Lessons+Learned

Virtual Worlds
• MoonWorld can be an engaging & effective learning tool, supporting collaborative investigations and sound scientific practice, making and warranting claims through evidence. • Users love avatars, spacesuits, being on Moon. • Learners tend to explore on their own rather than to follow stations sequence and answer questions. • Rover is a distraction – joy rides rather than transport to next station. • In a class assignment environment learners are more focused. • Based on another CET video game, //Selene//, a leader board would increase completion of tasks in MoonWorld.

Second Life as a Learning Platform
• Second Life frustrating and not reliable. • MoonWorld performance depends on entire SL load. • Frequent updates of SL OS means changes needed to MoonWorld; makes legacy version impossible. • Initially, virtual terrorists wrecked site, getting through barriers. • Animations and Heads Up Display for avatar helmet use so much bandwidth that only 4 players at a time, meaning that access must be regulated, adding scheduling.

OpenSim
• Operates on CET server – controlled access. • Created our own VOIP & custom viewer to reduce learning curve and confusion – a contribution for OpenSim! • OpenSim is open source platform and less reliable than Second Life. Often failed to work for no obvious reason.

Child Safety
• Very time consuming part of entire project. • OpenSim version developed specifically to protect kids. • Because of young users, criminal background checks required for all adults (recruiters, mentars, staff). • Recruiters conducted the parent informed consent – required by federal government for research. • If single player game – eliminating collaboration and joint exploration fun – would greatly reduce most safety concerns.

Recommendations
• Well designed virtual worlds – like MoonWorld – can be effective and engaging learning tools. • Continue creation, implementation, and professional development of virtual worlds. • MoonWorld and other virtual worlds should be migrated to a more stable and robust platform, such as Unity game engine. • Connecting MoonWorld to opportunities for students to actually look at the real Moon encourages learning to continue beyond classroom and ties to NASA exploration.

Click these links to access other parts of MoonWorld:

3: Lessons Learned
(this page)