VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTSVIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTSININ

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

FIRST RESULTSFIRST RESULTS

VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTSVIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTSININ

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

FIRST RESULTSFIRST RESULTS

A. Chalkidis, A. T. Mikropoulos, A. KatsikisA. Chalkidis, A. T. Mikropoulos, A. Katsikis

Department of Primary EducationDepartment of Primary Education

Faculty of EducationFaculty of Education

University of Ioannina, GreeceUniversity of Ioannina, Greece(Earth team)(Earth team)

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• Presented at 1Presented at 1stst Virtual Reality in Education and Virtual Reality in Education and Training Conf. (VRET ‘97)Training Conf. (VRET ‘97)

• Loughborough University, 1997Loughborough University, 1997

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Environmental EducationEnvironmental Education

• Connection between environment and education Connection between environment and education • aboutabout the environment the environment • from and throughfrom and through the environment the environment • forfor the environment the environment

• Interdisciplinary approachInterdisciplinary approach• The aims of environmental education are cognitive, The aims of environmental education are cognitive,

scientific, skills development, social scientific, skills development, social • Promotes the application of open learning Promotes the application of open learning

environments, the application of innovations and environments, the application of innovations and the students’ self-activitythe students’ self-activity

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Virtual Reality and Environmental Virtual Reality and Environmental EducationEducation

Investigating the goals and practice of Investigating the goals and practice of environmental education, we find out that environmental education, we find out that it has it has parallel ambitions parallel ambitions with virtual with virtual environments environments

• favoring learning through sensesfavoring learning through senses

• providing a sense of freedom providing a sense of freedom

• reducing the tendency for homogeneous reducing the tendency for homogeneous behavior. behavior.

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The LAKE ProjectThe LAKE Project

virtuavirtuaLL AApproach pproach

to the to the KKernel of ernel of EEutrophicationutrophication

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Phase I - GeneralPhase I - General

• The topic The topic of our research, prototype of our research, prototype development and experimentation, is the development and experimentation, is the phenomenon of eutrophication in lakes phenomenon of eutrophication in lakes

• Eutrophication has been selected because Eutrophication has been selected because the educational outcomes are easily the educational outcomes are easily transfered to other topicstransfered to other topics

• The topic does not allow experimental The topic does not allow experimental work in the real worldwork in the real world

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Because of the didactic aims in our first Because of the didactic aims in our first

approach, approach, the steps the steps for the development of for the development of eutrophic situations have been eutrophic situations have been simplifiedsimplified in in order to be easily understood by the studentsorder to be easily understood by the students– increase in the usage of fertilizers increase in the usage of fertilizers – increase in phosphates in the lakeincrease in phosphates in the lake– increase in planktonincrease in plankton– plankton consumes the dissolved oxygenplankton consumes the dissolved oxygen– decrease in fish populationdecrease in fish population– the lake waters turn to green the lake waters turn to green – the flora around the lake grows upthe flora around the lake grows up

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• ObjectivesObjectives of the virtual environment of the virtual environment– discovery of the factors involved in eutrophic discovery of the factors involved in eutrophic

lakes and their relationslakes and their relations– the consequences of the phenomenonthe consequences of the phenomenon– the development of children’s critical abilities, the development of children’s critical abilities,

responsibility, and environmental responsibility, and environmental consciousness.consciousness.

• We believe that a stage for the We believe that a stage for the observationobservation of some of some stable conditions stable conditions having different having different degrees of pollution would be useful.degrees of pollution would be useful.

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Structure of Virtual WorldsStructure of Virtual Worlds• Four linked worlds Four linked worlds (virtual lakes)(virtual lakes)

– One for familiarity with the environmentOne for familiarity with the environment– Three with different degree of pollution-Three with different degree of pollution-

eutrophicationeutrophication

• Bottom, surface, landscape, flora, fish, Bottom, surface, landscape, flora, fish, oxygen, plankton, salts, informationoxygen, plankton, salts, information

• 15 starting viewpoints 15 starting viewpoints in every lakein every lake– inside or outside the lakeinside or outside the lake– free or fixed navigationfree or fixed navigation– follow or dive a fishfollow or dive a fish– information and helpinformation and help

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Realism of RepresentationRealism of Representation

• We give the most possible naturalism to We give the most possible naturalism to objects well known to children (fish, plants)objects well known to children (fish, plants)

• We choose simple representations for We choose simple representations for plankton, oxygen, and salts (different color plankton, oxygen, and salts (different color spheres), objects invisible to the naked eyespheres), objects invisible to the naked eye

• The boundaries of the lake have little The boundaries of the lake have little naturalismnaturalism

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Empirical ResearchEmpirical Research

The axesThe axes : :– To investigate the quality of our VR applications for To investigate the quality of our VR applications for

educational useeducational use– To investigate the HCI (different navigation dev/s)To investigate the HCI (different navigation dev/s)– To compare three educational tools (text, multimedia, To compare three educational tools (text, multimedia,

VR)VR)

The hypothesesThe hypotheses : :– There will be a positive acceptance of VR There will be a positive acceptance of VR – Students prefer joystick for navigation Students prefer joystick for navigation – VR will be the most effective educational toolVR will be the most effective educational tool

The purpose : to investigate the attitude of education to investigate the attitude of education students, toward virtual learning environmentsstudents, toward virtual learning environments

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• Academic year 1995 - 1996Academic year 1995 - 1996• Students from Dept. of Primary EducationStudents from Dept. of Primary Education• Sample’s homogeneous profileSample’s homogeneous profile

