Shari Metcalf

Ecosystem Science Learning via Multi-User Virtual Environments

Copyright

Extending Log-Based Affect Detection to a Multi-User Virtual Environment for Science

The application of educational data mining (EDM) techniques to interactive learning software is increasingly being used to broaden the range of constructs typically incorporated in student models, moving from traditional assessment of student knowledge to the assessment of engagement, affect, strategy, and metacognition. Researchers are also broadening the range of environments within which these constructs are assessed. In this study, we develop sensor-free affect detection for EcoMUVE, an immersive multi-user virtual environment that teaches middle-school students about casualty in ecosystems. In this study, models were constructed for five different educationally-relevant affective states (boredom, confusion, delight, engaged concentration, and frustration). Such models allow us to examine the behaviors most closely associated with particular affective states, paving the way for the design of adaptive personalization to improve engagement and learning.

Teacher Perceptions of the Practicality and Effectiveness of Immersive Ecological Simulations as Classroom Curricula.

Recent research with Multi-User Virtual Environments (MUVEs) in education has shown that these platforms can be effective and engaging for students; however, educators and administrators have practical concerns about the adoption of MUVE-based curricula. This study looks at implementations of EcoMUVE, a MUVEbased curriculum designed to support middle school learning of ecosystem concepts and processes. Research questions looked at teacher perceptions of the curriculum’s implementation feasibility, alignment with curricular objectives and standards, and perceived value. Results showed that EcoMUVE was very well-received, and technical issues were manageable. Teachers felt the curriculum was effective, aligned well with standards, and compared favorably with a non-MUVE alternative. Particular technological and curriculum features that contributed to EcoMUVE’s perceived value included student-directed learning, an inquiry, role-based pedagogy, immersion in the virtual environment, and the ease of collecting and comparing data with graphs. Teacher Perceptions of the Practicality and Effectiveness of Immersive Ecological Simulations as Classroom Curricula

Shifts in Student Motivation during Usage of a Multi-User Virtual Environment for Ecosystem Science

In incorporating technology in science education, some have expressed concern that the value added by technology is primarily due to the novelty or excitement about using the devices, resulting in no lasting effect on student motivation or learning in science. This research addresses this concern through evaluation of student motivation during a two-week, multi-user virtual environment MUVE-based curriculum for middle school ecosystems science. Analysis of multiple surveys at the beginning, middle, and end of the curriculum found that students continued to find the activity engaging from beginning to end, while student value of its utility in helping them learn science increased significantly. Furthermore, while initial student engagement resided primarily at the technology interface level, with time and experience students became increasingly engaged in the student-led, collaborative inquiry experiences afforded by the embedded scientific investigation.

Prompting Connections Between Content and Context: Blending Immersive Virtual Environments and Augmented Reality for Environmental Science Learning

Outdoor field trip experiences are a cornerstone of quality environmental science instruction, yet the excitement and distractions associated with field trips can overwhelm learning objectives. Augmented reality (AR) can focus students’ attention and help them connect the concept rich domain of the classroom with the context rich experiences in the field. In this study, students used an immersive virtual pond, and then participated in a field trip to a real pond augmented by mobile technologies. We are interested in understanding whether and how augmenting a field trip with information via handheld mobile devices can help students connect concepts learned in the classroom with observations during the field trip. Specifically, we are curious about how augmentation allows students to “see the unseen” in concepts such as photosynthesis and respiration as well as apply causal reasoning patterns they learned about in the classroom while using an inquiry-based immersive virtual environment, EcoMUVE. We designed an AR supported field trip with three different treatments: (1) a ‘visual’ treatment in which students were prompted to consider content or perspectives from EcoMUVE using videos and animations (2) a ‘text’ treatment in which students were prompted to consider content or perspectives from EcoMUVE using text and images, and (3) a ‘control’ treatment that did not specifically prompt students to think about content or perspectives from EcoMUVE. We used a mixed-methods research approach and collected data based on pre, mid, and post surveys; student responses to prompts captured in the notes and log files during the field trip; a post-field-trip survey; and performance on an in-class written assignment. On the field trip, we found that students in all three treatments more frequently referred to visible factors and direct effects than to invisible factors and indirect effects. There were few discernible differences between the text and visual prompted treatments based on responses in the notes and log files captured during the field trip. After the field trip, students exposed to the prompted treatments were more likely to describe invisible factors such as wind, weather, and human impacts, while students exposed to the control treatment continued to focus on visible features such as aquatic plants. These findings provide insights to designers who aim to support learning activities in outdoor and immersive learning environments.

Supports for deeper learning of inquiry-based ecosystem science in virtual environments - Comparing virtual and physical concept mapping

Abstract Concept mapping is an important tool used in science learning to help students construct understanding about fundamental concepts and how they are related. The EcoXPT research project has the goal of supporting authentic experiment-based inquiry within an immersive virtual world curriculum for middle school ecosystem science. It builds on prior research with the EcoMUVE curriculum, which includes, as a culminating activity, student teams creating hand-drawn concept maps to represent their hypotheses about the causal relationships in a virtual ecosystem. As part of the initial Design-Based Research phase of EcoXPT, researchers developed a new electronic concept mapping tool which was piloted with the EcoMUVE curriculum. This study looks at differences in concept maps drawn by student teams based on whether they were given access to the new concept-mapping tool. The findings provide insight into the impact of concept map scaffolding choices, and inform the design of future versions of the tool.

Virtual Reality as an Immersive Medium for Authentic Simulations

This chapter describes a design strategy for blending virtual reality (VR) with an immersive multi-user virtual environment (MUVE) curriculum developed by the EcoLearn design team at Harvard University for middle school students to learn ecosystems science. The EcoMUVE Pond middle grades curriculum focuses on the potential of immersive authentic simulations for teaching ecosystems science concepts, scientific inquiry (collaborative and individual), and complex causality. The curriculum is inquiry-based; students investigate research questions by exploring the virtual ecosystem and collecting data from a variety of sources over time, assuming roles as ecosystems scientists. The implications of blending in VR for EcoMUVE’s technical characteristics, user-interface, learning objectives, and classroom implementation are discussed. Then, research questions for comparisons between the VR version and the “Classic” version are described. The chapter concludes with generalizable design heuristics for blending MUVE-based curricula with head-mounted display immersion.