undergoing VR augmentation and the traditional group (p=0.167, d=0.44). However, it was noted that the mean for every question was consistently higher for the VR augmented group. A more detailed analysis showed that for questions relating to problem solving, there was statistical significance (p=0.038, d=0.68) between the scores from the VR augmented group scores and the traditional group. Analysis of inputs from the survey questionnaire and the interview led to a further understanding of the learning aspects of VR, namely the features, learner characteristics, interactive experience, learning experience and the learning itself. This consequently led to an enhanced model of learning in VR

Information/knowledge design in contextual hypermedia systems

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1998.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 51-55).As we begin to comprehend the ways we interact with the data/information/knowledge structures which construct our individual perception of reality, we see a shift from the dyadic Cartesian method of reading our environment, to a triadic, or Systems View, which accounts for individual perceptual readings and individual realities. This shift in thinking relates that we are dynamic, self-organizing, complex systems which form an individual perception of our environment based on the relationships we identify between ourselves and the interrelated systems of data/information around us. Recognizing this shift, the research project associated with this thesis, utilizes interactive digital multimedia, or hypermedia, in the design of a set of tools with which to identify and illustrate these interrelated systems. It is the author's belief that once identified, these dynamic relationships will provide an ideal source of user-defined navigation of the group of interrelated objects. The dynamic qualities of hypermedia, which provide the author different modes of linking information of many different data types to one another, making it an ideal venue for the illustration and navigation of systemic relationships. Employing two and three dimensional methods of visual and spatial representation, integrated with in various combinations of graphic organizational models, the product of th is thesis will provide the user an information-rich environment in which to identify and navigate the associative relationships found amongst a group of physical objects, in th is case furniture of modern design. The thesis also looks ahead to speculate on the impact of emerging technologies such as Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and Tangible User Interfaces, on the design of information knowledge "spaces". The author will propose a future implementation of these technologies in relation to the current subject of illustration.by Andrew F. Miller.S.M

Wayang Authoring: A Web-based Authoring Tool for Visual Storytelling for Children

This research focuses on the development of the Wayang Authoring tool as it aims to assist children in creating and performing stories, developing an appreciation for cultural artifacts, and enhancing intercultural empathy while building a young storyteller community in a virtual world. This study seeks a framework of interaction design of an authoring media which is appropriate to support children s narrative development. The concept of the tool is based on the narrative element of the ancient Indonesian art form wayang, a traditional two dimensional shadow puppet theater. To understand the user s requirements and the cultural dimension, children and professional story performers who use wayang have been involved in the design process. In order to evaluate the tool, several workshops have been conducted with children from different cultural backgrounds as well as with their teachers. Wayang Authoring is composed of three elements: the imagination-building element, the creative acting element and the social interaction element. Children take existing materials as an inspiration tool, imagine what they themselves want to tell, create a story based on their own ideas, play with their creations, share their stories and creations with others, and reflect on their experiences at the end. This virtual creative production tool is expected to provide a space for young people to change their role from a simple user to a (co-)creator in the virtual and narrative worlds. The core contributions are in the field of web technology for storytelling. The uses of web-based authoring media enable children to put themselves into the process of developing stories. When they are connecting stories, they are connected and immersed with other children as well. They have to act and play by themselves or with others within the stories in order to experience the narratives. They train to have the skills to interact, to share their ideas and to collaborate constructively. This makes it possible for them to participate in today s media-driven culture. This research found that a better understanding of how stories are crafted and brought to life in a performance tradition offers a better design of interaction of an authoring media. The handling of cultural artifacts supports the ability to understand different cultural codes and to pursue the learning process surrounding the original culture behind these artifacts

The cognitive mapping of virtual space

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The Effect of Augmented Reality Treatment on Learning, Cognitive Load, and Spatial Visualization Abilities

This study investigated the effects of Augmented Reality (AR) on learning, cognitive load and spatial abilities. More specifically, it measured learning gains, perceived cognitive load, and the role spatial abilities play with students engaged in an astronomy lesson about lunar phases. Research participants were 182 students from a public university in southeastern United States, and were recruited from psychology research pool. Participants were randomly assigned to two groups: (a) Augmented Reality and Text Astronomy Treatment (ARTAT); and (b) Images and Text Astronomy Treatment (ITAT). Upon entering the experimental classroom, participants were given (a) Paper Folding Test to measure their spatial abilities; (b) the Lunar Phases Concept Inventory (LPCI) pre-test; (c) lesson on Lunar Phases; (d) NASA-TLX to measure participants’ cognitive load; and (e) LPCI post-test. Statistical analysis found (a) no statistical difference for learning gains between the ARTAT and ITAT groups; (b) statistically significant difference for cognitive load; and (c) no significant difference for spatial abilities scores