Brian M. Slator1, Donald P. Schwert2, and Bernhardt Saini-Eidukat2

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The Geology Explorer

• Brian M. Slator1, Donald P. Schwert2, and
  Bernhardt Saini-Eidukat2
• 1Computer Science, 2Geosciences
• North Dakota State University

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Educational Role-playing Games
Learning-by-doing Experiences

• Multi-User
• Exploratory
• Spatially-oriented virtual worlds
• Practical planning and decision making

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Educational Role-playing Games
Learning-by-doing Experiences

• Authentic problem solving
• Hands on scientific method
• Real-world content
• Promoting mature thinking

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Advantages of Virtual Worlds

• Collapse virtual time and distance
• Allow physical or practical impossibilities
• Participate from anywhere
• Interact with other users, virtual artifacts,
  and software agents
• Multi-user collaborations and competitive play

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Technical Approaches

• Networked, internet-based, client-server
  environment
• Multi-Player (MUD, MOO)
• Simulation-based
• Implemented in Java applets

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The Virtual World of Planet Oit

• Planet Oit Recently discovered
• Authentic geologic context
• Similar to Earth, same orbit
• Opposite the Sun

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• Student undertakes same
• decision-making processes as a
• real geologist

• Can be implemented for all levels,
• including Grade 7 through college

• First version basic planetary
• exploration for minerals and rocks

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The Planet Oit Game

• You are a geologist
• Explore this new planet!
• Encounter authentic geology Assess geologic
  resources processes
• This motivates student to learn geologic content

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Planet Oit

• 50 Places
• 90 Different Rocks and Minerals
• 15 Field Instruments
• 25 Laboratory Instruments
• Software Tutors

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Text-Based Interface
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Text-Based Interface
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Resources User Card
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Resources Equipment
Item Price Item
Price Acid Bottle (597) 1.00
Lantern (973) 25.00 Altimeter
(675) 100.00 Light Meter (556)
25.00 Anemometer (568) 30.00
Magnet (580)
1.00 Barometer (410) 50.00
Microscope (612) 25.00 Black
Light (625) 30.00 Rock Pick/Hammer
(370) 40.00 Compass (561)
200.00 Sextant (554)
100.00 Flowmeter (598) 100.00 Sonar
(593) 200.00 Geiger Counter
(751) 178.00 Spirit Level (335)
5.00 Glass Plate (583) 0.50
Streak Plate (542)
0.50 Goniometer (613) 1.00 Tape
Measure (626) 10.00 Gravimeter
(708) 10000.00 Thermometer (223)
5.00 Hand Lens (2178)
15.00 Transit (364)
100.00 Jack Hammer (368) 300.00
Water Level Gage (615) 5.00
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Resources The Museum
The Mineral Collection The Mineral Room houses
the Mineral Collection. A sign on the wall says
"Feel free to look around, but please do not
remove the samples". Obvious exits are West You
see Diaspore (333), Hornblende (363), Chromite
(381), Gibbsite (457), Native Silver (251),
Biotite Mica (246), Sphalerite (560),
Chalcopyrite (563), Boehmite (565), Garnet
(355), Anhydrite (582), Ilmenite (584),
Nepheline (596), Muscovite Mica (611),
Magnetite (627), Wollastonite (635), Dolomite
(640), Pyroxene (650), Native Copper (673),
Serpentine (226), Potassic Feldspar (324),
Talc (325), Plagioclase Feldspar (360),
Fluorite (509), Clay (262), Galena (138),
Pyrite (336), Tourmaline (530), Graphite
(571), Halite (373), Gypsum (552), Calcite
(463), Hematite (608), Olivine (617), Native
Gold (657), Quartz (674), Rhodonite (653),
Diamond (812), Purple Quartz (1864), White
Gypsum (1865), Ice (2055), Chlorite (2056),
Corundum (3044), Topaz (3043), Orthoclase
Feldspar (3042), Apatite (3041), and Native
Sulfur (1159) here.
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Resources Help
help fluorite
Fluorite (mineral) Fluorite is a common and
widely distributed mineral often found in
hydrothermal veins or in association with lead
and silver ores. form usually cubic or
octahedral color blue or purple texture
smooth streak white luster vitreous
transparency transparent to translucent
hardness 4.0 Acid reaction not reactive
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Resources Tutor
east
A clap of thunder splits the air, and a tutor
appears in your midst. TUTOR You just left
White and Black Dike containing your goal
Potassic Feldspar The TUTOR bends at the waist
and disappears in a puff of smoke.
You can't streak without a streak plate.
streak 1992 with glass plate
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Doing Science A Transcript of the Text-based
Interface 1. Student is Assigned a Goal
You have a general goal to 'report' all the
rocks and minerals you find. You also have a
specific goal to 'report' the identity of
Fluorite Fluorite is a purple vitreous
smooth-faced mineral. Fluorite is used to make
flux. To see this message again, type '_at_showgoal'
or 'showgoal'
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Doing Science A Transcript of the Text-based
Interface 2. Student Navigates
You are standing by a large cave entrance cut
into a sheer rock face. To the South is a
Deep Valley To the Southwest are the Young
Mountains To the West is a Steep Ledge
To the Northwest is a Steep Cliff 'Enter'
will get you into the Cave. Obvious exits are
enter South Southwest West Northwest You see
light grey compact fine-grained outcrop (1945),
purple vitreous smooth-faced vein (1989), and
yellowish brown resinous vein (1998) here.
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Doing Science A Transcript of the Text-based
Interface 3. Student Performs Experiments
hit 1989 with rock pick
Swoosh...the Rock Pick/Hammer (2062) arcs
towards the purple vitreous smooth-faced vein
(1989) A purple vitreous smooth-faced sample
(5969) appears in your inventory
pour acid on 5969
You hear the sound of pouring and .... Nothing
happens
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Doing Science A Transcript of the Text-based
Interface 4. Student Continues Experiments
taste 5969
You put your tongue onto purple vitreous
smooth-faced sample (5969) and detect no taste
touch 5969 with magnet
As the magnet approaches the purple vitreous
smooth-faced sample (5969)... Nothing happens.
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Doing Science A Transcript of the Text-based
Interface 5. Student Continues Experiments
scratch glass with 5969
You scratch Glass Plate (2064) with purple
vitreous smooth-faced sample (5969) ...Glass
Plate (2064) scratches purple vitreous
smooth-faced sample (5969)
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Doing Science A Transcript of the Text-based
Interface 6. Student Achieves Goal
report 5969 as fluorite
Checking purple vitreous smooth-faced sample
(5969) against fluorite. You are right! purple
vitreous smooth-faced sample (5969) IS
fluorite. You have satisfied your primary goal!
You score 100 points.
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Doing Science A Transcript of the Text-based
Interface 7. Student is Assigned New Goal
Assigning new goal for session 11/30/99 at 113
p.m. As a player in the Geology Explorer You
have accomplished your third goal and are
playing at the advanced level. You have a
general goal to 'report' all the rocks and
minerals you find. You also have a
specific goal to 'report' the identity of
Potassic Feldspar Potassic Feldspar is a
mineral.
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Maps of Planet Oit (from text to graphics)
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The Geology Explorer(Graphical Prototype)
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Virtual Field Instruments
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The Geology Explorer(Navigating on Planet Oit)
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Intelligent Tutoring Geology Explorer

