Marjorie Thompson

Advanced Design Seminar

Final Reflection

Master of Arts in Learning and Emerging Technology

Introduction

Virtual Reality environments are valuable tools for visualizing designs, concepts as well as environments

which are used for creative exploration. Many artists have used them to create virtual reality art installations.

Architects and civil engineering firms have used virtual reality to design architecture or work out

construction details by creating models in virtual space with which design solutions can be tested before

investing money in building before specific details are worked out. By using virtual reality to conceptualize

designs, many times expenses are reduced due to resolving project shortcomings, which if not caught early

enough could result in costly errors by having to redo something that was not planned correctly. In order to

understand all the possibilities that virtual reality offers as a tool, it would be a good idea to gain an

understanding of how it is used in different fields.

Literature Review

Virtual Reality Visualization Aiding Information Synthesis, Design, and Creativity

Abstract

Virtual reality environments are increasingly used in many fields as a way to visualize designs as well as a

way to contextualize data. Virtual reality provides a state of immersion for designers as well as audience.

Many people are familiar with the virtual reality website Second Life. However numerous fields create

virtual reality environment utilizing many different software programs. In this literature review, I have

focused on literature that considers how virtual reality is being used in the fields archaeology, architecture,

art and design This literature review considers research into virtual reality environments as they relate to

the topic on my Advanced Design Seminar project, Virtual Reality as a creative tool and aid in visualization

for the fields of art design. Having an understanding of how virtual reality is being used in different fields

will help me design my project for this course as well as my final project.

In the book, Reality is Broken, game designer Jane McGonigal discusses why games aid in learning. She

writes, “Games make us happy because they are hard work that we choose for ourselves, and it turns out

that almost nothing makes us happier than good, hard work.” (McGonigal, 2011) She cites a 1975 study by

psychologist, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Beyond Boredom and Anxiety in which “the focus of the study

was a specific kind of happiness that Csikszentmihalyi named flow: “the satisfying, exhilarating feeling of

creative accomplishment and heightened accomplishment.” (McGonigal, 2011) In the paper, “Student

Engagement in High School Classrooms from the Perspective of Flow Theory”, this concept is further

defined:” Flow is a state of deep absorption in an activity that is intrinsically enjoyable, as when artists or

athletes are focused on their play or performance (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990). Individuals in this state perceive

their performance to be pleasurable and successful, and the activity is perceived as worth doing for its own

sake, even if no further goal is reached (Nakamura & Csikszentmihalyi, 2002). The individual functions at

his or her fullest capacity, and the experience itself becomes its own reward (DeCharms, 1968; Deci, 1975).

Highly creative artists and scholars have reported the experience of flow when engaged in their best work

(Csikszentmihalyi, 1996).” (Shernoff et al., 2003)

Video games like World of Warcraft or Skyrim use virtual reality environments. Virtual reality

environments like Second Life have also been categorized as games. Although virtual reality has been

characterized as having a steep learning curve, there are many creative possibilities in art education. In the

paper, “Art Education Avatars in Action: Preparing Art Teachers for Learning and Teaching in a Virtual

Age”, Lilly Lu discusses why virtual reality is an ideal medium to teach art. She writes,” This is especially

true and important in the field of art education because visualization, which Taylor (2009) has described as

“visual digital, and conceptual metaphors” that drive avatars and VWs, is the key component of the 3D VW

environment….Learning through visual perception and creation is what art education is about.” (Lu, 2011)

Lu highlights five unique capabilities of the 3D VW: creating art objects/spaces for artistic expression,

adding animated and interactive elements to avatars and objects, exhibiting virtual artifacts, allowing global

audience members to access and comment on art, and designing visual-learning experiences with

interaction and interactivity. She writes the virtual reality spaces can “serve as a contemporary art medium,

an innovative learning tool, a creation and exhibition arena, and a common ground that allows art educators

and students to experience, learn, and teach about aspects of digital visual culture”. (Lu, 2011)

In her paper, Ms Lu points out that learning in virtual reality takes place in four stages and that each stage

is built on knowledge and skills learned from the preceding stage. These 4 stages are characterized by Ms

Lu as Newbie, Resident, Builder, and Host. In these stages one becomes more familiar with the virtual

environment and gradually becomes more sure of their abilities. (Lu, 2011) By breaking down the skill

acquisition process in this way, one can see how students could become more adept at using the unfamiliar

3-D environment and note how their skill level increased.

