Second Summer 2012 Learning in 3D Class
Last night we visited several exciting venues in the virtual 3D world of VirtualU . It is the virtual world of Digitell, Inc.
It was a great venue to see 3D virtual immersive environments in action. We started the tour in the Digitell World Convention Lobby Environment.
Jim Parker explaining the finer points of VirtualU.
In this area the students got a quick tutorial on the navigational elements of the virtual world. Next we visited an environment created for The Radiological Society of North America (RSNA ). The environment presented a conference center with booths set up for the convention just as the physical space.
Standing in the convention center before we explore.
The location was an exact reproduction of their annual meeting at McCormick Place in Chicago. Jim told us that Digitell Live Streamed 10 sessions into the auditorium and had around 500 radiologists attend in the 3D platform. Students in class explored the environment and checked out how it was set up. The class was then able to explore a show room and see how vendors could set up virtual exhibits. There were plenty of interactive displays and areas to explore each with a unique, interactive element.
Clickable “human” map shown within a virtual 3D showroom at the RSNA Conference.
Next we visited the Practice Greenhealth Operating Room. This environment was designed to educate healthcare professionals on what is being developed by companies to make the operating room “green” and more sustainable.
Green Operating Room with clickable elements within the environment.
Many of the items environment where clickable. Jim Parker indicated that this particular environment has been widely successful.
Clicking on items provided additional information to the students who were all dressed in scrubs when the entered the room.
The next location we visited was the American Nursing Credentialling Center. This environment showcased research that is being done in nursing through the development of a Virtual Poster Presentation Hall. Each presenter submitted their presentations and they are posted for nurses to asynchronously engage with the education in an immersive space. The first year, the event included 30 posters and the last two years they have had 60 posters. Once a quarter the center holds a “meet the researcher” virtual social and the nurses can come back and engage with each of the researchers in their own private VoIP area, which is the area just in front of their poster. The event and space is a great example of how organizations can create a collaborative space for researchers to gather and share what they are doing in a visual and engaging manner. The avatars can walk from location to location to see the research concepts and ideas.
Here Jim Parker explains the colloborative benefits of the virtual poster sessions and explains how it has been used by researchers and coporations to spur collaobration and innovation.
Checking out some of the 60 virtual poster sessions.
Here is what the virtual poster session looks like. You can play the researcher’s voice and hear about the research in his or her own words.
Next we visited an exact replica of a food service area that was developed to train the employees prior to their arrival at the job at the Chautauqua Institution. The Chautauqua Institution is a summer cultural center that services thousands of people in a short 9 week season. To bring together so many people for such a short period of time requires some pre-training of workers who arrive from all over the world. The virtual 3D space was created to provide a familiarization of the environment, equipment and space to employees prior to their arrival. It didn’t replace training but augmented what they received on site and greatly reduced employee learning curves. The area of training was focused in the Brick Walk Cafe food court.
Clickable green signs provide additonal details about tasks performed at various stations.
Here students line up for food at the Deli.
The final stop on our extensive tour was an environment that was created several years ago to engage students in history using 3D immersive technology. Digitell, Inc. developed this environment to engage the 4th graders and to allow them to explore the environment of the Iroquois Indian Tribes in their classroom. The teacher displayed the environment on a large Smart Board. Students came to the Smart Board and customized their avatars and moved through the environment. Jim indicated that the teacher told them it was one of his most successful learning modules he had ever used. Once students explored the environment, there is a short quiz they can take based on answers in the environment. Students could build a long house, watch horses and were dressed authentically as a tribe member.
Students looking at the Native Americans sitting around the camp fire and learning about their culture.
Walking through the long house.
Jim Parker in Native garb explaining how you can build a long house.
Summary
All in all, the tour was fantastic and it highlighted real applications for 3D virtual immersive environments. Thanks to the group of Digitell, Inc. Great stuff!
So, three questions for students who toured the environment.
1) How do you think the use of 3D enhanced the instruction that took place in the various environments?
2) As an instructional designer what are some considerations you must think about when designing a 3D virtual immersive learning environment?