• The simulation can track actions
• The simulation can generate warnings and
  explanations
• Tutor visits are triggered by user action

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Tutors are NeededIn Virtual Environments

• Students can join from any remote location
• They can log in at any time of day or night
• Human tutors cannot be available at all times to
  help
• Students can make mistakes and not know why

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Tutors are NeededIn Virtual Environments

• Student interacts with the intelligent tutoring
  agent
• Students can ignore advice and carry on at their
  own risk

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Software Tutoring Agents
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Software Tutoring Agents

• Deductive Tutoring Provides assistance with
  deductive reasoning needed to solve a
  scientific problem
• Case-based Tutoring Presents examples of
  relevant experience (case studies)
• Rule-based Tutoring Provides assistance when
  student actions break encoded rules for the
  domain

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Authentic Assessment

• Assessment in authentic contexts
• Recall of strategies and concepts
• Not multiple choice recognition
• Content specific Geology
• Problem solving, hypothesis formation, deductive
  reasoning

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Authentic tasks require authentic assessment

• To understand science is to
• understand the activities of scientists
• understand the tools of scientists

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Scenarios

• Student presents subjective
• response to a scenario
• Scenario is a story, in which
• a geologic problem is presented
• Student is encouraged to present
• a solution

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Example of a Scenario
You are in northern Manitoba on a fishing
trip. Fishing has been good. At dawn on the day
of your departure, you cut across country to a
remote bay and have more good luck you catch
your limit of walleye. On the way back to the
lodge, you stumble across a heavy, moss-covered
rock on the shoreline, flipping it over. Looking
down, you see the underside of the rock shining
with a brilliant metallic yellow. You pick up
the rock and lug it back to the lodge. At the
airport luggage check-in, the baggage agent notes
that you are 20 kg overweight . . . . . . exactly
the weight of the rock that you found. He says,
Its okay to ship rocks back to the States, eh,
but at 15 per kilogram, youre going to owe
300! As a geologist, what do you do? Please
respond to the following
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Scenario Questions
List the questions that you would ask yourself,
and give reasons behind asking those particular
questions List the factors that you would
consider in making your final decision
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Procedures for Assessment by Scenario

• Assess computer literacy
• Pre-Test Present scenario, students propose
  course of action or solution
• Engage students in learning experience
• (Control and experimental groups)
• Post-Test Present similar scenario, student
  response
• Analyze assessment data

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The Geology Explorer Assessment Protocol, Fall,
1998
Pre-course Assessment 400 students
Computer Literacy Assessment (244 volunteers)
Divide by Computer Literacy and Geology Lab
Experience
Geomagnetic (Alternative) Group (122 students)
Geology Explorer Treatment Group (122 students)
Non-Participant Control Group (150 students,
approx.)
Completed (78 students)
Non-completed (44 students)
Completed (95 students)
Non-completed (27 students)
Post-course Assessment 368 students
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Scenario Evaluation

• Scenarios evaluated by a trained
• individual
• Scenario judging is then replicated
• for reliability using a second, trained
• individual
• Additional validation can be
• accomplished within standard testing

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Fall, 1998, Test Results Results of a Duncan
test showed that the Geology Explorer group was
significantly different . . . with the nature
of the signifi- cance being a higher
average score for the Geology Explorer group.

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95 Confidence Intervals for Mean Scores on Post
Experience Scenario Assessments
Group No. Mean score 95 CI Alternate 104
17.0 4.8 Control 157 19.4 5.0 Planet
Oit 65 31.8 4.9
Planet Oit Group
mean score
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To Visit Planet Oit
oit.cs.ndsu.nodak.edu