How could an artist use the principles of gamification to create interactive art exhibits in virtual reality? In

the paper, “Gamification in Virtual Reality Digital Game Art”, the authors write about how virtual reality

is being used to create interactive art platforms where the audience can participate in the art work, which

they term a form of New Media Art. The authors explain it thus: “Many artists use the digital technology

for their art works. The technology applied in the art works makes the audience as a participant of the art

because the digital art works can be complete with the audience's active participation. The audience’s active

intervention changes the contents of the art works through the interaction between the art work and the

audience. Therefore, currently, the audience becomes a 'user' or a 'participant'. When the audience immersed

in the art work and enjoy it optically, acoustically and tactually then emotional rewards are accompanied

like a game play system. Therefore, in this paper, we applied Gamification to Digital Game Art to increase

the audience's participation and commitment.” (Lee et al, 2013)

They cite several art pieces where players interact with art and are watched by a worldwide audience. They

define gamification as the interplay of fiction and “It is use of game mechanics such as, motivation and

entertainment or use game design elements as rule and goal in other than a game.” It was interesting to read

about different art pieces which incorporate fictional elements into art. This opens art work in virtual reality

up to many possibilities. (Lee et al, 2013)

In the paper, “3-D Virtual Worlds as Art Media and Exhibition Arenas: Students' Responses and Challenges

in Contemporary Art Education”, Lilly Lu continues her research with students using virtual reality as a

vehicle for creating art creation and exhibition. Having worked with art education students on projects, she

notes that she had found some negative reactions to virtual reality: ”Some students were unwilling to accept

or adopt 3-D VWs for education because they did not see its value as an educational tool (Lambert & Kidd,

2008) and did not take it seriously (FitzGibbon, Oldham, & Johnston, 2008).” (Lu, 2013) In her research

she asks 3 questions: “How do the students respond to a 3-D VW as an art medium and exhibit arena in art

education? What is the art education students' perceived learning within 3-D VWs? Will they adopt 3-D

VWs in their future art practice?” (Lu, 2013) The paper details a project where students used Second Life

to create art and then had an art exhibit which was attended by avatars from all over the world. The students

expressed they liked the idea of interacting with people from all over the world and the anonymity of the

avatar persona gave them greater freedom to express themselves. (Lu, 2013)

How can virtual reality experience be applied to other situations? In addition to exploring the many sites

created in Second Life or Kitely, there are many other applications for virtual reality. Virtual reality is used

in many fields to visualize concepts in 3-D virtual space. This renders the software a central part of design

process. Virtual reality has been used by many industries as a space to create working models, engage the

viewer or client as well as an aid in visualization. Understanding how virtual reality is being used by

different fields gives insight into the capabilities of programs like Sketchup, the Unity game engine as well

as Kitely or Second Life where many people have experienced virtual reality environments. In the paper,

“Student Engagement in High School Classrooms from the Perspective of Flow Theory”, high school

students were studied to determine the conditions under which students felt engaged with the course

curriculum within the context of Csikszentmihalyi’s flow theory: “Participants experienced increased

engagement when the perceived challenge of the task and their own skills were high and in balance, the

instruction was relevant, and the learning environment was under their control.” Showing how different

fields use virtual reality as a tool would be a valuable method of providing scaffolding to students, a sort of

virtual internship, in preparation for professional practice. “Issuing appropriate challenges and providing

opportunities to enhance skills (e.g., providing immediate feedback and incrementally teaching more

complex skills that build upon previously learned skills) may be one of the most ideal ways of engaging

students.” (Shernoff et al, 2003)

There are many areas in the fields of art, architecture and design where virtual reality is utilized as a

visualization tool in the design process. Architects and engineers are trained in computer aided drafting or

CAD programs to create drawings of products, building plans, elevations of architectural designs, and

renderings of the design proposed buildings. Software programs such as Blender, Sketchup and Unity give

people the opportunity to create virtual reality environments and build architectural constructions. These

software programs also offer the opportunity to import models created with other software such as

AutoCAD, ZBrush, Rhino or entire constructions into the 3-D environment. Each software program has

elements that are slightly different, resulting in programs that range in difficulty to learn from moderate to

difficult. In addition, websites such as Second Life, Blender or Sketchup have marketplaces or design

warehouses where models or entire environments are available to download. Some of these can be

downloaded for free and others designers charge a fee for. This gives “newbies” the opportunity to create

virtual worlds fairly quickly, which lowers the learning curve.

