Collaborative Virtual 3D Environment for Internet-accessible Physics Experiments 1,2 2 1,3 2 Tina Scheucher , Philip H. Bailey , Christian Gütl , V. Judson Harward 1 Graz University of Technology, Graz, Austria 2 Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, USA 3 Curtin University of Technology, Perth, WA Abstract—Immersive 3D worlds have increasingly raised the user is able to interact within the environment. For interest of researchers and practitioners for various example, the user can enter and exit rooms, walk around learning and training settings over the last decade. These buildings, and open drawers to see what is inside. virtual worlds can provide multiple communication Increases in desktop 3D computer graphics and network channels between users and improve presence and infrastructure were the two main technological advances awareness in the learning process. Consequently virtual 3D that have enabled the development of 3D VEs and have environments facilitate collaborative learning and training generally increased the potential of the World Wide Web. scenarios. Such environments provide the illusion of being immersed within a 3D space, and enable the user to perform actions In this paper we focus on the integration of internet- and behaviors which are analogous to those she can accessible physics experiments (iLabs) combined with the initiate in the real world [16]. The fact that users can gain TEALsim 3D simulation toolkit in Project Wonderland, experience in the same way that they can in the real world Sun's toolkit for creating collaborative 3D virtual worlds. opens new and interesting opportunities for physics Within such a collaborative environment these tools provide education. By expanding reality beyond the limits of the the opportunity for teachers and students to work together classroom in both time and space, the educator can enrich as avatars as they control actual equipment, visualize the student’s learning experience to ease understanding of physical phenomenon generated by the experiment, and abstract physics concepts [8]. discuss the results. In particular we will outline the steps of 3D VEs designed to improve learning processes and integration, future goals, as well as the value of a enrich learning resources are called 3D virtual learning collaboration space in Wonderland's virtual world. environments (VLE's) [17]. Rather than attempting to recreate common face-to-face classroom settings, the aim Index Terms—Collaborative immersive environment, of these environments is to complement and expand virtual worlds, Project Wonderland, iLabs, TEALsim, classroom activities. In addition to providing more physics experiments flexible learning resources than those available in conventional 2D e-learning environments, VLEs also try I. INTRODUCTION to use the third dimension to enhance collaborative learning and provide hands-on learning experiences not The use of 3D virtual learning environments in possible in the classroom. Through facilitating 3D education has grown considerably over the past years and visualizations, these environments have the ability to has captured the attention and interest of educators make the unseen seen. A 3D simulation generated from a worldwide. This interest originally arose from educators’ formal mathematical model embodying the laws of demands for more flexible and expressive technologies to physics becomes a controllable computer-generated support the students’ learning experiences. Despite rapid analog of real-world objects or processes, which the development, many educational application domains student can use to understand the behavior of complex continue to exhibit a great need for improvement. If we systems [2] [19] [4]. Along with visualizing physics focus on physics education from secondary school phenomena and simulating their actions/behavior, a 3D through university, the main pedagogical problem remains VLE also provides standard, quasi-realistic mechanisms that students have great difficulty in relating physics for the user to interact with the underlying theory and equations to the phenomena they observe in physical/mathematical models. Computer-generated the lab or, indeed, in the everyday world. Perhaps the most simulations can enable the students to compare theoretical promising tool for improving students’ ability to relate with experimental results, since they embody learning by physics theory to observable phenomena is the use of 3D doing [6]. visualization. B. Collaborative Learning Environments A. 3D Virtual Environments While several VLE's for virtual physics experiments are 3D virtual environments (VEs) make use of the third designed as single-user environments, wherein learners dimension to increase the participant’s sense of reality. accomplish experiments by themselves, recent approaches They consist entirely of 3D components, with which the demonstrate that sharing experiences in a group, via real-time immersive stereo audio with distance discussing results together, and interacting with other attenuation. participants can bring learners to a higher achievement level [14]. Multi-user VLEs, also known as collaborative B. The iLab Project VLEs (CVLE) [18] or virtual worlds [1], enable The iLab Project [27] developed at MIT provides an interactions not only with objects but also with other infrastructure for the design and sharing of Internet users. These virtual worlds are richly immersive, and accessible lab experiments. It allows students and learners participate as avatars, which represent the educators remote access to actual equipment in real learners within the virtual space. Multiple learners can laboratories. Unlike conventional experiment facilities, the explore the same 3D collaborative environment, can equipment is available 24/7, from anywhere at any time, communicate with other learners, and can move their and may be easily shared. Online laboratories offer the avatars through the space as if they were physically possibility to expand the range of experiments that walking [5]. CLVEs have achieved the goal of virtual students use in the course of their education. The iLab collaboration, therefore they have the potential to offer Project’s vision is to share lab experiments with other important influences on the 3D immersive virtual world institutions across the world. approach [3] [15]. C. The TEAL Simulation System (TEALsim) The goal of our project is to provide a 3D CVLE for TEALsim [26] is an open source Java3D based physics education in which students and educators are simulation toolkit, developed at the Massachusetts able to work together in a collaborative way. Through the Institute of Technology (MIT) as a component of the integration of specific technologies and projects, the users ‘Studio Physics’ [20] Technology Enabled Active of this immersive environment use a 3D simulation to Learning Project (TEAL) [26]. TEAL's major goal is to visualize the real behavior of an actual remote physics help students conceptualize phenomena and processes experiment. The following section of this paper will especially in electromagnetism [7]. The approach of this introduce the software and technologies which are used to project is to provide a combination of lectures, lab realize this collaborative learning space. We will describe experiments and a range of simulations in a specially both the current implementation as well as our planned designed classroom to facilitate group interaction. future work. Students typically work in groups of three. TEALsim simulations are already effectively integrated II. BACKGROUND TECHNOLOGIES in the TEAL curriculum. They are used to illustrate Our research is based on multiple pre-existing projects abstract physics concepts visualized by means of a 3D which embody virtual technologies. They each have their model. To give one example, electromagnetic fields and respective benefits, and our goal has been to fuse them phenomena are typically not visible in real settings, but into a new collaborative learning environment. using such a simulation engine, students can view a synchronized visualization that renders an accurate A. Project Wonderland representation of the invisible field lines. Student lab groups have the ability to interact with the model using Project Wonderland [25] is a 100% Java open source their desktop input devices, control input values, and then toolkit for creating collaborative 3D virtual worlds, see how the simulation is effected by their changes. In developed by Sun Microsystems Inc [21]. This multi-user addition, 3D simulations can be carried out as often as immersive environment incorporates 3D and desktop needed to give the students a better understanding for computer graphics technology with digital media, to physics concepts. immerse and engage users in the same way 3D games grab and keep the attention of players. Wonderland offers students a virtual world within which to work and learn together without the need for a separate collaboration tool D. The Force On A Dipole Experiment [22]. Wonderland focuses on providing open source tools The “Force on a Dipole” experiment developed at MIT for collaboration. These tools include high quality combines an iLab interactive lab and a TEALsim spatially localized audio chat, shared whiteboards, HTML visualization. The experiment itself consists of a small and pdf viewers, streaming video, and shared virtual magnet suspended vertically by a spring in the center of desktops. Because the system is open-source, it can be two horizontally mounted