3) Based on the environments you encountered and the training and collaboration you participated in, what are the implications for using a 3D virtual immersive environment for collaboration and training in a corporate or academic setting? (feel free to cite examples from the tour)
1. I don’t think online learning is for everyone, it’s a different type of learning and requires the individual to be very self-motivated. When you mix in 3D with online learning I think it helps out a lot, especially when it’s something like Second Life or VirtualU, it gives the user a world to explore and can make learning very fun. I’ve said in the past that it’s almost like a treasure hunt in which the user would be walking around and learning, instead of just looking at text to read. I believe the user is having more senses stimulated which in the end makes it more enjoyable.
2. The first thing that comes to my mind is the system requirements of the program/software that you’re going to be creating the 3D virtual immersive environment with. Not everyone out there has the hardware to run what you might want to create. You have to make sure that everyone is able to run it and that it can work on PC and Mac. I know for me I wouldn’t want to create something amazing in my head or on paper and then realize everything needs to be scaled back because what I might of jotted down might not be so effective if it’s not exactly what I planned for it to be. You also need to look at it differently and I think be more creative if you’re going to create your learning in a virtual world.
3. I think it’s known that if the 3d virtual environment is done correctly you will have a very effective way to train/teach your population. It’s something that needs serious planning to pull off though. I think either the corporate or academic establishment would have to look into if it would be effective for them to create this type of environment. If they are very wide spread and have people all over the place and its costing them a lot of money to get everyone in one location this would be very beneficial. But on the other hand if the target population is very local it might not worth creating this type of environment – or they could spend more time in a trail/error stage to find out what works and help create virtual environments for other people.
1. I believe the use of 3D environments made the instruction much more engaging and immersive. The settings of both SecondLife and VirtualU provide elements that aid the three types of learners: auditory, visual, and kinesthetic. Not only are the environments very detailed, the learner is provided an avatar to feel as though they’re actually in that specific location…a conference room, native American camp or island beach house. Learners are also able to interact with their chosen environments, clicking on signs, buildings, or created objects.
2. As an instructional designer, it is important to consider both your desired goal/objects and the target audience. One must also consider how this environment will be used and ability of your learners. The more detail you can provide, the better. Also, there needs to be a considerable amount of time provided for the learner to practice navigating and interacting with their new environment. Every learners ability will be different and the instruction needs to account for all levels.
3. Some of the most important implications for a 3D virtual learning environment include the target audience, time frame to learn and the detail of the environments. The target audience may or may not have a working knowledge of the environment. For example, VirtualU staff described a past presentation for doctors where many of the attendees did not know where to go or how to interact with other participants. Rather than engage and explore, many chose to just stand in the conference hall and wait for something to happen. The presenter had to direct them to specific exhibits and presentations. The time frame may also be a limiting factor since it may require the learner some time to become comfortable with their surroundings and the controls. Finally, the environment needs to provide enough detailed information so that the learner know what to expect or tasks to complete while in this setting. The more information, the better.
Using a 3D environment greatly enhanced the instruction that occurred in the environments we visited. The environments were great tools for making the information more engaging and memorable for the learners. It was also a great way to allow a variety of people to gather in one place that might not have otherwise done so. These kinds of large conferences allow people to not only access information, but interact with each other and learn by sharing experiences and discussing the topics at hand. It was also an interesting way for people to familiarize themselves with environments they would need to navigate around in the future, as in the case of the ice cream parlor at the University.
The most important thing to keep in mind for an instructional designer working with 3D virtual worlds is that the world should be created for a purpose. Training should not be done in virtual worlds just because it is a new and interesting technology to explore. The training should have a real, tangible purpose for the learner. Because of this, the virtual world should not present content that could be easily replicated using some other means, such as a PowerPoint slide. Instructional designers should consider what effect the virtual world will have on the lesson. What is different about the environment that cannot be done by other means? How is the learner reacting to the environment? How is the setting engaging and memorable? How does it relate to the work environment or the lesson at hand?
The greatest implication of 3D virtual worlds in my opinion is the ability to gather people together in one environment. Individuals from all over the world can easily access one conference and interact with each other without the limitation of travel expenses and time. By gathering, people are able to share ideas. This was best shown by the “posters” that the nurses created for the ANCC conference. Many voices could speak and present ideas and many other individuals could learn from them and discuss the ideas with others. Jim Parker told us that his greatest wish was for researchers to gather together in this kind of environment and share ideas and findings with one another on a global scale. I agree that this will help not only corporate and academic training, but the advancement of humanity as a whole.