Architect Nick Sonder uses Sketchup software to create architectural drawings, construction details and

then uses the software to create a 3-D models of his designs. He has made many videos about his design

process. In them, he discusses how this software has changed his architectural practice. It has helped him

to speed up the design process and the visualizations help his clients understand his designs. Committing

to build a house takes a lot of trust on the part of the client. It is a huge financial commitment and many

people can’t read blueprints. Being able to see the future construction in understandable, clear drawings as

opposed to blueprints would help the client comprehend what their house would look like. The models of

houses created in virtual reality give people the opportunity to tour the design, gaining an understanding of

the room layout, which includes site layout, positioning of windows, and details such as fixture hardware,

inbuilt furniture and lighting. This process also gives clients the opportunity to decide if the design would

suit their needs or if they would like to modify it and create house specifically tailored to them. For

contractors, this gives them a clear idea of how a building and project will come together, eliminating

guesswork and/or mistakes. (CGwerx, 2014)

Virtual reality is used in other fields such as engineering to visualize solutions for design problems or to

create virtual models where theories can be tested. And yet designing a virtual reality environment can also

require an artistic eye or a sense of design. Although computer drafting programs allow for the designer or

engineer to convert 2-D drawings to 3-D renderings, some engineering firms might require the artistic skills

of a person to visualize ideas. The New York Times article, “Putting Art in STEM” discusses how schools

are looking to teach art with the sciences. Schools such as the University of Illinois has engineering students

learn to draw and the Rhode Island School of Design works with engineering schools to team up on projects

are two examples of schools mentioned that are trying to educate students with a multidisciplinary

approach. The Rhode Island School of Design has an initiative to integrate the arts with the science,

technology, engineering and math (STEM) calling it STEAM for science, technology, engineering, arts,

and math. They are advocating that firms hire artists to visualize ideas. (Fountain, 2014)

When considering virtual reality as an educational tool, one is confronted by the question, what is virtual

reality? Is virtual reality technology dependent? In Design for Learning in Virtual Worlds, the authors point

out that a virtual world does not have to be computer based.” Human Beings have always been adept at

creating virtual worlds in their minds based on stories they hear and books they read.” (Nelson et al., 2012)

In his art history dissertation, “Creating the Elsewhere: Virtual Reality in the Ancient Roman World”,

Michael R. Bowman discusses the idea that the virtual world is not dependent on technology, but has been

a concept from ancient times. He examines the concept of the virtual world in the context of the theory of

Cognitive Linguistics. He writes, “cognitive linguistics known as Text-world Theory…attempts to provide

an understanding of how humans universally process discourse through the creation of mental “worlds”

into which they project themselves, a projection which I believe forms the basis of virtual experience….

My dissertation research suggests that the architecture and decorative programs of many Roman houses

created just such not-quite-closed sets…engaging…in imagination of a “more radical elsewhere.”

(Bowman, 2015)

Beginning in ancient Greece, he writes about how Aristotle’s definition of potential of matter in contrast to

actual matter is relevant to the concept of virtual reality:

"Actuality" means the presence of the thing, not in the sense which we mean by "potentially."

We say that a thing is present potentially as Hermes is present in the wood, or the half-line

in the whole, because it can be separated from it; and as we call even a man who is not

studying "a scholar" if he is capable of studying." (Bowman, 2015)

Bowman reflects on how these concepts were represented in the language which also became present in the

art and other cultural expressions. In this context, he analyses the meaning of wall art in the houses of the

Classical world such as Pompeii and other city states of what is now Italy. Rather than mere decoration, he

argues that the murals of symbolic architectural landscapes served as theatrical sets within which home

owners framed their experiences of life. (Bowman, 2015)

This interest in creating immersive fantasy landscapes extended to garden design as well. “In the end, we

can see how Roman gardens, as well enveloping wall painting programs indoors, were used to create

environments that were intended to transport the viewer to another place, to an “elsewhere,” whether that

be a mythological, foreign, or class based one. These spaces, often times elaborated with sculpture and

mosaic, in creating an environment that could be entered and surround a viewer, provided even more

forceful engagement through which a viewer could create the mental text-worlds needed for a trans

portative experience.” (Bowman, 2015)

In considering the wall art and garden design from this perspective, one obtains a greater understanding of

the mindset at the time from the subjective point of view in the present tense rather than as a historical

revisionist perspective.

