This dissertation describes a virtual world builder, called CLOVES (Construction of Layer Oriented Virtual Environment for Science inquiry learning). CLOVES focuses on enabling world designers to create data-rich virtual reality environments and simulated instruments for helping children' s science inquiry learning.

CLOVES serves as a medium for collaborative design among educators, programmers, and modelers by simplifying the collaborative design process model based on the articulation of hierarchical design responsibilities among potential world designers. CLOVES new design process model is also developed to increase the designers shared understanding of the construction process.

A case study was conducted to evaluate CLOVES features and find out whether it works out as a collaborative medium. In addition to several improvements made to CLOVES, designers actually built a virtual world with the tool. The study also showed that the teacher participated in the study was able to establish the common ground shared understanding of the development process.

Phd Thesis Committee: Advisor of Yongjoo Cho and Associate Professor Tom Moher, Director of EVL Thomas DeFanti, Assistant Professor Andrew Johnson, Associate Professor Jason Leigh and Joshua Radinsky from the Education Department.