Echolocation as an Accessible Navigation Tool in a Virtual 3D Environment

This chapter aimed to reveal how the analysis, design, and development processes should be carried out while history teaching environments are being developed in 3D virtual environments and to set a concrete definition of teaching process in 3D virtual environments. In the history teaching session, the participants were represented in the 3D virtual environment developed in OpenSim simultaneously with their own avatars. They role-played the historical characters and actively participated in the events of that period by using historical reenactment technique in historical spaces. Additionally, this chapter describes the development process of a 3D virtual teaching environment from the design of the teaching process to the implementation. The procedures performed during the preparation of the 3D virtual teaching environment are presented with a flowchart. It is expected that this flowchart, suggested as a 3D virtual instructional design model, will guide researchers through the process of developing teaching implementations in 3D virtual environments in future studies.

The purpose of this case study was to determine if learning occurred within a 3D virtual learning environment by determining if elements of collaboration and Nonaka and Takeuchi's (1995) knowledge spiral were present. A key portion of this research was the creation of a Virtual Learning Environment. This 3D VLE utilized the Torque Game Engine provided by Garage Games and a content pack created by BraveTree Productions, LLC. By creating this 3D didactic constructivist virtual environment, conversations were observed for collaborative and knowledge creation elements. Data for this mixed-design case study were gathered through three sources: the 3D virtual environment; a survey created by the researchers; and follow-up interviews. Findings revealed that the five forms of collaboration (Elementary Clarification, In-Depth Clarification, Inference, Judgment, and Application) amplified the knowledge creation process and indeed occurred within the virtual learning environment. It was also determined that all four modes for knowledge creation (socialization, externalization, combination, and internalization) were observed as well.

The objective of the study is to analyze the effect of three dimensional (3D) virtual environment and augmented reality applications on learning achievement. In line with this purpose, experimental studies were considered and the effects of experimental and control groups on learning achievement analyzed. In the experimental group, the applications which were established through the 3D virtual environment and augmented reality technologies while control group consisted of face to face environment. In order to realize this aim, the meta-analysis method used in educational sciences was preferred. Key words for 3D virtual environments meta-analysis scanning are: ‘“3D virtual world” & achievement’ and ’“3D virtual environment” & achievement’. And the key word determined for the augmented reality meta- analysis scanning is ’“augmented reality” & achievement’. Within the context of the research, the databases such as Science Direct, ERIC, Taylor & Francis, EBSCO, Emerald, JSTOR, SAGE, SpringerLink and Google Scholar were analyzed. The determined keywords were entered into the aforementioned databases and 4.682 articles published between 2010 and 2016 were controlled in terms of their conformity to the objectives of the research. After the initial analysis, 47 articles were determined on 3D virtual environment while 57 articles were on the augmented reality. Among the 47 articles on 3D virtual environments, 20 articles which conform to the inclusion criteria were determined and 24 articles among the 57 articles on augmented reality were employed for meta-analysis. The dependent variable of the research is learning achievement while independent variable is experimental and control groups. Education level was determined as the moderator variable in the research. According to the results of the research, it was found that 3D virtual environments had moderate levels of effect on learning achievement on behalf of the experimental group (d=0.32). similar to those results, augmented reality applications had also moderate level of effect on learning achievement on behalf of experimental group (d=0.46). According to the results of the moderator analysis conducted, it was determined that the selection of the study sample as undergraduate, primary school, high school and secondary school did not change the effect size of the 3D virtual environments on the learning success. Again, according to the results of the moderator analysis, it was determined that the selection of the study sample as a secondary school, primary school and graduate did not change the effect size of the augmented reality applications on the learning success.

Although web-based 3D virtual simulation environments are appealing applications, their construction in large scale is a challenging task. Existing systems that support 3D virtual environments focus typically on specific tasks and have a supporting structure, which is closely tight to the application. As a consequence, a change in the application usually means a change in the supporting structure too, making it difficult and expensive to develop new or to extend/change existing VE applications. Thus, solutions that can decrease the development time of 3D virtual environments are most welcome. This paper introduces a novel approach for building and extending virtual environments. An XML-based mark up language, VEML, is presented, which describes simulations through the concept of atomic simulation. VEML can be used to create and/or to extend highly dynamic 3D virtual environments, such as marketing campaigns for virtual shopping mall, customized training environments, etc.