In the field of archaeology, the technological innovations of virtual reality 3-D environments are being used

to visualize the past. In the paper, “The Maya Arch 3D project: A 3D WebGIS for analyzing ancient

architecture and landscapes”, several archaeological projects which implement the technology of virtual

reality along with other technological innovations to visualize archaeological sites are discussed. The

authors note: “But the first challenge is simply to bring together data on the temple that is spread around

the world in various archives and museums and to determine how the building once appeared in the past.“

(Schwerin et al, 2013)

Using various 3-D modeling software programs such as Sketchup and 3DStudioCAD, 3-D buildings were

created and then imported into the game engine Unity to create models of archaeological sites. These

models included the architecture as well as the layout of the city, according to the data from the landscape.

The 3-D modeling was linked with GIS to assure accurate location information. Images of Mayan carvings

were superimposed onto the architectural forms, giving scholars an idea of how architectural fragments

were part of buildings and how they fit into the overall plan of a site. The authors write,” It has grown into

an international, interdisciplinary project that brings together art historians, archaeologists, and cultural

resource managers with experts in remote sensing, photogrammetry, 3D modeling, and VR.” (Schwerin et

al, 2013)

The paper, “Scientific Visualization, 3D Immersive Virtual Reality Environments, and Archaeology in

Jordan and the Near East”, details an immersive virtual reality archaeological project, Cave Automated

Virtual Environments, or CAVEs. This virtual reality project involves archaeological sites, recreated as

“semi- or fully-immersive virtual reality systems constructed from multiple screens displaying stereo

images. These stereo images are then separated into the left and right eyes by polarized glasses worn by

users. This way, a 3D stereoscopic perspective is created that mimics the way humans see in 3D in real

life.” (Knabb et al, 2014) The authors describe the context in which the virtual reality project was initiated:

”For centuries, practitioners of archaeology have meticulously drafted maps and illustrations, and captured:

photographs of sites and landscapes.” (Knabb et al, 2014) They describe the scientific visualization goals

of the project as bridging the gap between the maps and illustrations created by archaeologists and the

archaeological site itself. The project is a synthesis of data and the archaeological site and has 3 goals. The

first is to organize and present “compelling visual imagery using a variety of data sets.” This includes

excavation data, digital images, site reports, remote sensing, etc., presented in an easily understandable

format. The second goal is to create an environment that archaeologists can revisit multiple times to take

measurements and make observations. The third goal is to integrate the Geographic Information Systems

(GIS) with the virtual reality environment, allowing a user to browse the space and locate individual

artifacts. The paper goes into details of how the virtual reality environment was constructed, how models

were created in Sketchup, modified as well as how the terrain was created from data NASA’s ASTER

global digital elevation models as well as other computer systems. The article has images of the virtual

reality environment which are quite impressive. Clearly, the possibilities for virtual reality environments

are quite astonishing. (Knabb et al, 2014)

Most art history survey courses require students to learn many art works. In the paper, “Art Thief: An

Educational Computer Game Model for Art Historical Instruction”, Robert Bersson asks, “Why are we so

tied to the lecture method?” (Kinkley, 2009) This paper describes the situation with art history professors

who “are generally not taught how to teach---and a tenure system in universities that rewards scholarly

publication over teaching skills” (Kinkley, 2009) Some art history teachers quoted in the paper, found that

IM is an “effective tutorial for art history classes” and further that IM “can contribute to the attainment of

higher-order understandings and choice of appropriate search strategies in thinking and writing about art”

(Kinkley, 2009) Although I have not played the game, I think it would be difficult to include the amount of

knowledge required in an art history class in the game described in this paper. I really never had problems

becoming immersed in art history. However, a student might become more enthusiastic about a subject by

playing. The other point I would note is that most students do not have time for games during a semester,

although a game such as this might provide a fun break from study.

In conclusion, virtual reality offers many possibilities for enhancing the learning experience. For many

fields, virtual reality is becoming a valuable tool for visualization. In the fields of art and design, virtual

reality is being used as a design tool. By designing educational curriculum which incorporates the use of

virtual reality environments as well as information about how this technology is being used in different

fields, students would have greater understanding of how to direct their learning goals. “With respect to

instructional relevance, students are more likely to become engaged with authentic academic work that

intellectually involves them in a process of meaningful inquiry to solve real life problems that extend

beyond the classroom.” (Shernoff et al, 2003) As Ernst Schraube points out in his paper,” First-person

perspective and sociomaterial decentering: Studying technology from the standpoint of the subject.”, “The

experiencing, acting subject, equipped with the possibility of consciousness, represents a sociomaterially

situated being….the process of experience (such as the process of developing consciousness or reasons for

actions) is mediated by others and by the particular socio-historical conditions (with their social, cultural,

technological or linguistic-discursive dimensions) in which the subject conducts her/his life.” (Schraube,

2013)

Second Life can act as a scaffold as lifelong learners become adept at using the software and it can also to

facilitate further inquiry by students into the capabilities of virtual reality. In order for students to understand

the possibilities of the technology, it would be necessary for them to understand how it is used in different

professions. This knowledge would give greater certainty for directing learning goals.

