Tectonica Interactive: A Guided Interactive Hypermedia Tutoring System For Plate Tectonics

我们社会面临的许多关键问题，包括有限的资源、全球气候和环境变化以及自然灾害，只能由领导层和对所涉及的基本科学概念有很好了解的民众来解决，所有这些都在地质学中以综合和跨学科的方式加以解决。然而，地质学教育远远没有达到应有的水平。在这个技术日益复杂、信息快速发展、需要更多全球意识的时代，需要用创新的方法来教授地质学。我们建议开发一个基于计算机的勘探和学习系统，重点是板块构造，这是地质学的统一范式。PI包括一名具有发布地质学交互式多媒体软件经验的地质学家，以及一名具有开发智能教程经验的计算机科学家。这个我们称之为“Tectonica Interactive”(TI)的系统将包括自适应(“智能”)教程、引导式超媒体探索、交互式模拟以及视觉丰富的动画、图形和3-D动画。该节目的内容将有两个主要视角：地点和现象。位置是实际的地理位置，现象是地质原理、过程和概念模型。TI的超链接和导航指南将使学生很容易探索与某个位置相关的现象，以及举例说明现象的位置。将提供几种学习模式，从更直接的教程到学生控制的探索。由于我们存储了学生进步和掌握情况的模型，该程序将能够适应多个层次的用户，从中学地球科学专业的学生到大学入门课程的用户，并做出有关提示、解释等的智能决定。评估将在一些大学和高中网站进行，软件的分发将通过CD-ROM和万维网进行。我们预计，TI将被教科书出版商与课文一起包括在内。

Many of the critical problems facing our society, including limited resources, global climate and environmental change, and natural disasters, can only be addressed by leadership and a population that has a good grasp of the fundamental scientific concepts involved, all of which are addressed in an integrated and interdisciplinary manner in geology. Yet geology education is far from what it should be. In this age of increasing technological sophistication, rapidly evolving information, and the need for more global awareness, innovative approaches to teaching geology are needed. We propose to develop a computer-based exploration and learning system which will focus on plate tectonics, the uniting paradigm of geology. The PI's include a geologist with experience publishing interactive multimedia software for geology, and a computer scientist with experience developing intelligent tutorials. The system, which we call "Tectonica Interactive" (TI), will include adaptive ("intelligent") tutorials, guided hypermedia exploration, interactive simulations, and visually rich animations, graphics, and 3-D animation. The content in the program will have two primary per- spectives: locations and phenomena. Locations are actual geographic locations, and Phenomena are geologic principles, processes, and conceptual models. TI's hyperlinks and navigation guid- ance will make it easy for students to explore phenomena associated with a location, and locations which exemplify phenomena. Several learning modes will be available, ranging from more directed tutorials to student-controlled exploration. Because we store a model of student progress and mastery, the program will be able to accommodate users at many levels, from intermediate school earth science students through those in introductory college-level courses, and make intelli- gent decisions regarding hints, explanations, etc. Evaluation will occur at a number of university and high school sites, and distribution of the software will be by CD-ROM and the Worl d Wide Web. We anticipate that TI will be included by textbook publishers along uith the text.