Razrada popisa kriterija za odabir 3D virtualnih svjetova i izradu obrazovnog okruženja

The purpose of this study was to develop a criteria list to be considered during the selection of 3D virtual world platforms for educational purposes. As the first step in this process a draft list was created by the researchers based on literature review and heuristic investigation. The draft list was reviewed and revised by 2 internal and 4 external experts, and then used as a questionnaire. The items in the finalized criteria list were divided into three categories as follows: 50 items of technical specifications (system/program features, usability, software tools, multimedia tools, security, and cost), 21 items of interaction specifications (avatars, activities, communication tools) and 8 items of educational specifications (teaching/learning activities). Ultimately, the developed criteria list will be helpful for identifying and eliminating the deficiencies and constraints of virtual worlds used for educational purposes.Svrha ovog istraživanja bila je razrada popisa kriterija koje treba uzeti u obzir prilikom odabira 3D virtualnih platformi u obrazovne svrhe. U tom su procesu znanstvenici najprije sastavili nacrt kriterija na osnovi proučene literature i heurističkog istraživanja. Dva naša i četiri vanjska stručnjaka pregledala su i napisala osvrt na nacrt kriterija koji se zatim koristio u obliku upitnika. Završni popis kriterija podijeljen je u sljedeće tri kategorije: 50 tehničkih kriterija (osobine sustava / programa, iskoristivost, softverski alati, multimedijski alati, sigurnost, cijena), 21 kriterij vezan uz interakciju (avatari, aktivnosti, komunikacijski alati) i 8 obrazovnih kriterija (aktivnosti poučavanja / učenja). Na kraju će razrađeni popis kriterija pomoći u utvrđivanju i uklanjanju nedostataka i ograničenja virtualnih svjetova koji se koriste u obrazovne svrhe

Usability evaluation of a web-based ontology browser: the case of TSONT

As the use of ontologies expands, their visualization is becoming increasingly important. In this study, an ontology browser for visualizing the Trajectory Simulation ONTology (TSONT) was evaluated in terms of usability by considering its subdimensions, which are effectiveness, efficiency, and user satisfaction. The methodology employed in this study for evaluating an ontology browser is reported along with the results of the evaluation. The TSONT browser is a tree-type ontology browser created to allow developers to visualize TSONT. Six ight simulation programmers with at least one year of experience participated in the study. The participants were given usability tasks and their voices and eye movements were recorded using a sound recorder and eye-tracker, respectively. The results not only showed that guidance and terminology in uence the efficiency, effectiveness, and user satisfaction of the ontology browser, but they also revealed important insights into the requisites of the general usability of ontologies, even in simple text-based interfaces

An examination of interactions in a three-dimensional virtual world

Karakus Yilmaz, Turkan/0000-0002-5809-3962; Baydas Onlu, Ozlem/0000-0002-5812-7085; Yilmaz, Rabia/0000-0002-0453-1357WOS: 000363818800022Three-dimensional (3D) virtual worlds hold the users' attention by providing rich interaction in an environment similar to the real world. User engagement duration is known to increase in environments with intense interaction. However, information in the literature about whether gender, experience, or spatial ability affects interaction in these environments is limited. In this study, these three factors are compared to users' depth of interaction in a 3D virtual world. In addition, the relationships between engagement duration, spatial ability, and depth of interaction are examined to investigate whether the first two factors can predict the third. Findings showed that users' depth of interaction was not influenced by gender, but experience and spatial ability did affect interaction. A strong relationship was determined between depth of interaction and engagement duration, and a moderate relationship was found between depth of interaction and spatial ability. Findings indicated that when designing 3D environments, it is important to consider which kinds of tasks provide more interaction and to what extent spatial abilities affect interaction, as well as to prepare activities that will increase engagement duration and to devise strategies to enhance depth of interaction. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Effects of Virtual and Multimedia Environments on Interest and Awareness towards Winter Sports [111K516]; Scientific and Technological Research Council of TurkeyTurkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu (TUBITAK)This study was conducted as part of project number 111K516, the Effects of Virtual and Multimedia Environments on Interest and Awareness towards Winter Sports, and supported by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey

Information retention's relationships with flow, presence and engagement in guided 3D virtual environments

