An application enabling trainers to rapidly generate, customize and manage online

说明(由申请人提供)：项目摘要：除前五行外，项目摘要包含Ramloll博士要求不得向政府以外的人发布的专有/特权信息，除非出于审查和评估的目的。(下段行数=30)鉴于越来越多的研究结果报告了使用多用户虚拟学习环境支持应急准备培训的好处，我们预计使用多用户虚拟学习环境支持危险意识和HAZWOPER课程的虚拟培训练习的情况将会增加。我们的压倒一切的战略是实施一种方法，赋予培训者权力，使他们不需要求助于程序员或设计师来设置他们的虚拟培训练习。我们设计并实现了一个虚拟练习场景创作和控制应用程序，供训练员在多人3D虚拟现实平台中使用。这个应用程序有三个主要功能：(1)它将允许培训人员通过点击和点击操作创建交互式3D虚拟立体应用程序；(2)它将使培训人员能够生成由立体图描述的场景的沉浸式3D和适当放大版本；以及(3)它将提供直观的用户界面，以控制沉浸式3D虚拟学习环境中的事件和放大对象的行为。我们独一无二地准备在给定的时间和预算限制下实施这一高度创新的方法，因为我们现有的3D交互式应急准备虚拟内容的广泛库以及我们内部开发的软件基础设施将支持拟议的应用程序。在该项目的第一阶段，将实施的其他功能包括使应用程序能够生成放大版本的立体图以产生MUVLE。我们的实现还将允许立体图上的每个对象充当其在MUVLE中的相应放大版本的控制点。训练师对立体对象所做的任何更改，例如，通过菜单选择更改其位置或配置其行为，都将反映在其放大的对应对象中。这项技术有效地将3D交互立体图变成了直观的控制 可供一名运动辅导员或一组训练员使用的工位。由于我们应用程序的目标用户是培训者，因此对于该项目的第一阶段，我们的核心评估目标是确定它是否真的支持培训者。我们的研究问题是：他们是否发现使用我们的应用程序创建或定制他们的虚拟锻炼环境更容易？他们能否轻松、直观地控制或管理虚拟环境中的事件和对象行为？我们的应用评估方法将包括有声思考研究和使用NASA任务负载指数的主观工作负载评估。我们的盈利计划包括将我们的多用户虚拟学习环境外壳(即没有任何内容的虚拟环境平台)和我们的内容生成和管理应用程序作为托管的按使用付费服务提供。我们将把我们庞大的虚拟3D内容库分割成主题特定的内容包，单独销售，并以可以直接导入到内容生成和管理应用程序的格式提供。 与公共卫生的相关性：多用户三维虚拟学习环境中练习和模拟的项目叙事机会将进一步增强传统电子学习的有效性，例如在线网络研讨会或教学多媒体，这已被证明是面对面课堂培训的有效替代方案。我们的目标是为爱达荷州的危险意识或HAZWOPER课程的培训者提供一个应用程序，使他们能够生成MUVLE来支持他们的教学活动，而不需要求助于专门的设计师和程序员团队，或者在与他们的核心专业技能无关的领域进行额外的广泛培训。我们提出的申请将 还充当虚拟环境中的实时控制站，以便在演习进行时实时管理MUVLE中的3D内容位置和行为。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Project summary: The project summary with the exception of the first five lines contains proprietary/privileged information that Dr. Ramloll requests not be released to persons outside the Government, unless for purposes of review and evaluation. (Number of lines in paragraph below = 30) Given the growing body of research results reporting the benefits of using multiuser virtual learning environments (MUVLEs) to support emergency preparedness training, we expect that there will be an increase in the use of MUVLEs to support virtual training exercises for Hazmat Awareness and HAZWOPER courses. Our overriding strategy is to implement an approach that will empower trainers so that they do not need to have recourse to programmers or designers to set up their virtual training exercises. We design and implement a virtual exercise scenario authoring and control application for trainers to use within a multiplayer 3D virtual reality platform. This application has three main functionalities: (1) It will allow trainers to create through point and click operations an interacive 3D virtual diorama application, (2) It will enable trainers to generate an immersive 3D and appropriately scaled up version of the scene described by the diorama and (3) it will provide an intuitive user interface to control events and the behavior of scaled up objects in the immersive 3D virtual learning environment. We are uniquely prepared to implement this highly innovative approach under the given time and budget constraints because of our existing extensive library of 3D interactive emergency preparedness virtual content and our in house developed software infrastructure that will underpin the proposed application. During phase I of this project, the additional functionalities to be implemented include enabling the application to generate a scaled up version of the diorama to produce a MUVLE. Our implementation will also allow every object on the diorama to act as a control point for its corresponding scaled up version in the MUVLE. Any changes made to the diorama objects by the trainer, for example, changing its location or configuring its behavior through menu selections will be reflected in their scaled up counterparts. This technique effectively turns the 3D interactive diorama into an intuitive control station that could be used by an exercise facilitator or a group of trainers. Since the target user for our application are trainers, for the Phase I of this project, our core evaluation aim is to fid out if it actually empowers trainers. Our research questions are: do they find it easier to create or customize their virtual exercise environment using our application? Can they control or manage events and object behaviors in the virtual environment easily and intuitively? Our application evaluation approach will include Think Aloud studies and subjective work load assessments using the NASA Task Load Index. Our monetizing plan involves making our multiuser virtual learning environment shell (that is the virtual environment platform without any content) and our content generation and management application available as a hosted pay per use service. We will segment our extensive library of virtual 3D content into subject specific content packs to be sold separately and made available in a format that can be imported directly into the content generation and management application. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Project Narrative Opportunities for exercises and simulations in multiuser 3D virtual learning environments (MUVLEs) will further augment the effectiveness of traditional E-learning, such as online webinars or instructional multi-media, which has already been shown to provide a valid alternative to face-to-face classroom training. Our goal is to provide trainers for Hazmat Awareness or HAZWOPER courses in Idaho with an application that will allow them to generate MUVLEs to support their instructional activities without needing to have recourse to a dedicated team of designers and programmers or additional extensive training in domains not relevant to their core professional skills. The application we propose will also function as a live control station within the virtual environment to manage in real time 3D content location and behaviors in the MUVLE while an exercise is in progress.