In this paper, an immersive virtual roller coaster is introduced. A three Degree-Of-Freedom (3DOF) computer controlled simulator with special effects is designed, implemented, and tested. The simulator platform moves in response to control signals generated by a three-dimensional (3D) virtual gaming environment. In order to add more reality to the gaming environment, external effects, that represent a fourth dimension to virtual environment, are added to the simulator environment such as smell, sound, light, and sense of temperature (heat or cold) that are synchronized with the events happening in the 3D virtual gaming environment. The controlled simulator is developed for entertainment purposes and to suit all ages. The proposed system was tested and verified in the sense that the platform interacts with all events occur in the 3D virtual environment and external effects. The proposed 4D entertainment machine can be used in amusement parks and family entertainment centers and malls.

Recently, the development of minimally invasive surgery has led to the emergence of the new research area: minimally invasive vascular surgery simulation. The goal of the surgery simulation is to provide a new way to enable the trainees to obtain the core skills of the techniques. One of the key component of the simulation for core skills training in minimally invasive vascular surgery is how to develop 3D real-time computer-based virtual environments. In this paper, we present the virtual environments targeting to simulate the motion of a catheter/guide wire with complex 3D vascular models. Experimental results show that the 3D virtual environments are effective and promising.

As educational systems emphasize and experiment with forms of online and remote learning, it is increasingly important to investigate the cultural competence of instructional designers. This chapter addresses the experiences of instructional designers in a 3D virtual learning environment designed for development of cultural competence. Design-based research (DBR) and user experience (UX) methodologies were employed to explore experience of six instructional designers in 3D virtual environment. A taxonomy of experience (ToE) established by Coxon guided qualitative data collection and analysis. Through examples and data, the chapter emphasizes the necessity for instructional designers to keep in mind the challenge of cultural diversity in the backgrounds of students and their own, and bring guidelines and principles into culturally sensitive and responsive instructional design processes. The authors recommend four future research directions, including cross-cultural instructional designer competencies along with research into cultural personas, avatars, and guest-host relations.

As educational systems emphasize and experiment with forms of online and remote learning, it is increasingly important to investigate the cultural competence of instructional designers. This chapter addresses the experiences of instructional designers in a 3D virtual learning environment designed for development of cultural competence. Design-based research (DBR) and user experience (UX) methodologies were employed to explore experience of six instructional designers in 3D virtual environment. A taxonomy of experience (ToE) established by Coxon guided qualitative data collection and analysis. Through examples and data, the chapter emphasizes the necessity for instructional designers to keep in mind the challenge of cultural diversity in the backgrounds of students and their own, and bring guidelines and principles into culturally sensitive and responsive instructional design processes. The authors recommend four future research directions, including cross-cultural instructional designer competencies along with research into cultural personas, avatars, and guest-host relations.

This study investigated behavioral characteristics of users with visual impairments and tested effect of factors regarding the layout of virtual environments (VEs). Various three-dimensional (3D) VEs were simulated with two different factors: number of objects and layout type (random, symmetric). Using a Novint Falcon haptic device, users with visual impairments were required to complete an object recognition task in 3D VEs with different levels of number of object and layout. The characteristics of their movements (speed, applied force, location, direction, etc.) were recorded, and participants evaluated perceived difficulty after they completed each trial. We analyzed their recorded movements and their rating on perceived difficulty. Results showed that 1) number of objects in 3D VE had significant impact on visually impaired users’ behavior; 2) different layout had not showed significant influence on their movement; 3) increased number of objects in 3D VE made the task more difficult; 4) visualized results implied that different users had significant different behavior preference in the same 3D VE. It is expected that the results of this study can improve behavioral understanding of users with visual impairments and guidance for assistive technology development for users with visual impairments.KeywordsHaptic3D virtual environmentbehavioral pattern

In this investigation, a virtual classroom for Uşak University's Electricity Program is designed, implemented and then tested by using the 3D virtual environment Second Life. When online, learners and instructors are able to correspond with each other by using their own avatars, chat vocally, make presentations and watch videos, as well as utilise all opportunities of a 3D virtual environment. Furthermore, learners can access the educational materials of the Electricity Program and interact with each other even when the educator is not available, giving opportunities for both synchronous and asynchronous distance education. The 3D virtual environment is analysed and evaluated here in terms of education costs, and advantages or disadvantages for both learner and educator.

