Spatial Learning in Virtual Environments

Interactive 3D virtual environments have thepotential to engage learners in the exploration,construction and manipulation of virtual objects,structures and metaphorical representations ofideas. However, learning advantages over other typesof multimedia depend on implicit assumptions that amore accurate and complete spatial cognitive modelcan be formed through active user-controlledexploration than from viewing an equivalentanimation, and that animated view changes provideadvantages over static images. The results to date,however, do not clearly support these assumptions.This book, based on Barney Dalgarno's doctoral work,reports on studies exploring the importance ofactive exploration and animated view changes forspatial learning in virtual environments. Theresults indicate that active exploration can providegreater spatial learning than viewing of animations,but only if the task goals during this explorationare aligned with the tested spatial learning. Theresults also suggest that well-chosen static viewsof the environment can in some cases allow theformation of as complete a spatial cognitive modelas animated views.

Autorentext

Dr Barney Dalgarno is an Associate Professor in Education and a Research Fellow in the Centre for Research in Complex Systems at Charles Sturt University, Australia. He has been researching in educational technology for the past 12 years and his innovations in teaching have been recognised through a Carrick citation and an ASCILITE award.

Klappentext
Interactive 3D virtual environments have the potential to engage learners in the exploration, construction and manipulation of virtual objects, structures and metaphorical representations of ideas. However, learning advantages over other types of multimedia depend on implicit assumptions that a more accurate and complete spatial cognitive model can be formed through active user-controlled exploration than from viewing an equivalent animation, and that animated view changes provide advantages over static images. The results to date, however, do not clearly support these assumptions. This book, based on Barney Dalgarno's doctoral work, reports on studies exploring the importance of active exploration and animated view changes for spatial learning in virtual environments. The results indicate that active exploration can provide greater spatial learning than viewing of animations, but only if the task goals during this exploration are aligned with the tested spatial learning. The results also suggest that well-chosen static views of the environment can in some cases allow the formation of as complete a spatial cognitive model as animated views.