Bibliography

Bowman, M.R. (2015). “Creating the Elsewhere: Virtual Reality in the Ancient Roman World,

Dissertation”, Ohio State University.

CGwerx (2014). "Sketchup and layout with Nick Sonder, Architect", YouTube, June 11, 2014.

Fountain, H., (2014) “Putting Art in STEM”, Education Life, New York Times, October 31, 2014.

Kinkley, J. (2009). “Art Thief: An Educational Computer Game Model for Art Historical

Instruction”, LEONARDO, Vol. 42, No. 2, pp. 133–137.

Knabb, K. A., Schulze, J. P., Kuester, F., DeFanti, T. A., Levy, T. E. (2014). “Scientific Visualization,3D

Immersive Virtual Reality Environments, and Archaeology in Jordan and the Near East” Near Eastern

Archaeology, 77:3.

Lee, H. Y., Kim, J. Y., Lee, W. H. (2013).” Gamification in Virtual Reality Digital Game

Art”, International Journal of Digital Content Technology and its Applications(JDCTA) Volume7,

Number13, Sep 2013.

Lu, L. (2011). Art Education Avatars in Action: Preparing Art Teachers for Learning and Teaching in a

Virtual Age, Jl. of Technology and Teacher Education19(3), 287-301.

Lu, L. (2013). "3D Virtual Worlds as Art Media and Exhibition Arenas: Students' Responses and

Challenges in Contemporary Art Education", Studies in Art Education: A Journal of Issues and Research,

54(31),232-245.

McGonigal, J. (2011). Reality is Broken, The Penguin Press, a member of Penguin Group, New York, New

York.

Moneta, G. B., Csiksientmihalyi, M. (1996). “The Effect of Perceived Challenges and Skills on the Quality

of Subjective Experience”, Journal of Personality 64:2, June 1996, Duke University Press.

Nelson, B. C., Erlandson, B.E. (2012). Design for Learning in Virtual Worlds, Routledge, 711 Third Ave.,

New York, New York.

Schraube, E. (2013). "First-person perspective and sociomaterial decentering: Studying technology from

the standpoint of the subject". Subjectivity, 6(1), 12-32. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1057/sub.2012.28

Schwerin, J. V., Richards-Rissetto, H., Remondino, F., Agugiaro, G., Girardi, G. (2013). “The

MayaArch3D project: A 3D Web GIS for analyzing ancient architecture and landscapes”, Literary and

Linguistic Computing, Vol. 28, No. 4.

Shernoff, D. J., Csikszentmihalyi, M., Schneider, B., Shernoff, E. S. (2003). "Student Engagement in High

School Classrooms from the Perspective of Flow Theory", School Psychology Quarterly, Vol. 18, No. 2,

2003, pp. 158–176.

Program Goals and Course SLOs

My project focused on finding a bridge between science related fields and art fields to show how these

fields rely on elements of each disciplines to create new ideas. Technology such as virtual reality requires

the ability to use many different skills from a variety of fields. Multimedia development requires an

integration of abilities from training in different fields. Being aware of what the technology is used for as

well as how professionals are integrating technology into their design practice would help students

formulate their career path and help them make informed choices about the direction they were interested

in pursuing, as well as see how training could be used in a variety of ways.

NETS Student and Teacher Standards

The entire course revolves around gaining a better understanding of technology operations and concepts by

looking at how different industries and fields use technology as a design tool. As the primary goal of this

course is to encourage creativity and innovation, the NETS Student standards encouraging creativity and

innovation are relevant to the first section emphasizing the work of Leonardo da Vinci, as well as how

Sketchup is used by architects and urban planners in their design process. Research and information fluency

are also factors as these videos show how fluency in these programs aids in designing. In the videos

featuring the architect Nick Sonder, he describes how using Sketchup improves his ability to communicate

and collaborate with contractors and clients. The virtual reality field trip to the Ideal City based on the

drawings of Leonardo da Vinci would aid in critical thinking and decision making skills by showing the

possibilities of virtual reality beyond Second Life. Finally, digital citizenship is emphasized by learning

about different fields and professionals practicing in these fields, but at the same time accessing these

resources with respect.

