ITR/EIA: Adapting Massively Multi-user Technologies for Collaborative Online Interactive Science Laboratories

摘要EIA-0325211PI Gerald Meisner研究所：北卡罗来纳大学格林斯伯勒分校：为协作在线交互科学实验室采用大规模多用户技术该ITR Medium奖为开发名为COURSELab的三维虚拟本科生科学实验室环境提供支持。该环境基于适应学习场景的大型多人在线游戏引擎(MMOG)。COURSELab既可用作在线教学工具，也可用作学习研究工具。环境是一个三维的世界，学生们在进行一系列学习模块的同时，会面并进行协作的科学调查。该项目利用了之前NSF和DED资助的在线科学资源开发和传播项目的研究和开发成果。要开发的虚拟世界不仅是一个科学仪器，而且是尽可能真实的地方。COURSELab实验室之一的学生可以看到世界其他地区，并转移到这些地区与其他学生互动。COURSELab系统的开发将具有高度的可扩展性和成本效益，可扩展到多个学科，可修改和多用途，并能够接触到广泛的不同用户群体。该项目的智力优势在于其创新的方法，将MMOG技术应用于学习。该项目有可能对人机交互以及MMOG技术和在线学习环境的研究基础作出贡献。协作设计、进行、讨论和解释实验是将学习者社区融入实践社区的一种很有前途的方法。更广泛的影响集中在高度可扩展和经济高效的设计上。因此，这种环境可以接触到广泛的用户群体，增加个人参与科学工作的机会，同时克服使用在线资源的传统讲座环境施加的许多限制。这项研究应将教育、商业、娱乐和技术领域的创造性和引人入胜的发展结合在一起，重点是以具有成本效益和公平的方式提供高质量的实验室调查，并应为未来使用多用户方法的虚拟学习环境项目提供指导。

AbstractEIA -0325211PI Gerald MeisnerInstitution: University of North Carolina at GreensboroTitle: Adapting Massively Multi-User Technologies for Collaborative Online Interactive Science LaboratoriesThis ITR medium award provides support to develop a three dimensional virtual undergraduate science laboratory environment named COURSELab. The environment is based on massively multiplayer online gaming engines (MMOG) adapted to learning scenarios. COURSELab can be used both as an online instructional tool and as a learning research tool. The environment is a 3 dimensional world in which students meet and conduct collaborative scientific investigations as they proceed through a series of learning modules. The project leverages research and development outcomes from prior NSF and DED funded projects on the development and dissemination of online science resources.The virtual world that is to be developed is not merely a scientific instrument, it is as literally as possible an actual place. Students in one of the COURSELab laboratories can see other areas of the world and move to those areas to engage other students. The COURSELab system development is to be highly scalable and cost effective, extensible to many disciplines, modifiable and multipurpose, and capable of reaching a broad group of diverse users.The intellectual merit of this project lies in its innovative approach, the use of MMOG technology applied to learning. The project has the potential to contribute to the research base in human computer interaction as well as on MMOG technologies and online learning environments. Collaboratively designing, conducting, discussing, and interpreting experiments is a promising approach to blending communities of learners into communities of practice.The broader impacts center around the highly scalable and cost effective design. The environment can thus reach broad groups of users and increase the opportunities for individuals to participate in scientific endeavors while simultaneously overcoming many of the limitations imposed by traditional lecture settings using online resources. This research should bring creative and engaging developments from education, business, entertainment, and technological worlds together to focus on providing access to quality laboratory investigations in a cost effective and equitable manner and should provide guidance for future virtual learning environment projects that use the multi-user approach.