Princeton Students Use Virtual Environments for Real-World Learning

As Mike observed the pond, he knew something was wrong: “Is that a dead duck? And, look, all the fish are dead!”  

When he is not moonlighting in his virtual life as a private investigator, Mike is a sixth-grade student at John Witherspoon Middle School who, together with his classmates, is exploring virtual environments through EcoMUVE, an immersive technology developed at Harvard Graduate School of Education that allows students to learn science collaboratively.

“Kids have been extraordinarily enthusiastic about this,” said teacher Jacques Bazile who, together with teacher Marian Melzer, is using EcoMUVE as a tool for sixth-grade science instruction. “Those students who are normally reticent during open-ended activities are much more willing to participate.”

This month, students studied a pond over eight virtual days and made the discovery that, one day in late summer, all of the fish in the pond had died. The challenge now is to find out what happened, a task that involves teamwork to collect and analyze data and, along the way, begin to understand the complex causality of a pond ecosystem.

While two students act as private investigators, another is a naturalist who asks people living near the pond specific questions about such things as fertilizer use. A fourth team member, the microscopic specialist, has the exciting job of diving into the pond in a virtual submarine to collect samples.

According to Bazile, EcoMUVE allows for a wonderful synthesis of interactive technology with teacher-directed reinforcement of key scientific concepts.

“The tool won’t explain pH, for instance. The teacher explains and clarifies for deeper knowledge,” said Bazile. “But, one gains much more acceptance of tackling the project. It provides relative meaning to why they need to know the concept.”

Melzer, who also teaches sixth-grade science, is particularly impressed with the collaborative aspect of EcoMUVE, noting that it is based on teamwork but also allows for individual assessment of progress. “They’re very engaged and there’s collaboration. But they have their own roles and collect their own data.”

For Melzer, the virtual reality also provides a fun prelude to an actual environment that students will immerse themselves in when they take their annual spring environmental trip. “They can use the information they’re learning here. We will see algae and other aspects that we have here in this pond,” noted Melzer.