EXP: Social Science Education through Virtual Reality Simulation of an Archaeological Research Site

该项目将开发一个身临其境的、互动的、房间规模的虚拟现实（VR）考古遗址，将实现两个总体课堂目标：(1)通过为学生提供积极参与实地工作的环境和工具，教授考古挖掘的物理方法；(2)在科学家的背景下，用科学的方法教授考古学概念来解决问题。虽然具体的问题领域是考古学，但这项研究将提供广泛适用于其他学科和学科领域的学习方法和技术，从而促进VR课程的广泛发展，促进科学思维和解决问题的能力。考古学具有固有的物理成分，并且主要处理三维物体，这使得在传统的教室或传统的电脑屏幕，平板电脑或智能手机上呈现具有挑战性。具有挖掘经验是至关重要的，但由于经济和后勤原因，很少有学生能够获得实地机会。虚拟现实（VR）的独特能力很好地应对了这些挑战，计算机技术创造了一个模拟的三维世界，从而将数据分析转化为感官和认知体验。这项研究的技术成果将提供一种学习经验，可以吸引那些对考古学感兴趣且以前无法参加类似活动的服务不足的人群。这项研究将为沉浸式、基于vr的学习提供实证基础，这种方法非常适合各种教育环境和科学学科，确定与学生动机和积极学习成果相关的特定特征。通过对虚拟环境和活动的评估和迭代改进，本研究旨在(1)优化学习者与VR技术的互动；(2)评估学习结果，以衡量VR学习在该特定测试案例中的有效性。这个探索性项目将利用正在进行的消费电子革命作为社会科学教育的低成本平台，从虚拟考古挖掘的原型开始，这将广泛适用于跨学科和学科领域。与此同时，研究将评估这项技术的有效性及其与更大的考古学课程的整合。鉴于人们对考古学和文化遗产的广泛兴趣，本研究的结果适用于所有年龄的学习者在博物馆、科学中心和文化遗产地等正式和非正式的教育环境中学习。

This project will develop an immersive, interactive, room-scale virtual reality (VR) archaeological site that will achieve two overarching classroom objectives: (1) teach the physical methods of archaeological excavation by providing the setting and tools for a student to actively engage in field work; and (2) teach archaeological concepts using a scientific approach to problem solving by couching them within a scientist's context. While the specific problem domain is archaeology, this research will provide learning methodology and technology that is widely applicable to other disciplines and subject areas, resulting in the widespread development of VR curricula that promote scientific thinking and problem-solving skills. Archaeology has an inherent physical component and deals largely with three-dimensional objects, making it challenging to present in a traditional classroom or on traditional computer screens, tablets, or smartphones. Having excavation experience is critical, but field opportunities are available to few students for financial and logistical reasons. These challenges are well met by the unique capabilities of virtual reality (VR), computer technology that creates a simulated three-dimensional world, thereby transforming data analysis into a sensory and cognitive experience. The technological results of the research will provide a learning experience that can engage underserved populations who are interested in archaeology and who have previously been unable to participate in similar activities. This research will provide empirical foundations for immersive, VR-based learning, an approach that is well-suited to various educational settings and scientific subjects, identifying specific features that are associated with student motivation and positive learning outcomes. Using evaluations and iterative refinement of the virtual environment and activities, this research aims to (1) optimize the interaction of the learner with the VR technology; and (2) evaluate learning outcomes to gauge the effectiveness of VR learning within this specific test case. This exploratory project will leverage the ongoing revolution in consumer electronics as a low-cost platform for social science education, beginning with a prototype for a virtual archaeological excavation, that will be broadly applicable across disciplines and subject areas. At the same time, research will assess the efficacy of this technology and its integration into a larger archaeology curriculum. Given the widespread interest in archaeology and cultural heritage, the results of this research are adaptable and applicable to learners of all ages in formal and informal educational settings like museums, science centers, and cultural heritage sites.