Designing a collaborative virtual environment for introducing pupils to complex subject matter

Mission Queen Maud Land (MQML) is a collaborative virtual environment that was developed to explore new ways to stimulate secondary school pupils to collaborate in grasping complex subject matter. MQML is designed for five simultaneous users (four pupils and a teacher) and it combines a collaborative virtual environment with a web site and audio narratives. Basic concepts from molecular biology and genetic engineering form the educational core in MQML, and it enables the participants to explore the DNA molecule and to unravel the genetic code by interactions both on a macroscopic and a microscopic level. A background story was developed with the purpose of adding excitement and engagement to the subject matter. The audio narratives were used to convey the story while the web site provided the necessary background information. This paper describes our design approach for making the subject matter easy to understand, and for eliciting collaborative work processes among the participants....

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2004
• Where: NORDICHI
• Authors: Ragnhild Halvorsrud, Simen Hagen
• Keywords: Audio Narratives, Collaborative Virtual Environment, NORDICHI 2004, Subject Matter