Immersive Education: Open Source Gateway to Modern Learning

1. Immersive Learning for Technical and Vocational Education “Open source and open to the world!” • from e-Learning to v-Learning

2. Warren Sheaffer • Saint Paul College • Saint Paul, USA • Norbert Fuhrmann • Felix-Fechenbach Berufskolleg • Detmold, Germany

3. Education 3.0 Why? Play video

4. Immersive Education • An educational technology based on distributed computing models, computer networks and computer graphics • Designed to immerse and engage students in the same way that today's best video games capture and retain the participants attention • Support self-directed learning as well as collaborative group-based learning environments

5. Immersive Education • Implementation Tools • Interactive 3D graphics • Commercial transaction server and simulation technology • Virtual reality • Voice chat (Voice over IP/VoIP) • Web cameras (webcams) • Using these tools we create collaborative online course environments and classrooms.

6. Immersive Education • Gives participants a sense of "being there" • An effective alternative when attending a class or training session in person isn't possible, practical, or desirable • Allows educators and students to connect and communicate in a way that greatly enhances the learning experience

7. The Minnesota Experience

8. Minnesota, USA St. Paul

9. Minnesota Facts and Figures • Minnesota is approximately the size of Germany • The population of Minnesota is 3.2 million compared with 80 million in Germany • Low population density • Tradition of quality educational access for all who want it

10. Two year dual purpose college 6000 Students 40+ Areas of study Growing 5% per year Located in the city of St. Paul Much like FFB in architecture, culture, students Saint Paul College

11. Been simulating for 30 years!

12. Second Life Platform • Lets visit 2nd Life for a moment.....

13. MnSCU Island Play video

14. How do we get there? • Saint Paul College recently named a Sun Center of Excellence • We leverage that relationship • Utilize open source tools • Do not waste time reinventing platform • Improve community exposure • Call in the Coughlin Group(marketing) • Maintain excellence in academics

15. Virtual NorthStar • Based on Sun Microsystems Wonderland • Open source project • Look us up at: www.virtualnorthstar.org • Framework for developing virtual worlds for education • Based on Sun open source technologies: • MPK20 • Voice Bridge • Darkstar • Highly scalable architecture, client-server • 100% Java

16. Virtual NorthStar, cont. • Dual path development • External art creation tools • Blender • Maya • Sketch-Up • Internal programming • 100% Java • Can do about anything

17. Virtual NorthStar, cont. • Advantages • Private (no sex or griefing)‏ • Fine grained identity management • Open source (you have the code)‏ • High fidelity audio • X11 support for application sharing “in-world” • Scene graphs are developed outside the “world” with high quality graphic development tools • Disadvantages • Currently in pre-beta release (working on it) • High learning curve in return for complete flexibility

18. Let’s visit Wonderland Play video

19. Experiences using Immersive Education in an International Classroom Setting

20. Case 1: English Language Instruction • Fulltime Class IT-Specialists • Second year technology students • Required course • Course Topic: Relevance of international cooperation in technical training

21. Case 1: English Language Instruction • Location of students: At home or at any place with internet access • Class was conducted in an open format (guests from Minnesota …)

22. Case 1: English Language Instruction

23. Case 1: English Language Instruction • Observations • A surprising result: The students stayed focused for the whole class period • One student returned from the Sun-Island • The students were self-motivated and visited MNSCU Island individually and met faculty members of the St. Paul College • Introduction of flexibility in scheduling classes

24. Case 1: English Language Instruction • Phase 2 • A virtual field trip to view the exhibition of the St. Paul College media-display

25. Case 1: English Language Instruction

26. Case 1: English Language Instruction

27. Case 1: English Language Instruction • Learning doesn’t take place just in the school building • The student’s experience in a 3-D virtual world closely paralleled the “in class” experience • Students learn in a “world” that they define

28. Future Directions for TVET • Create and maintain a learning objects repository,[LOR] for technical education: open source and open to the world • Create a secure, low cost tool for anyone who wishes to utilize a virtual environment, [VE] for their educational needs: open source and open to the world • Seamless integration of the LOR with the VE to leverage existing educational assets • Key: Open source and open to the world

29. Next Steps : Practical Application • Pilot Project: Network a Company • Transfer a project which is currently done internationally into the virtual environment • Project Highlights: • Create a 3 D building to the specification of a floor plan • Create international, multicultural teams • Simulate all affective, psychomotor and cognitive aspects of the exercise • Demonstrate the effectiveness of the use of virtual environments in technical and vocational education

30. Next Steps (2) • St. Paul College will create the buildings and provide the platform • Felix-Fechenbach-Berufskolleg and Atlanta Technical College will develop the curriculum components and learning objects • Students from Atlanta Technical College, Savonlinna Vocational College and Felix-Fechenbach-Berufskolleg will navigate and learn in the created virtual environment

31. The End

32. Questions?