The goal of this course is to facilitate student learning and creativity by providing information about how

virtual reality is used in different fields as well as provide examples of multimedia creativity and how

technology can be integrated into a larger creative work. NETS Teacher standards emphasize facilitating

student learning and creativity, modeling digital age work and learning, designing and developing digital

age learning experiences and assessments, promoting and modeling digital age citizenship and

responsibility, and engaging in professional growth and leadership. By providing videos of professionals

interviewed about how they are using various technologies to improve their professional practice, students

would learn about how creativity is enhanced by technology. The video about Leonardo da Vinci was

intended to give a historical perspective in design which was enhanced by the virtual field trip to the Ideal

City created from his architectural drawings, intended to develop digital age learning. The Sculptris videos

and project were intended to promote digital age learning and creativity.

Learning Theory

Situated learning was used in showing videos of professionals as they use technology such as Sketchup in

their design practice. The learner would gain an understanding of how the professional uses the technology

by the professional describing their design process. In this way, the learner would put themselves in the

position of the professional. Watching videos and seeing how professionals use the technology would also

use Behaviorist learning theories. Constructivism theory was used as the learner essentially would construct

their knowledge attained from this course in their minds. Socio-constructivism would be the learning

method associate to writing blogs about what was learned, with other participants responding to their

thoughts.

Instructional Method

The instructional method used for this course was primarily informal specifically because I am considering

the learners to be people who are interested in self-improvement. This course could be offered in a non

credit context. However if it were offered for credit, the assessments and evaluations would need to have

more explicit grading criterions.

Assessment Plan

This course is designed to fill a knowledge gap of how different fields visualize ideas and look at how

technology can assist with that process.

This unit consists of three sections. In the first section, learners watch videos and read about how people

and professionals in many different fields use technology to expand their design practice. After watching

the videos and reading the material, the learner will write an essay about how these technologies can assist

with the design practice. In writing this essay, the learner will be able to reflect on the material and

synthesize it. The learner will receive a badge at the completion of each section.

As this course is self paced and an elective, the assessment strategies are focused on encouraging person to

complete the course. Badges are awarded for completing each module. Some elements of the course rely

on the participant to self-assess their progress. As an example, in learning software such as Sculptris, one

needs to evaluate their knowledge of the software and reflect on how their knowledge base affects their

ability to build their skills in using the software. The learner would be encouraged to experiment as much

as possible as the key to success with Sculptris is being able to know how the controls affect the degree to

which one can manipulate the digital clay. In order to encourage the learner to use Sculptris, they will be

required to create a presentation of their Sculptris project which they will be evaluated.

Design a presentation

Use 3-d sculpting to create a project

In creating a project with the digital software program, the learner will initially watch the videos which

introduce the software.

Questionnaire-Students assessing the course material

Do you feel that the material in this course has given you a greater understanding of how art and science

can complement each other?

Has the material in this course given you a better idea of how technology can be used to visualize solutions

to design problems?

Evaluation

Sculptris evaluation rubric

The Sculptris project will also have an Evaluation Rubric provided to encourage the learner to learn specific

skills. By providing the Evaluation Rubric, the learner will know what is expected of them and they will

know what steps they are expected to take to fulfill the requirements of the unit.

By documenting these steps, they will have to analyze how digital sculpting works. The Sculprtis software

can modify the digital material fairly quickly, sometimes so quickly it is difficult to determine what controls

do to attain the result one desires. If one gains an understanding about how the digital clay can be

manipulated, they will know how much they can push the clay. If they manipulate it too much, they could

destroy their creation which would be very frustrating for them and could contribute to a learner not wanting

to continue. By having a learner document how the controls modify the digital clay, they will be able to

gain a greater understanding of how to use the software to achieve the results they are looking for.

Principles of Instructional Design/Integration of the Instructional Design Framework of Your Choice

In this course, scaffolding is used as a framework-by providing links to videos showing how Sketchup was

used. In the online Glossary of Education reform, scaffolding is defined as “a wide variety of instructional

techniques used to move students progressively towards a stronger understanding and ultimately greater

independence in the learning process.” (Glossary, 2015) These videos provided a virtual apprenticeship

into the architectural studio of Nick Sonder, and other videos provided a window into the civic planning

firm, showing how they used Sketchup to visualize urban planning. Students would watch videos

demonstrating how software is used by professionals. Providing instructional videos for Sculptris would

give students an opportunity to consider possibly trying the software. This is another example of the use of

demonstrations as an instructional method. Oher instructional methods would include collaborative

learning. As the course is proposed as a noncredit course, even though there are projects, whether a person

would actually create these projects requires initiative on the part of the student. Hopefully, these videos

would motivate them to try the software. (CSN, 2011)

Ethical Considerations.

