Otto Borchert North Dakota State University Recent Advances in Immersive Virtual Worlds for Education

NDSU WWWIC World Wide Web Instructional Committee WWWIC’s Virtual Worlds research supported by NSF grants DUE and EAR  WWWIC is an ad hoc group of North Dakota State University faculty dedicated to developing internet-based educational software. The mission goals of WWWIC are to teach science structure and process: the Scientific Method, scientific problem solving, deduction, hypothesis formation and testing, and experimental design.

WWWIC Projects C ontent from A nthropology to Z oology Geology Explorer Geology Explorer Virtual Cell Virtual Cell Digital Archive Network for Anthropology (DANA) Digital Archive Network for Anthropology (DANA) ProgrammingLand ProgrammingLand Dollar Bay Retailing Game Dollar Bay Retailing Game Blackwood Village Blackwood Village

Teaching Principles Game-like Game-like Spatially oriented Spatially oriented Goal-orientated Goal-orientated Immersive Immersive Role-based Role-based Exploratory Exploratory Interactive Interactive Multi-user Multi-user Teach through learn-by-doing techniques Teach through learn-by-doing techniques

Advantages of Virtual Worlds Collapse virtual time and distance Collapse virtual time and distance Allow physical or practical impossibilities Allow physical or practical impossibilities Participate from anywhere Participate from anywhere Interact with other users, virtual artifacts, and software agents Interact with other users, virtual artifacts, and software agents Multi-user collaborations and competitive play Multi-user collaborations and competitive play

Technical Approaches MUD = Multi User Domain MUD = Multi User Domain MOO = Object Oriented MUD M ulti-user database for implementing objects and methods to represent rooms, containers and agents MOO = Object Oriented MUD M ulti-user database for implementing objects and methods to represent rooms, containers and agents

Technical Approaches MUDs and MOOs are typically task-oriented with keyboard interactions MUDs and MOOs are typically task-oriented with keyboard interactions Ours are also graphically- oriented, point & click interfaces Ours are also graphically- oriented, point & click interfaces

The Geology Explorer: Planet Oit

The Virtual World of Planet Oit Planet Oit: Recently discovered. Planet Oit: Recently discovered. Similar to Earth. Similar to Earth. Same orbit. Same orbit. Directly opposite the Sun. Directly opposite the Sun.

You are a geologist. You are a geologist. Explore this new planet. Explore this new planet. Authentic geologic goals. - Locate and report valuable minerals. Authentic geologic goals. - Locate and report valuable minerals. Must learn geoscience content. Must learn geoscience content. Geology Explorer: Planet Oit Game Scenario

The Geology Explorer " 50 Places " 90 Different Rocks and Minerals " 15 Field Instruments " Software Tutors

Maps of Planet Oit

Virtual Field Instruments

The Geology Explorer

360º PANORAMAS

Recent Advances ·New Modules: ·Hydrology ·Interpretation ·Expanded Graphical Client ·Redesign planet: sophisticated geologic map + tectonic setting.

The Virtual Cell

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

The Cell Users can “fly around” inside the cell.

The Cell: Users are assigned goals which range from identify the nucleus early to synthesize ATP later.

The Cell Users set up experiments (For example, use a chlorophyll test to check for cloroplasts

Experimentation – Users bring samples back to the lab

The Virtual Cell User Interface

The Cell: Recent Advances With the decline of CosmoPlayer, changing to Java3D With the decline of CosmoPlayer, changing to Java3D Addition of automated registration so a class can sign up for the cell within minutes Addition of automated registration so a class can sign up for the cell within minutes Creation and finetuning of modules (Making the cell look perfect) Creation and finetuning of modules (Making the cell look perfect)

" 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: 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

To visit WWWIC Projects: Choose the project you want to view from the list at the left