The Geology Explorer: Virtual Field Training
A WWWIC virtual worlds research project supported by NSF
grants DUE-9752548, EAR-9809761, DUE-9981094, ITR0086142 and EPSCoR 99-77788, and FIPSE P116B011528
Geology Explorer Development Team
Graphics
•
Acey Olson (Rendered Landscapes)
•
Rebecca Potter (Rendered Images, Icons, and Landscapes)
•
Dr. Don Schwert (Landscape Photographs)
•
Shannon Tomac (Rendered Landscapes, Icons, & Images, Comic Book)
•
Daniel Turany (Rock/Mineral Photographs)
Staff
•
John Bauer; Java Client (GUMI-bare and GUMI-game) Design and Implementation, Graphical Directive Protocol
•
Nem Schlecht
•
Mark Tinguely
Students
Graduate Research Assistants:
•Otto Borchert; Software tutors, Java client development
•Bob Cosmano; Makes Java Go, Moral Support
•Krista Dauner; Tutoring Scripts
•Rahul Devabhaktuni; Hydrology (Water) on Oit
•Kuo-Di Jian; Java Tool Integration
•Yongxin "George" Jia; Java/LambdaMOO Hierarchy Tool
•Guy Hokanson; Software tutors, dynamic HTML
•Bhaskar Marthi; Instrument verbs
•Vidyalatha Nagareddy; Java/LambdaMOO Entity Tool
•Shanhong Wu; Java3D
Undergraduate Research and Independent Study Students:
•Bryan Bandli; Assessment and Evaluation
•Chris Fish; Endgame Design and Implementation
•Lucas Koehntop; Java consulting
•Ned Kruger; Assessment and Evaluation
•Acey Olson; Bryce Landscapes, Tutoring, Player History, Interface Design
•Carson Rittel; Content Quality Control, Help Database
•Joy Turnbull; Content Quality Control, Help Database
•Brad Vender; MOO-side HTML server
•Dean Vestal; Content Quality Control, Help Database, Interface Design
•Mindy Sue Vogel; Geologic & Quality evaluation, Alternative exercises
•K.C. Vorthmann; Geologic Content and Assessment
•Jane Willenbring; Assessment and Evaluation
WWWIC Course Management – The Planet Oit Example
o Player Introduction
o Faculty Enroll a School and Class
o Student Progress Page
o Computer Literacy Test to Create Balanced Experimental Groups
(Oit vs. WWW activity vs. other activity)
o The Pre-experience Scenario Assessment
- Baseline for the Post-experience Scenario Assessment
- Example of Assessment Scheme
o The Student Launches the Java Client
o
Students Receive Help and Can Request Help
o
Teachers Can Track Student Progress
o
The Student Completes the Post-experience Scenario Assessment
o
Students Provide Feedback on Their Experience
o
The Scenarios are Evaluated by Graders or by an automated system under development
o
All Student Actions Are Logged
o
What is Planet Oit?
The Geology Explorer: Assessment Protocol
Pre-course Assessment:
400+ students
Example: Fall, 1998
Computer Literacy Assessment:
(244 volunteers)
Divide by Computer Literacy
and Geology Lab Experience
Non-Participant
Control Group:
(150 students, approx.)
Completed
(78 students)
Post-course Assessment:
368 students
Geology Explorer
Treatment Group:
(122 students)
Non-completed
(44 students)
Geomagnetic
(Alternative) Group:
(122 students)
Completed
(95 students)
Non-completed
(27 students)
How To Play
Help:
The Bookcase
Help:
The Message
Board
Tracking Student Progress
The Setting
•Planet Oit - similar to Earth, but opposite the Sun
•Students “land” on Oit to undertake exploration
•Authentic Geoscience goals - e.g., to locate,
identify, and report valuable minerals
The Simulation
~50 places: desert, cutbank, cave, etc.
~100 different rocks and minerals
~15 field instruments: rock pick, acid bottle,
magnet, etc.
~Software Tutors: agents for equipment,
exploration, and deduction
Graphical Navigation
How To Play:
The Topology of
Planet Oit
Carrying out Investigations:
Players Identify Outcrops Using Tests
Detail
Images
for
Samples
Results of
Tests (in this
case, acid
reactivity)
Example of Programming Actions:
Acid Bottle: "pour acid bottle on substance"
Minerals
Fine-grained rocks
If the property
acid_reactive is 2,
the mineral fizzes
actively when acid is
poured on it. If the
property
acid_reactive is 1,
and a powder is
made of the mineral,
the powder will fizz
actively. If the
acid_reactive
property is 0, the
mineral does not
fizz.
