(ALIVE) Project is to evaluate the effectiveness of the use of computer-generated immersive virtual environments (VEs) for teaching astronomical concepts in college introductory astronomy classes. The study will find optimal learning modes for astronomy, and quantify the benefits that immersive VEs may have for enabling spatial learning. The experiment will compare the advantages of immersive VEs over their non-immersive counterparts.
ALIVE establishes a collaboration between a four-year urban university and a regional science museum. The study will take place in the introductory astronomy classes at the Metropolitan State College of Denver (MSCD), using the digital full-dome theater at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science (DMNS). The three-year study will use MSCD's diverse urban student population as test subjects, and will be broken up into two stages. Phase I will develop the materials for the experiment, while the experiment and follow-up analyses will take place in Phase II. The study will use interactive, real-time software developed at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science (DMNS). Astronomy class students at the Metropolitan State College of Denver (MSCD) will be surveyed to determine what astronomical misconceptions they already possess. From these frontend evaluations, learning modules using VE simulations will be developed to supplement the introductory astronomy curriculum. In the experiment, pre-course, post-course, and curriculum tests will be used to determine the efficacy of immersive visualizations presented in DMNS' Gates Planetarium versus the same visual simulations in non-immersive settings (i.e., shown on a flat screen in a normal classroom), as well as a control case using traditional classroom multimedia. The project will stimulate and support the development of astronomy education modules used in multi-user facilities such as smart classrooms and digital planetaria. Such modules can also be used for informal science education in immersive digital theaters. An important sub-study will look explicitly at gender-related trends, since there is evidence that women exhibit greater gains than men in certain virtual navigation tasks when using an immersive VE. These results may have the potential to increase female participation and retention in the sciences. These activities are strongly aligned with the goals of NSF GPRA Strategic Plan 2001-2006.
