Di Cerbo, Francesco , Gabriella Dodero (Free University of Bolzano-Bozen), Papaleo, Laura (University of Genova)
In the paper, we present an application of Web3D technologies, X3D with X3DOM and HTML5, to enhance our e-learning platform DIEL. DIEL exploits the social translucence concept in order to create a dynamic learning space where avatars of community members can interact while implementing any social constructivist learning paradigm. While supporting collaborative learning communities, the addition of high-performance 3D graphics into a DIEL web page, without requiring any plug-in at client side, allows a complete and meaningful interaction with the e-learning services, that benefits the users' experience in the exploitation of proximity relationships with respect to other users and resources.
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Bacim, Felipe, Polys, Nicholas, Mehdi Setareh, Jian Chen, Ji Li , Lee Ma (Virginia Tech)
In this paper, we describe a case study in usability engineering for Web3D learning systems and introduce a new step to the typical methods of the usability design. Pedagogical applications present a challenge to the usual usability engineering process in that the end-users of the system (students) cannot describe the requirements of the system. For this situation, we engage the latest evidence and principles of cognition to help map requirements to information design for an interactive learning system.Our system seeks to improve the structural understanding of architects and to teach relationships between form and structure in long-span systems. We provide both explanatory multimedia resources and interactive resources including a Web-based modeling and simulation tool that aids architecture students with better understanding of the relationship between structure and form in design. We describe our design process and the system and examine the qualitative impact of the cognitive ergonomic process. This extra step in the usability design process of mapping expert knowledge to human perception and cognition can increase awareness of the requirements of a learning system and improve the effectiveness of the subsequent design.