1) The use of 3D in the environments we visited during class enabled the information to be learned in a more interactive and intuitive manner than traditional classes. In the 3D setting, the learner not only was able to read about the information and view an image, they were able to experience it. In the Iroquois environment, the learner could actually experience walking into an Iroquois tribe. Once in the tribe, the learner could walk through a long house, view the interactions of the tribal members and learn about their daily lives. This should enable learners to retain more information because they are personally experiencing the environment compared to the impersonal experience of reading a chapter in a book.
2) The first thing that I would think about when designing a 3D virtual immersive learning environment is what do I want the learners to get out of the experience, and is this the best medium to use to achieve this goal. I would think about this first because it is crucial that the environment is designed with the focus of what the learners will get out of the experience. In contrast, if learning objectives are added to the environment after the 3D virtual world has been developed, it might take extra time to add the learning elements than if they were considered from the beginning. Additionally, it is important to determine if a fully immersive learning environment is the best medium to teach the information. As a side note, I think that there are more situations in learning where a partially 3D environment would encourage more focused and efficient learning. One such situation could be a science class where the students are presented with only 3d representations of elements from the periodic table alongside supporting information.
3) I think that one of the best ways companies or educational intuitions can utilize 3D environments is to use them to showcase products, procedures or to hold virtual meetings. One of the best examples we experienced in the VirtualU platform was the healthcare conference and exhibit rooms. At that location, groups of people can meet virtually to learn more information about new and pioneering healthcare technology and also meet with the people who both sell and use the products. In addition to being viewed, the products that were on display could be virtually tested. This enabled the healthcare professionals not only see the products, but they could experience how they worked and determine if they would be suitable for their work environment.
3D environment makes the difference. It has a huge amount of features that make instruction more interactive, engaged, and easy for users. I think users find it more interesting.
In fact in order to use 3D some issues should be considered. Users should be familiar with this environment. Also, they should have the tools that allow them to us it such as computer divises and internet connection. They should be known about the system requirement before they start.
I think building a 3D environment that focusing in some thing can be utilizing as a source by people who are interested in this thing.
1. I think the 3D instruction helps in many ways. For one the user gets some hands one experience. Along with that a 3D image allows the user to see some of the smaller details that an image alone cannot illustrate. Also, the learner has the opportunity the experience the environment.
2. It is important to understand your audience’s need and want within a virtual world. It is important to meet the objectives so the user can stay focused rather than being side tracked by other things that do not meet the instruction goals. Also, identifying the learning curve. If your targeted audience has no experience with virtual world a brief tutorial and simple command may be the best route. However, if yo have an experienced audience you can really show your creativity without overwhelming the user.
3. A 3D environment is a great tool for all types of learning such as academic and corporate training. However, the possibilities may seem endless, today’s learners are not quite ready for a complete training withing the virtual environment. This is something that I could see in the future. For instance, I attended a Job Fair that was within a virtual environment, but with no experience in the 3D world I felt very overwhelmed and confused.
1) The 3D environment helps the learner to better understand the topic that is being presented. In a 2D environment (power point presentation) the learner has to spend more mental energy to imagine what a hospital room or nursing environment would look like for example, and less energy getting a comprehensive understanding of what they are expected to learn. Having the ability to walk around a 3D room and actually handle the different materials with the avatar is very helpful in the learning process as apposed to memorization of facts. If you can’t be there in person, a 3D world is a close 2nd.
2) Some things to consider when designing the 3D environment is the level of technology understanding your learners have. For example if the 3D world is being designed to train younger people working at a fast food restaurant it can be assumed that if you were born as early as 1995 that you grew up with computers and a 3D virtual world is almost second hand to you. The training can be designed with that in mind. Someone of this generation will most likely be able to use this technology at a high level and even customize it to their liking. However, if the training is being designed for someone of a slightly older generation, say at a factory or warehousing company then they may not be as eager to learn the new skills necessary to complete 3D training. As a result the training may have to be more basic in nature.
