Development of an environmental virtual field laboratory
ARTICLE
V. Ramasundaram, S. Grunwald, A. Mangeot, N.B. Comerford, C.M. Bliss
Computers & Education Volume 45, Number 1, ISSN 0360-1315 Publisher: Elsevier Ltd
Abstract
Laboratory exercises, field observations and field trips are a fundamental part of many earth science and environmental science courses. Field observations and field trips can be constrained because of distance, time, expense, scale, safety, or complexity of real-world environments. Our objectives were to develop an environmental virtual field laboratory to study environmental properties and processes that stimulate the higher-order cognitive skills of students. We considered the following criteria for our virtual field laboratory: (i) global access, i.e., web-based implementation; (ii) simulation of a variety of learning mechanisms; (iii) interactivity to engage students; (iv) compartmentalization and hierarchical organizational structure; (v) abstraction of 2D and 3D geographic objects (e.g. soils, terrain) and dynamic ecosystem processes (e.g. water flow) using geostatistics and scientific visualization techniques. Cognitive science was considered during the design of our computer-aided instructional tools to enhance the effectiveness for learning. Our virtual field laboratory mimicked the students' learning processes that operate during real field trips and/or field observations; and provided students with a simulation environment to study environmental processes in space and time that cannot be provided on a real field trip. We implemented the following learning mechanisms: (i) exploration-based learning; (ii) analogy-based learning; (iii) science inquiry learning; (iv) abstraction-based learning. To engage students in our environmental virtual field laboratory, we implemented multiple interactivity functions including the exploration of 3D models and adaptive selective simulations. We used Virtual Reality Modeling Language, Java, Java Script, and External Authoring Interface to develop the environmental virtual field laboratory for a 42-ha flatwood site in Florida for which extensive datasets existed. Our digital learning environment offers potential to enhance existing on-campus courses and/or distance education courses.
Citation
Ramasundaram, V., Grunwald, S., Mangeot, A., Comerford, N.B. & Bliss, C.M. (2005). Development of an environmental virtual field laboratory. Computers & Education, 45(1), 21-34. Elsevier Ltd. Retrieved August 8, 2024 from https://www.learntechlib.org/p/66400/.
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Keywords
- Computer Assisted Instruction
- Computer Simulation
- Computer Software
- earth science
- EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT
- Environmental Education
- Instructional Effectiveness
- Interactive Learning Environment
- Learning Processes
- programming
- Science Curriculum
- Science Instruction
- Simulations
- Teaching/Learning Strategies
- thinking skills
- Virtual Classrooms
- virtual reality
- Visualization
Cited By
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Computer Distance Virtual Experiment Teaching Application Based on Virtual Reality Technology
Fengxu Wang, Experiment Teaching and Network Information Management Center, Liaocheng University
International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning (iJET) Vol. 13, No. 4 (Mar 30, 2018) pp. 83–94
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Meltdown: A Serious Game for Environmental Awareness on Climate Change
Yang Chen, Dhiraj Bodicherla, Benjamin Scott & David Whittinghill, Purdue University, United States
E-Learn: World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education 2014 (Oct 27, 2014) pp. 388–394
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