1998 Conference Attendees

In addition to understanding how the use of these powerful modeling tools aid students in learning about astronomy (including the potential for minimizing common misconceptions associated with 2D representations), our research program will focus on knowledge generation and diffusion that occurs within a constructivist-based learning environment. To this end, our research team will use video cameras to capture each group of students as they construct their VR worlds. In addition to the videotapes, student and teacher interviews, document analysis, field notes, and various tests will provide a rich data base for analyses. Using a methodology refined during Future Camp 97 (Barab & Hay, 1997), our research team will select various facts, practices (tool and concept related), student productions (e.g., projects developed), and conceptual understandings to serve as tracers from which we will trace how student understandings evolve over time (Newman, Griffin, & Cole, 1989; Roth & Roychoudhury, 1993). Drawing on the actor-network approach (Latour, 1987; Roth, 1996), these data will be analyzed to generate networks consisting of various nodes (actors) and links (connections among the nodes), which represent the historical development of each tracer. Consistent with the actor-network theory, no one actor, whether it is the computer, teacher, other resources, or student will be given apriori priority over others in explaining student understandings. We expect, based on findings from Future Camp 97, that examination of these networks will show how student understandings are "constructed" out of and "contextualized" in the concrete particulars of the situation in which they are being developed and used-contributing empirical support for theories regarding the situated nature of knowing and providing insights for the design of robust learning environments. Further, this research will offer insights into the possible roles of teachers in aiding students as they confront project dilemmas in which they have ownership (Lave, 1996) and out of which they construct meaning.

Second, there has been some scholarship that shows that these misconceptions are often supported or a direct product of impoverished 2D static representations that are the mainstay of lecture based and textbook based instruction. In a domain where a three dimensional and dynamic conceptual model is vital for deep understanding, current instructional materials fall well short.

Third, theoretically this project builds on the work we would put under the label of constructionism and knowledge as design. This includes the work at MIT's MediaLab by Papert, Harel, Kafai, and Resnick where learners are constructing with Logo; the work at U of Mich. HICE lab by Soloway, Guzdial, Hay, and Jackson where learners build multimedia compositions and computer simulations/models; and finally the work at U of Washington's HITL by Winn where learners are building VR worlds.

Fourth, theoretically this project builds on the work to develop a Learner Centered Design paradigm to design computational learning tools. LCD was developed at U of Mich's HICE lab by Soloway, Guzdial, & Hay. The notion is that increased computing power and WYSIWYG interfaces have created a opportunity to flatten the learning curve to the point where a course on the solar system that uses VR can be about the solar system and not about VR. However, these tools are built for WWW VRML content developers, not learners. We will be studying needs and opportunities where that tool can support not just "use", but learning.

Fifth, there is a growing body of research on collaboration, "sharable artifacts", and the focus on audience that these entail. The worlds that our learners are building use the VRML 2.0 standard and thus can be loaded onto the WWW and viewed by PC level machines anywhere in the world. Learners can build models in our lab and then view and navigate through them anywhere in the world.

Sixth, the work of NCSA demonstrates that visualizing models in immersive way (i.e. CAVE) is an important way in which scientists evaluate their models and data. We believe that this will be the case with learners, however, for different reasons. We believe that it will be a powerful way to confront their misconception and build new understandings of the solar system. We will use IUB's new CAVE with the learner to explore the learning benefit of this high-end, immersive environment.

Seventh, there is much discussion about "situated learning" and advantages to learning in student-centered learning environment. With respect to the latter, we are refining our research methodology, predicated on the work of Latour and Roth and used during Future Camp 97, so that we can provide empirical grounding to constructivist claims. We will do this by tracing the evolution and diffusion of student understandings as they emerge and diffuse over the course. Our research team will be coding this data twice each week so that we may capture a rich picture of the learning that is occurring. Also, by tracing the evolution of these understandings we expect to provide support for the situated nature of student understandings.

Curriculum Development: We are finalizing the development of a curriculum that involves a senior Astronomy professor who has agreed to completely change this course into one that is project based. Issues of coverage, project definition, project evaluation, overall grading, grading of an individual within a group, and overwhelming students are at the forefront of his mind. We have been working with him to re-conceive these issues within a constructionist framework. There have been significant challenges. We are interested in this issue both for immediate pragmatic reasons and for issues of scale. This course is taught with a group of 16 students. On typical semesters, the course would enroll 200. We are interested in scaling up the project to the typical 200 and then to other universities. These curricular issues are vital for this type of scale up.

Technology Challenges: The VRML 2.0 standard is only a few months old, the VRML editor is only a few months old with little documentation, and the IU CAVE has been on-line for 2 months. As such, this project represents a unique confluence of technologies that have been untested in a freshman level, science-classroom situation.

Research Methods: The Future Camp 97 experience has taught us a lot about research methods in this type of setting. We have two challenges. One is creating a procedure to handle large amounts of videotape data. We are developing an innovative method in which the WWW is used as a front-end to a RealVideo database for data reduction, coding, and reporting the qualitative data. From here, the data is mapped out as nodes that ultimately end up as a graph theoretic representation of the learning that took place. In addition to the actor networks, we are investigating the use of small-space analysis to develop "pictures' that represent the rich dynamics among learners, teachers, various resources, and the technology afforded within these project-based learning environments (Salomon, 1996).

Intra-project Research Partnerships - Partnerships that directly relate to the VRSS.

Scaling the Project: We are interesting in identifying university partnerships with research and astronomy educators to take our project to other campuses and then conduct research on the process. LCD Interface: We will be constructing a LCD interface to the VRML editor in the near future based on our research findings with respect to where students need support in their developing understanding. We are interested in partners in several facets of this endeavor.

Research: We are interested in research methodologies that we may not have thought about that would illicit a better understanding of learning in these types of environments.

Technology Support: We are interesting in identifying any resources for using VRML and the CAVE.

Inter-project Research Partnerships - Partnerships with parallel interests

WWW Data Analysis Tool: We would be interested in sharing our ideas and developing tools with other projects. We are also interested in collaborations that would build robust and powerful tools for "virtual research teams."

Meta-Studies: We are interested in being a part of a meta-study that would bring a number of similar projects together and ask similar questions, using similar methods, about these types of environments.

CAVE: We are interested in identifying projects that would be appropriate for the educational use of the CAVE/Immersadesk at IU. There is a significant commitment to exploring the use of this technology for education. We need interest and powerful applications to make that commitment into a reality.