3) For collaboration within a group of learners I feel that this technology is best used in the academic setting. Not that 3D worlds can’t be used in the corporate world because they clearly are with great success as shown by Jim last class. But I think group activities are better suited in a classroom environment anywhere from elementary school to graduate school. Students are generally more technology literate and also more open to group activities. But I think the implications are that the learner will be given a longer term memory of the topic. For example I will remember the Indian Long Building for along time to come because I was able to explore it and see it in 3D. If I had just been told about it in a power point, chances are I’d have already forgotten what the topic was.
1) I believe the use of 3D helped by engaging the user and helping to encourage the user to walk around and “buy into” the virtual experience. Having virtual models of the machines and operating rooms in areas helped erase some of the wall that exists between real world and virtual world. These features allow the user to experience everything as if they were in the real world rather than just reading about them.
2) I think one of the biggest things you need to consider is also one of the things you can control most; the environment. Unlike traditional training where the user’s environment is dictated by what is already physically built, in a virtual environment an ID can create a learning environment that may be more conducive to learning. Another consideration that goes hand in hand with environment is how to keep the virtual world interesting enough without being overwhelming.
In a virtual world there may be a tendency to want to build everything possible that will keep the user interested, but that runs the risk of making the user feel overwhelmed. If there are too many things for the user to do they may feel as though they have to view them all. This will result in the user not spending as much time at each part and may miss critical details.
3)I think that using a 3D virtual environment could have a mixed result, even if done to the absolute best.
On the plus side there is potential for savings because of the lack of travel and hotel accommodations needed for employees to attend the a conference or event. Being able to create environment like we saw in VirtualU with Siemens could make the event more engaging for the employees.
The biggest drawback I could see is that some people tend to hate change and switching to a 3D world could alienate them. I have seen firsthand that technophobes can turn a great concept into an awful product or even destroy the product. So to utilize that is on the complete cutting edge could cause the technophobes to feel alienated and even completely miss what you are trying to accomplish. You cannot hold an event where even a small percentage would miss the content just because they cannot grasp the 3D environment.
1) I think it really helps learners to visualize what they are dealing with. When we were in a virtual environment that was meant to be exactly the same as the real world environment, it was great to be able to explore that area as if I were actually there. I believe spacial recognition by learners can greatly enhance the experience.
2) As an Instructional Designer, it is important to note how the information is meant to be digested by the learners. A goal statement is very important when dealing with this. The environment must suitably solve a problem. It must be built so that the learner is doing something that enhances their learning experience. It is also vital that the assessment at the end of the training is built in such a way that the 3D environment fits with it.
3) In an academic setting, it is important that the space that is being occupied by the learners is of a specific origin. It must be something that the learners understand so that they can gain knowledge from it. It would be important also from a corporate setting that the training solves a goal that the company has, individually.
1) How do you think the use of 3D enhanced the instruction that took place in the various environments?
The instruction that took place in each of the learning environments using 3D was helpful in multiple ways. I think 3D learning is good for a variety of different learning styles. It is useful because it provides written information, visual aids, examples of content, and most importantly, it provides learners with an opportunity to interact directly with the material. The physical nature of the environments creates a virtual atmosphere that intrigues the learner and motivates them to explore the virtual environment and learn more about the content they are immersed in.
2) As an instructional designer what are some considerations you must think about when designing a 3D virtual immersive learning environment?
Presenting the content in a learning environment in a manner that all users can efficiently access it is very important. You have to consider that all users may not be proficient with a computer let alone the software you are using. You must consider the navigation of the software, and making sure the information nested within the program can actually be accessed. Other points to consider might be the actual presentation of the information. Will there be somebody speaking, or will students be reading? Will students be interacting with a virtual game, or will they simply be walking around to different learning stations and reading posters of notes? To summarize, I feel that creating an environment that is easy to understand, and determining what techniques you will use to present the information are the two most important considerations for the instructional designer.
3) Based on the environments you encountered and the training and collaboration you participated in, what are the implications for using a 3D virtual immersive environment for collaboration and training in a corporate or academic setting? (feel free to cite examples from the tour)
In an educational setting, creating an environment that describes the theme of the information is absolutely important. Students must be able to “feel” as if they are interacting with real people from years past. This can be accomplished by creating realistic situations, people and objects that match the content and create unity. Students will be able to adjust from their normal lives and become immersed in a world they may have never seen. Students can collaborate with each other at nearly a personal level from different locations, making it seem as though they are really together.
