Constructing a 3D Collaborative Virtual Environment for Creativity Support

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Constructing a 3D Collaborative Virtual Environment

for Creativity Support

Mikhail Fominykh and Ekaterina Prasolova-FørlandNorwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)

Norway

21.10.2011E-LEARN 2011 - World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare & Higher Education

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CoCreatEU project http://www.cocreat.eu/

• Question– How to enhance creative collaboration by

applying the theory of collaborative learning?

• Goal– Enabling creative collaboration through

supportive technologies

• Outcome– Increased competence in collaboration

and creative solutions

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3D Collaborative Virtual Environmentsfor creativity support• Collaborative work with 3D content• Visualization• Cross-cultural understandings • Sense of presence• Informal learning• Learning communities

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Purpose of the paper

• Presenting requirements and design for a 3D CVE that will be used in CoCreat

• Outlining a general methodology for facilitating collaborative creative activities in 3D CVEs

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Creativity support in 3D CVEsOur experience

two cases •3D CVEs for educational purposes and creativity support

– settings– input for CoCreat

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Creative curriculum visualizationCase one

• Settings– Constructing visualizations of the major

curriculum concepts in Active Worlds

• Input for CoCreat– Exploration of the Phases of the creative

collaborative process (Schneiderman, 2002)

– Exploration of the 3D content types and visualization means in 3D CVEs

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Creative curriculum visualization

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Creative curriculum visualization

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Research projects visualizationCase two

• Settings– creative visualization of a research project

and role-play presentations in Second Life

• Input for CoCreat– Development of the typology of the 3D

content and visualization means in 3D CVEs

– Development of a theoretical framework Creative Virtual Workshop

– Elaboration of 3 levels of support – requirements structure

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Research projects visualization

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Research projects visualization

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CoCreatPedagogical design

• “Designing e-learning” course– familiarizing students with the

concepts, theories and approaches of designing TEL

• Practical skills– implementing and evaluating a

prototype of an advanced TEL course

• International participation– students from 4 European universities

• Preparatory study at NTNU

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• In Groups

• Individually

CoCreatPreparatory study

Web-based educational module

Visualization

proposal

Construction in 3D

Role-play presentatio

n

Final reflection

and discussion

Analyzing and reflecting in blogs

Participating in a virtual Summer School

2 weeks 5 weeks 1 day 2 weeks

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RequirementsPhases

• Phases in a collaborative creative process (Schneiderman, 2002):– Collect – searching for material and

visualizing it– Relate – consulting with peers– Create – trying out solutions,

creating associations, composing artifacts

– Donate – disseminating results

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RequirementsStructure

• Content level– basic methods for facilitating 3D

construction process and elaborating on 3D content

• Service level– tools and facilities for supporting

collaborative educational activities

• Community level– methods and tools for creating and

maintaining learning communities around educational activities

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RequirementsContent level

• Examples and resources for Collect phase

• Workplace and tutorials for Create phase

• Creation and appropriate use of virtual exhibits of different kinds

• Elaboration of aesthetics, functionality and expressed meaning of the visualization means

• Development of dynamic content

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RequirementsService level

• Authentic environment• Basic and advanced (specific domain

oriented) tutorials• Building resources and ready-to-use

blocks

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RequirementsCommunity level (1/2)

• Collaborative facilities for Relate phase

• Community repository for exhibiting results of the community members activities and for Donate phase

• Interactions between stakeholders from different domains for Creative communities

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RequirementsCommunity level (2/2)

• Ideas, insights and practices that are to be shared in the community at the early phase (domain)

• Community spaces• Boundary objects for shared

understanding and vocabulary among community members ‘points of focus’

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Design for preparatory studyEnvironment and examples

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Design for preparatory studyAuthentic design

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Design for preparatory studyResources and tutorials

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Design for preparatory studyDomain and boundary objects

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Design for preparatory studyCommunity repository

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Evaluation (1/2)

• Evaluation of creativity support is complicated by objective and qualitative measures: data from different sources

• Diversity, cross-cultural and cross-curriculum interaction and creativity

• Construction process– breakdowns and creative problem solving– reused vs. original constructions

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Evaluation (2/2)

• Exploration of the virtual spaces– exploration of related learning content and

cross-pollination?

• Relation between learning and creativity– richness and variety of visualized material– references to external sources– visualizing deep connections among the

topics of the course

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Thank you!

Mikhail Fominykh and Ekaterina Prasolova-FørlandNorwegian University of Science and Technology,

Norwayhttp://slurl.com/secondlife/NTNU/

[email protected], [email protected]