Immersive Collaborative Laboratory Simulations Using a Game Engine
Chang, C., Kodman, D., Esche, S. K. & Chassapis, C.
Proceedings of the 2006 ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition, Chicago, Illinois, USA, June 18 - 21, 2006.
Abstract
This paper discusses the possibility of using a commercial game engine, such as the “Source” engine used in “Half-Life 2”, to implement an immersive and collaborative virtual laboratory environment that will enable multiple students to perform educational laboratory experiment simulations.
These simulations will involve real-time student interaction through a computer network, and they will benefit the students by stimulating the different modalities of learning, i.e. visual, audio, read/write and kinesthetic.
By using an existing commercial computer game engine, the need for creating from the ground up the components that are combined into an interactive virtual world is eliminated.
Instead of expanding extensive resources on developing the underlying visual, audio and logistical system infrastructure, the main attention can be focused on those features that facilitate student learning, such as high levels of interactivity, significant collaboration between the students and their feeling of immersion.
It is postulated that such laboratory environments can be tailored so as to actively engage the students, foster their desire to learn more about the experiment and its underlying theories, make them feel like they are essential to carrying out the experiments as a group and to feel comfortable in such virtual environments.