This article examines the influence of teacher/peer e-scaffolding in a mobile learning environment on students’ design skills and the technology fatigue associated with a 3D virtual learning environment. The sample consisted of 32 postgraduate students who were divided into two groups according to their e-scaffolding source (teacher/peer). The findings showed that peer e-scaffolding outperformed teacher e-scaffolding in the mobile learning environment in terms of students’ development of design skills. The findings also showed that students became moderately fatigued after designing the 3D virtual environments in both experimental groups. This study can act as a guide for teachers and instructional designers by helping them to select the most suitable e-scaffolding source when teaching 3D virtual environment design skills. This may result in better and easier skill development.

This work presents a deep reinforcement learning (DRL) approach for procedural content generation (PCG) to automatically generate three-dimensional (3D) virtual environments that users can interact with. The primary objective of PCG methods is to algorithmically generate new content in order to improve user experience. Researchers have started exploring the use of machine learning (ML) methods to generate content. However, these approaches frequently implement supervised ML algorithms that require initial datasets to train their generative models. In contrast, RL algorithms do not require training data to be collected a priori since they take advantage of simulation to train their models. Considering the advantages of RL algorithms, this work presents a method that generates new 3D virtual environments by training an RL agent using a 3D simulation platform. This work extends the authors’ previous work and presents the results of a case study that supports the capability of the proposed method to generate new 3D virtual environments. The ability to automatically generate new content has the potential to maintain users’ engagement in a wide variety of applications such as virtual reality applications for education and training, and engineering conceptual design.

This chapter examines the importance of and possibilities for providing learner support and scaffolding in 3D virtual learning environments designed to promote and encourage learner exploration and discovery. The chapter begins with an overview of the need for scaffolding in discovery learning, before discussing scaffolding in technology-mediated learning environments. A framework is presented for understanding the types of scaffolding that can be provided in such environments. Using a case study based on the design of a 3D Virtual Chemistry Laboratory, examples illustrating the way each category of scaffolding within the framework could be provided within a 3D virtual environment are presented. The chapter concludes with coverage of the key considerations in designing scaffolded 3D virtual environments, as well as some of the important issues in adapting the concepts of scaffolding from face-to-face to technology-mediated environments.

Computer‐aided learning (CAL) has great potential in facilitating learning. In medical education, several approaches using CAL have been used. In this paper, we present a software platform human anatomy which we designed to provide a virtual learning environment to support teaching and learning delivered on a workstation, mobile devices as well as multi touch screens. The virtual 3D environment is particularly useful for medical students to identify key anatomy structures and their complex spatial relationships.Modeling and direct volume rendering (DVR) technologies are applied to anonymized actual patients’ CT Data. The intuitive computer graphic interface and virtual reality 3D environment make learning interesting and engaging. The platform also allows instructors to easily customize the anatomy model by adding additional digital supplementary learning material, including hyperlinks, additional images, animation, audio, video and PowerPoint presentations which are all supported within the learning environment. To make use of online and mobile learning Function, the system provides interface to extend online and mobile learning. The prototype has been evaluated by medical students and teaching staff for further refinements.

Computer-aided learning (CAL) has great potential in facilitating learning. In medical education, several approaches using CAL have been used. In this paper, we present a novel software platform which we designed to provide a virtual learning environment to support anatomy teaching and learning delivered on a simple desktop computer. The virtual 3D environment is particularly useful to help students identify key anatomy structures and their complex spatial relationships. Modeling and direct volume rendering (DVR) technologies are applied to anonymized actual patient CT Data. The learning platform has been designed to provide accurate, interactive models for student and instructor use. The intuitive computer graphic interface and virtual reality 3D environment make learning interesting and engaging. The platform also allows instructors to easily customize the anatomy model by adding additional digital supplementary learning material like text including hyperlinks, further images, animation, audio and video which are all supported within the learning environment. To make use of online and mobile learning function, the system provides interface to extend online and mobile learning. The chest anatomy prototype has been evaluated by medical students and teaching staff with good feedback.