Learning in the Field: Comparison of Desktop, Immersive Virtual Reality, and Actual Field Trips for Place-Based STEM Education

Zhao, Jiayan; LaFemina, Peter; Carr, Julia; Sajjadi, Pejman; Wallgrün, Jan Oliver; Klippel, Alexander

doi:10.1109/vr46266.2020.00012

Cited by 62 publications

(32 citation statements)

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“…Experienced naturalists, teachers, or guides can produce high levels of engagement and excitement with a good story, independent of the digital media artifact used in that context. Interestingly, when other applications offer a high factual content, transmitted as photorealistic 2D-360 video and displayed in immersive VR headsets, the learning results are mixed [26], but these designs restricted free exploration, blocking the pursuit of the salient, blunting curiosity, and thus possibly limiting the learning effects.…”

Section: Information Fidelity (Facts) Important For Knowledge Acquisition (Learning)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Designing a Virtual Arboretum as an Immersive, Multimodal, Interactive, Data Visualization Virtual Field Trip

Harrington

Bledsoe

Jones

et al. 2021

MTI

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This paper describes a virtual field trip application as a new type of immersive, multimodal, interactive, data visualization of a virtual arboretum. Deployed in a game engine, it is a large, open-world simulation, representing 100 hectares and ideal for use when free choice in navigation and high fidelity are required. Although the computer graphics are photorealistic, it is different and unique from other applications that use game art or 2D 360-degree video, because it reflects high information fidelity as a result of the domain expert review, and the integration of geographic information system (GIS) data with drone images. Combined in-game as a data visualization, it is ideal for generating past or future worlds, in addition to representations of the present. Fusing information from many data sources—terrain data, waterbody data, plant inventory, population density data, accurate plant models, bioacoustics, and drone images—its design process and methods could be repeated and used in a wide range of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) applications and devices. Results on presence, embodiment, emotions, engagement, and learning are summarized from prior pilot studies for context on use, and are relevant to schools, museums, arboretums, and botanical gardens interested in developing immersive informal learning applications.

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Section: Information Fidelity (Facts) Important For Knowledge Acquisition (Learning)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Designing a Virtual Arboretum as an Immersive, Multimodal, Interactive, Data Visualization Virtual Field Trip

Harrington

Bledsoe

Jones

et al. 2021

MTI

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Indeed, one is most likely to rely on photographs when the goal is to generate an accurate digital replica, typically to create an immersive virtual visit of a specific place for training or educational purposes [11]. In this context, Guttentag [16] explains that it is particularly problematic if the reconstructed environment is not objectively accurate, as viewers may be misled by visual inaccuracies and thus retain incomplete or incorrect information.…”

Section: Factors For Achieving the Application's Goalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Finally, in Section 5 we analyze these results and discuss their implications for future work. To recreate real-world scenes as photorealistic background environments for VR, many authors today rely on the use of 360°capture devices [7,[11][12][13]. Indeed, consumer-grade 360°cameras are light, easy to use, cheap, and capable of acquiring visual data coming from all directions in a single shot.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of View-Dependent Image-Based Effects on Perception of Visual Realism and Presence in Virtual Reality Environments Created Using Multi-Camera Systems

Dinechin

Paljic

Tanant³

2021

Applied Sciences

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Several recent works have presented image-based methods for creating high-fidelity immersive virtual environments from photographs of real-world scenes. In this paper, we provide a user-centered evaluation of such methods by way of a user study investigating their impact on viewers’ perception of visual realism and sense of presence. In particular, we focus on two specific elements commonly introduced by image-based approaches. First, we investigate the extent to which using dedicated image-based rendering algorithms to render the scene with view-dependent effects (such as specular highlights) causes users to perceive it as being more realistic. Second, we study whether making the scene fade out beyond a fixed volume in 3D space significantly reduces participants’ feeling of being there, examining different sizes for this viewing volume. To provide details on the virtual environment used in the study, we also describe how we recreated a museum gallery for room-scale virtual reality using a custom-built multi-camera rig. The results of our study show that using image-based rendering to render view-dependent effects can effectively enhance the perception of visual realism and elicit a stronger sense of presence, even when it implies constraining the viewing volume to a small range of motion.

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“…Bringing the field experience to students, rather than always taking students into the field, is increasingly important for reasons of accessibility, time, cost, and offering comparable opportunities to online students (Huntoon, 2012;Arthurs, 2021;Rotzien et al, 2021). Despite a long history of field trips in the geosciences, some desktop-based 25 virtual field trips have, in fact, been shown to yield better learning experiences and outcomes than actual field trips (Zhao et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introduction and Motivations 20mentioning

confidence: 99%

Multi-scale virtual field experience, Grand Ledge, Michigan, USA

Marshall

Higley

2021

Preprint

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Abstract. Field experiences are a critical component of undergraduate geoscience education; however, traditional onsite field experiences are not always practical due to accessibility, and the popularity of alternative modes of learning in higher education is increasing. One way to support student access to field experiences is through virtual field trips, implemented either independently or in conjunction with in-person field trips. We created a virtual field trip (VFT) to Grand Ledge, a regionally important suite of sedimentary outcrops in central lower Michigan, USA. This VFT undertakes all stages of a field project, from question development and detailed observation through data collection to interpretation. The VFT was implemented in undergraduate Sedimentation and Stratigraphy courses at two different liberal arts institutions, with one version of the VFT conducted in-person and the other online. The VFT was presented from a locally hosted website and distributed through an online learning platform. Students completed a series of activities using field data in the form of outcrop photos, virtual 3D models of outcrops and hand samples, and photos of thin sections. Student products included annotated field notes, a stratigraphic column, a collaborative stratigraphic correlation, and a final written reflection. VFT assessment demonstrated that students successfully achieved the inquiry-oriented student learning outcomes and student reflection responses provide anecdotal evidence that the field experience was comparable to field geology onsite. This VFT is an example of successful student learning in an upper-level Sedimentation and Stratigraphy course via virtual field experience with an emphasis on local geology.

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Learning in the Field: Comparison of Desktop, Immersive Virtual Reality, and Actual Field Trips for Place-Based STEM Education

Cited by 62 publications

References 0 publications

Designing a Virtual Arboretum as an Immersive, Multimodal, Interactive, Data Visualization Virtual Field Trip

Designing a Virtual Arboretum as an Immersive, Multimodal, Interactive, Data Visualization Virtual Field Trip

Impact of View-Dependent Image-Based Effects on Perception of Visual Realism and Presence in Virtual Reality Environments Created Using Multi-Camera Systems

Multi-scale virtual field experience, Grand Ledge, Michigan, USA

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