This Ethics Statement will address issues of ethics regarding the work created in this course, papers

written for this class as well as the creative work created for this course on virtual reality. I modified

the ethics statement I wrote earlier in the semester.

In the work for this course, students should intend to uphold the Ethics policy. Here is an example of

an ethics policy of Empire State College which is part of the policy statement discussing Academic

Honesty which is covered at this link:

Uses all the modeling functions of Sculptris 20

Documents the work in progress through screen shots or other means 20

Illustrates an understanding of rotate, pan and zoom through documentation 20

Saves and downloads the created mesh model 20

Creates a presentation of project with at least 5 jpgs 20

TOTAL 100

http://www.esc.edu/policies/?search=cid%3D37970

In this document, many elements of academic ethics are covered. As one communicates ideas and

expresses thoughts about concepts, the work of one's colleagues as well as one’s own ideas, it is

important to consider how these ideas will fit into the academic environment of inquiry and

scholarship. In addition, the capabilities of the internet opening access up to resources such as websites

and databases of images, art collection, image databases as well as research of scholars all over the

world necessitates literacy about the ethical use of technology. In adhering to the policy of Academic

Integrity, activities which conflict with the policy of Academic Honesty of Empire State College will

not be practiced. These activities include:

Cheating, fabrication, misrepresentation, plagiarism, unauthorized collaboration, abuses of

confidentiality, damaging stealing or misusing the property of the college or others, conflict of interest,

aiding and abetting academic dishonesty. (SUNY,2004)

In regards to the works of others released into the Public Domain with a limited Creative Commons

license, it is important to honor the restrictions by which creative works are released and adhere to the

restrictions set up by the creator of the work. The website, Creative Commons, lists the 6 ways a creator

can choose to release their works into the public domain. These licenses offer creators the choice of

release into Public Domain limited to only for non-commercial works to no restrictions on the use of

the work. As a part of the responsibilities of using the work of others, it is necessary to become familiar

with these designations and respect the wishes of the creators of work that is not my own. The different

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All work and research created by students is considered original and is covered by copyright, unless

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Peer Review Feedback.

I thought the peer review feedback was interesting and valuable assessment for improving this project. Terri

Worman suggested that I edit the amount of material I originally included which is probably a good idea. I

could also break up the material into smaller modules. She suggested that more scaffolding is needed which

I agree with. Terri also suggested that there be some sort of reference to prior knowledge of virtual reality.

This I may do as well as soon as I figure out who would be most likely to take a course such as this. Terri

remarked that there was quite a bit of material, so much that she felt overwhelmed at first. I thought this

was a valid observation. I think if I were to provide the links with a written introduction such as “To begin

the next module, here’s an inspirational video of how the famed Ballet Russe collaborated with artists such

as Picasso to create some of the most innovative modern ballet theater” or provide a separate section of

inspirational videos. Possibly adding images could also cut down on the sense of being overwhelmed.

Rolando thought that the video of the interview with the journalist who had researched the militarization of

higher education was long. I thought it was a valuable resource and could give students the opportunity to

decide for themselves what they thought of the findings.

I have included what I wrote about assessment and evaluation as well

Assessment and Evaluation

“The process of designing any virtual world for learning should include a thorough consideration of the

Implementation and evaluation procedures-due to the distinct possibility that each or both of these

procedures could, in fact, heavily influence the design of the virtual world.” (Nelson et al, 2012) As I was

considering the design of this virtual world as well as others I have created, many ideas came to mind. What

is difficult is trying to figure out how people will move about through the space, what would motivate them

to continue to explore and what the end goal would be.

Designing in the virtual word is very much dependent on one’s skill set as well as finding available

resources to use to create the environment that one has in mind. It is also dependent on knowing who will

visit, how frequently they will visit and how skilled they are with navigating in the virtual reality space.

As my virtual environment is informal, I designed many of the elements to be structured around the idea of

an avatar discovering elements of the virtual world themselves. As I created the environment in Kitely, I

really did not have to worry about testing whether the site would function. Kitely actually has meetings

which people who have virtual worlds can attend. I was invited to one by the people who started Kitely. I

attended because I was curious to find out more about the other people who have virtual worlds in Kitely.