Karakus Yilmaz, Turkan/0000-0002-5809-3962WOS: 000435954100012The purpose of this study was to examine the correlation of different variables with information retention in guided 3D virtual learning environments by employing three experimental designs. in each experiments, different participants were included in the same population and different variables were considered. Information retention test, flow, presence, engagement scales were used as data collection tools. Namely measures of flow, presence and engagement were examined to see their correlation with retention in experiment 1, 2 and 3. As a result, not the total score of flow but focused attention, enjoyment and skill dimensions has a weak but significant correlation with information retention, while the challenge has a moderate and significant negative correlation. in the second experiment, retention had a significant, low-level relationship with teaching presence and cognitive presence, but it did not have a similar relationship with social presence. in the third experiment, information retention significantly correlated with affective and cognitive engagement, but not with behavioral engagement. Although the three studies' participants were from the same population, It was seen that the differences in the level of relationship between information retention and the variables studied in each study. Nevertheless, it was found that the levels of flow, presence and engagement of students are important for information retention in a guided 3D virtual learning environment. the study is thought to guide researchers to design 3D virtual learning environments for different purposes, considering these variables.Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey ProjectTurkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu (TUBITAK) [111 K516]This study was conducted as part of the "Effects of Virtual and Multimedia Environments on Interest and Awareness Towards Winter Sports" project (number "111 K516"), supported by the the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey Project

Usability evaluation of a web-based ontology browser: the case of TSONT

As the use of ontologies expands, their visualization is becoming increasingly important. In this study, an ontology browser for visualizing the Trajectory Simulation ONTology (TSONT) was evaluated in terms of usability by considering its subdimensions, which are effectiveness, efficiency, and user satisfaction. The methodology employed in this study for evaluating an ontology browser is reported along with the results of the evaluation. The TSONT browser is a tree-type ontology browser created to allow developers to visualize TSONT. Six flight simulation programmers with at least one year of experience participated in the study. The participants were given usability tasks and their voices and eye movements were recorded using a sound recorder and eye-tracker, respectively. The results not only showed that guidance and terminology influence the efficiency, effectiveness, and user satisfaction of the ontology browser, but they also revealed important insights into the requisites of the general usability of ontologies, even in simple text-based interfaces

The Development of a Criteria Lst for the Selection of 3D Virtual Worlds to Design an Educational Environment

Karakus Yilmaz, Turkan/0000-0002-5809-3962WOS: 000371554400005The purpose of this study was to develop a criteria list to be considered during the selection of 3D virtual world platforms for educational purposes. As the first step in this process a draft list was created by the researchers based on literature review and heuristic investigation. the draft list was reviewed and revised by 2 internal and 4 external experts, and then used as a questionnaire. the items in the finalized criteria list were divided into three categories as follows: 50 items of technical specifications (system/program features, usability, software tools, multimedia tools, security, and cost), 21 items of interaction specifications (avatars, activities, communication tools) and 8 items of educational specifications (teaching/learning activities). Ultimately, the developed criteria list will be helpful for identifying and eliminating the deficiencies and constraints of virtual worlds used for educational purposes.Scientific and Technological Research Council of TurkeyTurkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu (TUBITAK) [111K516]This study was conducted under the scope of "Effect of Virtual and Multimedia Environment on Interest and Awareness Towards Winter Sports" project granted by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey issued with the number "111K516"

Orchestrating learning during implementation of a 3D virtual world

Karakus Yilmaz, Turkan/0000-0002-5809-3962; Baydas Onlu, Ozlem/0000-0002-5812-7085WOS: 000383915700002There are many issues to be considered when designing virtual worlds for educational purposes. In this study, the term orchestration has acquired a new definition as the moderation of problems encountered during the activity of turning a virtual world into an educational setting for winter sports. A development case showed that community plays a key role in both the emergence of challenges and in the determination of their solutions. The implications of this study showed that activity theory was a useful tool for understanding contextual issues. Therefore, instructional designers first developed relevant tools and community-based solutions. This study attempts to use activity theory in a prescriptive way, though it is known as a descriptive theory. Finally, since virtual world projects have many aspects, the variety of challenges and practical solutions presented in this study will provide practitioners with suggestions on how to overcome problems in future.Turkish Science and Technology Institution Project [111K516]This study was conducted as part of the "Effects of Virtual and Multimedia Environments on Interest and Awareness Towards Winter Sports" project [number "111K516"], supported by the Turkish Science and Technology Institution Project