– 20-22 years old, females20-22 years old, females– some experience on computer usesome experience on computer use– no experience on VRno experience on VR– positive attitude toward new technologies in positive attitude toward new technologies in

educationeducation– knowledge on the phenomenon of knowledge on the phenomenon of

eutrophication disperses eutrophication disperses • 4 groups 4 groups (text, multimedia, VR, control)(text, multimedia, VR, control)• VR group (office, LAKE)VR group (office, LAKE)

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Students’ Attitude toward VR Students’ Attitude toward VR

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KeenKeen NegativeNegativePositivePositive RejectiveRejectiveCautiousCautious

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Students’ expressions after their first experienceStudents’ expressions after their first experience

Category N• Keen 6• Impressiveness 6 • Interest 8• Engaging / Amusing 12• Novelty 4• User Friently 5• No. of Viewpoints 4• “Immersion” 10• Positive 6• Critical 2• Training Difficulties 5• Troublesome 3• Negative 2

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(!!!!)(!!!!)

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Navigation Devices ComparisonNavigation Devices Comparisonn=11n=11

ease in learningease in learningmouse mouse vsvs joystickjoystick 6-26-2

mouse mouse vsvs spaceball/spacemouse spaceball/spacemouse 6-06-0

joystickjoystick vs vs spaceball/spacemousespaceball/spacemouse 2-22-2

ease in usingease in usingmouse mouse vsvs joystickjoystick 5-35-3

mouse mouse vsvs spaceball/spacemouse spaceball/spacemouse 5-15-1

joystickjoystick vs vs spaceball/spacemousespaceball/spacemouse 2-22-2

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GROUP N Aver Std.Dev.

Aver Std.Dev

Aver Std.Dev.

VR 7 3 1.14 5.14 1.58 2.14 0.65

MM 6 3.83 2.27 5.5 1.12 1.67 2.21

TEXT 6 3.5 1.26 5.33 0.77 1.83 1.07

Control 6 3.33 0.76 4.17 0.67 0.83 1.35

PREPRE POSTPOST DIFF.DIFF.

Teaching Tools ComparisonTeaching Tools Comparison

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Teaching Tools Comparison (2)Teaching Tools Comparison (2)

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M1 M2 M3 M4 M5 M6

MULTIMEDIAMULTIMEDIAGROUPGROUP

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V1 V2 V3 V4 V5 V6 V7

VRVRGROUPGROUP

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T1 T2 T3 T4 T5 T6

TEXTTEXTGROUPGROUP

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C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6

CONTROLCONTROLGROUPGROUP

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Phase II - DevelopmentPhase II - Development

• We extend the LAKE I environments, adding We extend the LAKE I environments, adding information possibilities and information possibilities and combining VR combining VR characteristics characteristics with multimediawith multimedia

• The new interface The new interface represents a building with a represents a building with a variety of activities and the possibility to variety of activities and the possibility to connect with the improved virtual lakes of the connect with the improved virtual lakes of the LAKE I LAKE I

• Visitors can be informed by slides, interactive Visitors can be informed by slides, interactive 3D graphs, interactive pictures, a cartoon story 3D graphs, interactive pictures, a cartoon story and so onand so on

• Our application consists of eight interconnected Our application consists of eight interconnected virtual worldsvirtual worlds

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Phase II - EvaluationPhase II - Evaluation

• Academic year 1996-97 Academic year 1996-97 • 30 30 highschool studentshighschool students, aged 13-15, in the context , aged 13-15, in the context

of an environmental education projectof an environmental education project• Students deal with multimedia and VR Students deal with multimedia and VR

applications on environmental topics applications on environmental topics • Parts from the applications were selected, so that Parts from the applications were selected, so that

different kinds of approaches could be presenteddifferent kinds of approaches could be presented• Students worked both individually and Students worked both individually and

cooperatively in small groupscooperatively in small groups• Students contacted with VR environments Students contacted with VR environments

impressed and entertainedimpressed and entertained

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Phase II - EvaluationPhase II - Evaluation

• During our collaboration we asked students’ During our collaboration we asked students’ opinions on related topicsopinions on related topics

• We used We used – pre- and post- closed type questionnairespre- and post- closed type questionnaires– semi-structured interviews and conversationssemi-structured interviews and conversations– observation observation – many mainly open type questionnairesmany mainly open type questionnaires

• The statistical analysis is in progressThe statistical analysis is in progress

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Phase IIIPhase III

• Usage of Usage of soundsound and the and the Gouraud shading Gouraud shading techniquetechnique

• Addition of some simple Addition of some simple educational games educational games • A A mathematical model mathematical model for eutrophication will for eutrophication will

be involvedbe involved• Expansion of the buildingExpansion of the building• After data processing, conclusions will be used After data processing, conclusions will be used

for the virtual environments’ enhancementfor the virtual environments’ enhancement

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Some Pictures Some Pictures from the from the LAKE II LAKE II

EnvironmentEnvironment

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An outer view of the virtual buildingAn outer view of the virtual building

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An inner view of the roomsAn inner view of the rooms

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Slide projectionSlide projection

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Experimenting with 3D graphsExperimenting with 3D graphs

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An inner view of the lake without pollutionAn inner view of the lake without pollution

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An inner view of the lake with heavy pollutionAn inner view of the lake with heavy pollution

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A frame from the comic storyA frame from the comic story

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A screen for users’ informationA screen for users’ information