Tele-Immersive Learning Environments

at the Electronic Visualization Laboratory

University of Illinois at Chicago

Virtual Ambients
Correlations is an investigation into the effectiveness of virtual environments as simulated data collection environments for children engaged in inquiry-based science learning activities.

Round Earth
The Round Earth Project is investigating how virtual reality can be used to help teach young children that the Earth is spherical when their everyday experiences tell them it is flat. VR is used as part of a larger strategy to create an alternative cognitive starting point where this concept can be established on its own before it is brought into contact with the learner's past experiences.

4-D Math
This networked project uses the 3-dimensional space of the CAVE to teach students about hyper-cubes. As a 3D box can be projected into 2D space, so a hyper-cube, the 4D cube, can be projected into 3D space. This application is part of an experiment that compares learning in a remote environment with a teacher who is:

a) physically present
b) a networked video presence
c)a networked VR avatar

NICE
The NICE (Narrative-based, Immersive, Constructionist / Collaborative Environments) project was a testbed for the exploration of virtual reality as a learning medium. 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.

Related Work at EVL

CAVERNsoft
CAVERN, the CAVE Research Network, is an alliance of industrial and research institutions equipped with CAVEs, ImmersaDesks, and high-performance computing resources all interconnected by high-speed networks to support collaboration in design, training, scientific visualization, and computational steering, in virtual reality. CAVERNsoft is the common collaborative software architecture for CAVERN. The goal of this project is to develop the next generation collaborative networking infrastructure to sustain collaborative, persistent virtual environments.

QuickWorlds
The QuickWorlds program is intended to provide a fast-turnaround (on the order of days or weeks) mechanism for teachers who would like to make virtual models available to their students as part of the regular learning program.

Virtual Temporal Bone
The Virtual Temporal Bone is a virtual reality simulation of the intricate anatomy of the middle and inner ear. The application was developed at the Virtual Reality in Medicine Laboratory, School of Biomedical and Health Information Sciences, College of Associated Health Professions, in collaboration with the Department of Otolaryngology, College of Medicine, and the Electronic Visualization Laboratory, University of Illinois at Chicago.

Tele-Immersive Learning Environments

Related Work at EVL

Related Work Elsewhere

DEVRL group at the University of Lancaster

ScienceSpace

hit lab Learning Center

Virtual Ambients	Correlations is an investigation into the effectiveness of virtual environments as simulated data collection environments for children engaged in inquiry-based science learning activities.
Round Earth	The Round Earth Project is investigating how virtual reality can be used to help teach young children that the Earth is spherical when their everyday experiences tell them it is flat. VR is used as part of a larger strategy to create an alternative cognitive starting point where this concept can be established on its own before it is brought into contact with the learner's past experiences.
4-D Math	This networked project uses the 3-dimensional space of the CAVE to teach students about hyper-cubes. As a 3D box can be projected into 2D space, so a hyper-cube, the 4D cube, can be projected into 3D space. This application is part of an experiment that compares learning in a remote environment with a teacher who is: a) physically present b) a networked video presence c)a networked VR avatar
NICE	The NICE (Narrative-based, Immersive, Constructionist / Collaborative Environments) project was a testbed for the exploration of virtual reality as a learning medium. 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.

CAVERNsoft	CAVERN, the CAVE Research Network, is an alliance of industrial and research institutions equipped with CAVEs, ImmersaDesks, and high-performance computing resources all interconnected by high-speed networks to support collaboration in design, training, scientific visualization, and computational steering, in virtual reality. CAVERNsoft is the common collaborative software architecture for CAVERN. The goal of this project is to develop the next generation collaborative networking infrastructure to sustain collaborative, persistent virtual environments.
QuickWorlds	The QuickWorlds program is intended to provide a fast-turnaround (on the order of days or weeks) mechanism for teachers who would like to make virtual models available to their students as part of the regular learning program.
Virtual Temporal Bone	The Virtual Temporal Bone is a virtual reality simulation of the intricate anatomy of the middle and inner ear. The application was developed at the Virtual Reality in Medicine Laboratory, School of Biomedical and Health Information Sciences, College of Associated Health Professions, in collaboration with the Department of Otolaryngology, College of Medicine, and the Electronic Visualization Laboratory, University of Illinois at Chicago.