At the corporate level, the training environment should also match the content. It should be developed with similar surroundings, objects and people as would be in real life. This would create a training situation that could be accessed from multiple locations, giving the user a firsthand look at the real thing without having to be on site. I feel this capability, whether educational or corporate, provides an intriguing experience that draws the learners in and literally makes them want to explore and learn.
1) How do you think the use of 3D can enhance typical online learning?
Students (k-12) are much more technologically advanced than most of us were at their age. Video games is part of the norm and for a lot of kids they play video games daily. To learn through a 3D world, students would feel like they are playing a video game. It would be fun for them. It really doesn’t matter how we teach material as long as students learn and can retain information. If 1 student can learn from a lecture and truly understand the information while retaining, then that is great! But a large number of kids do not pay attention because it does not seem fun to them. If we can make learning fun through the use of 3D worlds then they would be more interested thus learning.
2) As an instructional designer what are some considerations you must think about when designing a 3D virtual immersive learning environment?
As an ID, you would need to consider your audience. You’ll want to build your portion of the 3D world to suite your audience. my environment would be very different for an automative technician compared to a sports trainer. As an ID, your design in the world would be very different depending on what type of training you are trying to perform.
3) In General, what are the implications for using a 3D virtual immersive environment for collaboration and training in a corporate or academic setting?
The great thing about 3D worlds is the fact that you can be anywhere in the world and still remain in the virtual world. This would be great in the academic setting due to the rise in cyber schools.
Collaboration could be useful for some jobs. Co-workers could build a project in the 3D world. As mentioned before, the co-workers would not have to be in the same building to perform this. Projects could be built with little to no expense and could be manipulated quite easily.
I found the use of the 3D environment much more engaging than a regular 2D classroom. The ability to interact with one another and “physically” see someone speaking grabs the attention of the visual learner. Learning by doing is also more accessible in an environment like this.
Yesterday we spoke about the importance of making a 3D environment friendly to all types of users. This is something that an instructional designer must consider from the beginning of development. Regardless of the fact that some learners may be very experienced, all environments should be created under the impression that each user is a novice or at least give the “training wheels” for those who need them.
The 3D environment is a great tool for training or education. Based on some of the locations we visited yesterday, you can see that it is as varied as a nursing center to a long house. One would be useful in a corporate setting, whereas the other would be better for middle to high school aged students. The great thing about these environments is that students or trainees can get a feel for certain things that they may otherwise never experience. For example, the tour in the long houses really allows the audience to see just how large they really were, even if they will never be able to visit one in person.
1. The use of the 3D instruction was particularly noticeable when we were viewing the medical conference where different machines were being showcased. Being told about that a robot arm can swing a 180 degree angle is one thing, however seeing the range of motion was far more effective to truly impress this fact upon potential buyers. Obviously these buyers are still going to want to be appraised of the features of the machine and the poster next to it sees to it that their questions will not be left unanswered.
2. As an ID one of the things that must immediately be considered upon designing a 3D environment is the learner. Is the learner in an environment where they can access all the features of the environment? (As was seen in VirtualU, not all immersive environments have cross-platform capability). Another important consideration would be the familiarity of the learner with this sort of technology. As you said in class, Dr.Kapp, at one point you had to explain to people what hyperlinks were and how to navigate to new windows. When it comes to 3D virtual immersive learning environments we are presently in much the same boat. It will be a considerable amount of time before the general population is passingly familiar with the navigation and operational controls in any one of these worlds. I say “any one of” because there are a variety and they all seem to have varied navigations. As such, I would need to know what type of environment I would be designing in so that I could thoroughly prepare mmyself and familiarize myself with the software, thus enabling me to similarly assist my learners. Yet another question that must be asked is what am I using this virtual environment to build training for? There are some situations where a 3D environment is ideal, such as a close-up examination of a tsunami or other dangerous weather phenomenon, while there are some scenarios that seem as if they would be better taken care of if the learner just went outside and tried (like dribbling a basketball). Glitches are something else that has to be accounted for in this 3D world. As was demonstrated in class, even when a field is completely empty, sometimes the program won’t let a learner use certain features, like building. If something like this was to be crucial to the training a series of back-ups would have to be devised so that a minor glitch didn’t dereail the whole training.
