Maria Roussos, Andrew E. Johnson,
Thomas G. Moher
Jason Leigh, Christina A.Vasilakis, and Craig R. Barnes
{mroussos,ajohnson,moher,jleigh,cvasilak,cbarnes}@eecs.uic.edu
Electronic Visualization Lab (EVL)
&
Interactive Computing Environments Lab (ICE)
University of Illinois at Chicago
851 S. Morgan St., Room 1120
Chicago, IL 60607-7053 USA
+1.312.996-3002
+1.312.413-7585 (FAX)
http://www.ice.eecs.uic.edu/~nice/
Abstract:
This paper describes the design, evaluation, and lessons learned from a project involving the implementation of an immersive virtual
environment for children called NICE (Narrative-based, Immersive, Constructionist / Collaborative Environments). The goal of the
NICE project was to construct a testbed for the exploration of virtual reality as a learning medium within the context of the primary
educational reform themes of the past three decades. With a focus on informal education and domains with social content, NICE
embraces the constructivist approach to learning, collaboration, and narrative development, and is designed to utilize the strengths
of virtual reality: a combination of immersion, telepresence, immediate visual feedback, and interactivity. Based on our experiences
with a broad range of users, the paper discusses both the successes and limitations of NICE, and concludes with recommendations
for research directions in the application of immersive VR technologies to children's learning.
contact: nice@ice.eecs.uic.edu
The full paper can be found at: http://www.ice.eecs.uic.edu/~nice/NICE/PAPERS/PRESENCE/presence.html
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