If the rock contains
more than 10%
calcite, it fizzes
actively when acid
is poured on it. If
the rock contains
between 0 and 10
percent calcite, its
powderized form will
fizz. Also, if the rock
contains more than
25% dolomite, its
powder will fizz
actively. Finally, if
the rock contains no
calcite or dolomite,
it will not fizz.
Coarsegrained
rocks
Because each
mineral in the
rock can be
distinguished,
the test can
be performed
on each
mineral. Each
returns
whether it is
acid reactive
or not.
Other objects
Most other
objects in the
game have a
acid_reactive
property of 0.
Pouring acid on
them will cause
them not to fizz.
Players are an
exception to this
rule. You are
unable to pour
acid on other
players.
Intelligent Software
Tutoring Agents are Needed in
Virtual Environments:
Students/players interact with the
intelligent tutoring agents
Players can ignore advice and carry
on at their own risk
Deductive Tutors
•
Equipment tutor
•
Exploration tutor
•
Science tutor
Detects when a student makes a wrong guess and why (i.e. what
evidence they are lacking); or when a student makes a correct
guess with insufficient evidence (i.e. a lucky guess)
Virtual Mapping and Petrology Module
LS
Marble
Marble
LS
SS
Qzite
Qzite
SS
Qzite
SS
Sch2
Gneiss
Dike
SS
Qtzite
Schist 1 Sch2
Schematic map - not to scale
Virtual Mapping and Petrology Module
LS
Marble
SS
Qzite
Dike
SS
Qtzite
Schist 1 Sch2
Marble
LS
Qzite
SS
Qzite
SS
Sch2
Gneiss
First Set of Goals
• Locate yourself and outcrops using topo
maps and aerial photos
• General rock identification
• Begin creating a Geologic Map
Virtual Mapping and Petrology Module
Tutorials on Concepts of Geologic Mapping are
Available in the Environment
A Player (appearance
can be changed)
Virtual Mapping and Petrology Module
Base Maps for Adding Data and Creating a Geologic Map
“aerial photo”
Virtual Mapping and Petrology Module
Base Maps for Adding Data and Creating a Geologic Map
Topographic map
Virtual Mapping and Petrology Module
Outcrop Locations are Shown with Markers
You Are
Here
Rock Type
Markers Show
Locations of
Identified
Outcrops
Virtual Mapping and Petrology Module
Player Creates a Geologic Map Based on Outcrop
Locations, and Can Get Immediate Feedback
Virtual Mapping and Petrology Module
LS
Marble
SS
Qzite
Dike
SS
Qtzite
Schist 1 Sch2
Marble
LS
Qzite
SS
Qzite
SS
Sch2
Gneiss
Intermediate Goal
• Put Geologic Events in a Reasonable Order
Advanced Goals (in development)
• Identify the Metamorphic ‘basement’ rocks
• Use Thin Sections for Rock Identification
• Microprobe Analyses of Relevant Minerals
• Thermobarometry
Efficacy shown by controlled experiments
Fall Semesters 1998 - 2002
>400 students in large non-major Intro Geo class,
split into 3 groups
• Planet Oit
• Web-based (alternative) exercise
• Control (non-participant)
Subjective Assessment
Rejects the notion of standardized multiple choice tests
Pre-game narrative-based survey
• short problem-solving stories
• students record their impressions and questions
Similar post-game survey with different but analogous
scenarios
Surveys analyzed for improvement in problem-solving
New Research:
Automated Assessment
SLATE
Hand grading 100’s of narrative responses is expensive
Automated evaluation of the quality of students’ questions:
• students enter a question
• their question is matched to one in the database
Conclusions
Implementation:
• Networked, Multi-player
• Simulation-based
• Interactive
• Multi-media, highly graphical
Educational virtual environments
can provide:
• Authentic Experiences
• Active Learning
And are valuable adjuncts to traditional learning
http://oit.ndsu.edu
World Wide Web Instructional Committee
(WWWIC)
North Dakota State University
Fargo ND