Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
turns education into an entertaining procedure
contributing thereby to the active participation
of students in learning process.
One of the most beneficial uses of VR technol-
ogy is the development of virtual reality environ-
ments on the Web. This capability provides a novel
framework for distance learning and life-long
education shifting the centre of education from
physical classroom to network. Hence, students
can approach knowledge from any place, even
from their own home, having as much time as they
really need to study the educational material adapt-
ing so the learning process to their personal needs.
However, in order to support and enhance learning
through Web-based virtual environments, specific
pedagogical methods should be applied and well-
defined rules should be followed. Web-based
virtual learning environments play a multilateral
educational role providing not only a platform for
the presentation of educational material, but also
a communication means among the members of
a learning community. These capabilities allow
the creation of a virtual classroom, i.e. a virtual
learning environment in which educators and
learners are able to perform classroom-like tasks
(Grigoriadou & Papanikolaou, 2000). To ensure
the educational effectiveness of the learning
environment, appropriate pedagogical methods
should be considered, especially in the designing
phase of the system. Basic pedagogical methods
such as behaviourism, cognitivism, constructivism
and collaborative learning are studied focusing
mainly on the efficient preparation, approach
and presentation of learning content to fulfil its
educational objectives.
A web-based virtual learning environment (the
term hypermedia virtual learning environment
can be alternatively used) is not just a conven-
tional website used for disseminating educational
content or a web page containing 3D graphics. It
is a combination of virtual reality and web tech-
nologies centralized on the fulfilment of specific
educational objectives. For the effectiveness of
the final application, specific designing rules
should be followed to ensure its usability, i.e. an
efficient, understandable and pleasant communi-
cation between user and system. The designing
rules presented in this chapter are classified in
three categories according to the triple nature of
these applications: hypermedia, virtual and edu-
cational nature. Each of these categories contains
a number of requirements that should be taken
into account by a designer to ensure the usability
and effectiveness of the final application. In the
next section a study on various virtual reality
educational environments on the web is presented.
This chapter is organized into five distinct parts.
First of all, a historical overview is provided, which
cover some of the most significant milestones in
the area of web-based virtual reality environments.
This is followed by a designing analysis, in which
the basic designing rules for web-based educa-
tional virtual reality environments are described.
Thereafter, a prototype environment is presented
for the distance education of medical students.
Finally, future research directions as well as the
conclusions of this study are presented.
BACkgROUND
The vast majority of these applications involve pre-
developed virtual environments in which students
can interact to learn some basic concepts. A case
of a virtual reality distance learning system was
VRLAB (VRLAB, 2005). Within the VRLAB
system, students are able, via the Internet, to con-
duct experiments, which are located in a remote
laboratory. This guarantees safety and does not
include any financial or time restrictions. Special
emphasis is given to the students' interaction with
the experiment (i.e. control of the experiment,
camera control etc.), which is realized via a user-
friendly interface based on virtual reality and 3-D
visualization techniques using 3D graphics so as
to stimulate the students' interest. Virtual reality
equipment, such as a Head Mounted Display
could also be used, if available, in order to im-
Search WWH ::
Custom Search