It was quite interesting and I left feeling a greater sense of community.

The virtual world I designed was a sort of prototype as well as an experiment for future virtual worlds. As

I built it I tried out ideas to see how well they worked so in a sense I was assessing the functionality of the

space. As an example, one of my initial ideas was to create 3-D models and integrate them into the Kitely

environment as well as the Unity game environment I began designing last summer. I created models in

Sculptris and Rhino computer drafting software.

Beginning with Leonardo da Vinci, I wanted to create 3-D models of machines which da Vinci had created

as drawings. However, I found that I did not have enough time to create all the models that I wanted to

fabricate. So I tried to find some in model warehouses which are online. There were many models that

people had created but I was not sure the model was in the correct format to upload into Kitely, as Kitely

only accepts one type of file for uploading mesh models. So I eventually had to modify my original idea. I

also thought that I could have people visit my virtual reality island but later decided that it might work out

better to use virtual reality as a set and create a film. So again, after assessing the process, I modified the

design. The film would be a supplement to the virtual reality world and in the process, found out about a

virtual reality space created by the Museum of Design and Technology in Milan using the drawings of

Leonardo da Vinci. This resource would help to communicate the idea of using drawings to create 3-D

models, in addition to showing the models in my virtual reality space created from da Vinci’s drawings.

In order to determine whether the course I created would actually accomplish the learning goals, that is

provide the learner a basic knowledge of designing in virtual reality as well as how to sculpt in Sculptris, I

would have to assess the work that was created as well as read blogs written about the material I assembled.

As my course was evaluated, I will take into consideration what Rolando and Terri said as I feel that they

had some good insights.

Conclusion

I feel that I learned quite a bit in this course. About half way through, I realized that the entire course I was

designing would be more than the videos or the virtual reality environment, which is probably obvious but

some of the initial planning kept me from seeing the entire course. That, and the fact that I had too many

projects in mind so was a little overwhelmed by the work I had planned on creating. Outsourcing

instructional videos made my life much easier. As it is, I still have to revise the sound tracks on both videos

which I hope to do before the Showcase. It was helpful for Professor Alain to suggest including the STEM

to STEAM initiative in my literature and project. That gave a much more educational focused goal.

If I were to create the material for this learning module again, I would have created the da Vinci film

differently. I still may modify it to emphasize his civil engineering work such as water wheels he designed

for canals as opposed to his designs of weapons which he drew but were never built. I initially focused on

the weapon design because I thought the drawings were more recognizable but concluded that symbolically

they would send the wrong message. I created the video about him because I felt that his drawings and

designs needed to have the context of his life to gain a better understanding of how he conceptualized ideas.

The civil engineering projects were designs he actually worked on whereas the weapons were simply ideas

from his active mind and not projects.

In regards to the entire course design, I felt that using a WordPress site created a learning environment that

was hard to use. It worked as a digital space to try out the layout of the course material but I don’t think it

would work if I were to actually teach the course. I am planning on redesigning it within the Moodle

platform because Moodle gives better formatting options. Once I begin to do that, I will come up with a

better design for how the modules flow and write text to supplement that.

I feel that this could be good course to take with some improvement and rethinking of assignments as well

as assessments and evaluation. I will have to get a better idea of who might take a course like this. I also

think I would have to improve my skills with Sketchup. Sculptris is fairly fun to use, even for a beginner.

That is why I chose it to create a project. I will have to see how the course design works in the Moodle

format.

References

Alain, N.,(@015) Advanced Design Seminar Course Description, Empire State College Course website,

Empire State College.

Creative Commons (n.d.). About the Licenses, Creative Commons website. retrieved

from: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/

CSN, (2011) Different Instructional Methods webpage, CSN Online Campus, 6375 W. Charleston

Blvd-W2C, Ls Vegas, Nevada.

Glossary of Education Reform, (2015) “Scaffolding” Glossary of Education Reform website, B=Great

Schools Partnership, 482 Congress Street, Suite 500, Portland, ME.

SUNY, (2004). Academic Honesty Policy and Procedures, SUNY Empire State College

Website, 05/14/2004. retrieved from: http://www.esc.edu/policies/?search=cid%3D37970

United States Copyright Office, Copyright Law of the United States, Copyright.com, December 4,

2014. retrieved from: http://copyright.gov/title17/