3. There seems to be a large amount of potential for medical collaboration. The closing of distance and the ease of sharing research material and speaking with informed colleagues must be an extremely favorable situation to many doctors and other medical professionals. As was stated by our guide there is the chance that these virtual summits will come to be more popular than their physical world counterparts. “A lot of them were in Chicago but they weren’t in the convention center”. There is a potential for junior medical staff to become more familiar with the layouts of hospitals and the functions of various machines prior to their internship by sojourning in an environment fashioned after their intended medical institution. As for corporate training, our guide made a joke about someone from our group being ready to serve ice cream cones when we visited the New York building, the Chautauqua Institution. This building helped to demonstrate the enormous capacity, in terms of people hosted that a virtual environment presents. While I don’t yet believe virtual training to be sophisticated to the level of immersion helmets and gloves and so believe it unable to adequately approximate physical experiences in terms of job training, it does hold potential. It could be used to help people familiarize themselves with their environment and supplement physical training, thus speeding up that process.
3D can enhance instruction because it includes teaching to different learning styles. Users receive information visually, physically, and verbally. 3D is especially good at reaching users who learn best when using a hands on approach. They can move around, use, and manipulate objects in an almost physical manner.
An instructional designer really needs to know his/her user. You need to know their background level and education in order to create an environment that they can use and understand. One should not assume anything and be ready to explain everything to the user. Not everyone is at the same comfort level when using technology.
There is definitely a place for 3D in certain settings. These environments are especially useful when all learners cannot physically be in the same location. It doesn’t get any better than being able to make an exact replica of the location. These 3D environments are a great tool to use for an orientation. The learner will feel more comfortable in the space once they have observed and moved around in the 3D space.
1) I thought VirtualU had much less distractions then SecondLife, and less time toget used to. It was pretty clear and straightforward. Even though it doesnt work on Mac, and was very slow on my PC, i still would prefer VirtualU for training and business purposes.
2) As an instructional designer There are some considerations you must think about when designing a 3D virtual immersive learning environment. First of all is to eleminate distractions, offer limited options and selections at a time, and be very clear with your directions. I got lost yesterday while exploring around and lost all of my classmates and couldnt find them for a while. The learners also should already have some fimilarity with using computers and PC world before jumping into 3D world.
3D world can be used literally in any setting: academic, educational, corporate, health and many more. the learners/students can be trained before going into hands on field. This could also even be used to teach second language, simulations for army, and even for nurses/doctors. Yesterday we have seen an example of a corporate using the 3D world and immensely benefiting from it.
Phebe
I think the 3D environment really helps instruction. It allows the user to manipulate the environment around them and act as if they are there. This makes learning more involving for the end user.
However, when a 3D environment is designed a few guidelines should be follow. The environment should be welcoming to the guest, it should allow for the novice or advanced user to feel comfortable. It should be structured like a real-life layout. Users tend to treat the 3D environment as a real-life scenario, so leaving ample physical space and using attractive colors are both pleasing for the end user. Also, items should be scaled up in size about 30% in order to make them accessible.
I think overall 3D environments can be a great tool to use to assist learning. However it seems as though the user base is not quite there yet to embrace this style of learning just yet, in a few years it should be. Also, the current user base has not grown up with computers at their fingertips. This means that older generations don’t always understand what to do in the virtual world or cannot seem to comprehend how to take advantage of it. Another issue might be the technology needed to support it. With the push towards mobile, how exactly should designers create their “world” so it is cross platform compatible? These are all things that will be ironed out in the future, and once they are, the 3D virtual learning environment will be truly awesome.
1. I believe the use of 3D enhanced instructions in many ways. It makes users become more aware and allows them to notice intricate things in the environment.
2. There are various things to consider as an instructional designer when designing virtual environments. I think it’s important to identify if a 3D environment is even the solution to the instructional problem at hand. So if that is the case, it is vital to retrieve data about learners that will be immersed into this environment. Another thing to take into consideration is how interactive should the environment be. As instructional designers we always want to keep learners engaged so that they benefit from the instruction.
3. Based on the encountered environments we can imply that people that understand technology understand the positive impact 3D has on the learning experience. Furthermore, we get optimal results by using a specific technology for what it’s utilized for.