From: cdshaw@cs.ualberta.ca (Chris Shaw)
Subject: Re: VR & Education 
Date: 	Thu, 16 Jan 1992 18:44:09 -0700
Organization: University of Alberta



In article x yamauchi@cs.rochester.edu (Brian Yamauchi) writes:

>We currently have millions of students bored out of their minds in
>public classrooms around the country.  Consider the possibilities for
>a VR learning environment where students can experiment and see how
>the information they are being taught applies to the real world.  This
>would be especially useful for physics (and the other sciences), where
>in addition to learning formulas, students could see how these
>formulas relate to the physical universe.

Actually, Fred Brooks tried this 20 years ago. One of the first phases of
the GRIP/GROPE/GRASP/GRIPE/GRAPE/GROUP (whatever) project used a 2-D 
force-feedback joystick to simulate a 2D force field for first year physics
students taking PHYSICS 101.

He then ran an experiment where half of the first year physics majors got 
to use the joystick, and half did some other lab. The result was that the 
joystick users did better on the exam, understood the material more, etc. 

Then, his team upgraded the joystick, and having run out of first year 
physics majors, did the same experiment with first year arts majors who were
required to take PHYSICS 101. Results: No difference. Joystick or no joystick,
all arts students did just as badly on the exam, understood the material no
better or no worse, etc. etc.

The punch line here is that Computer Aided Instruction, no matter how "nifty"
the technology, will not motivate an unmotivated student.

VR is not a magic bullet. It will not wake up that small percentage of the 
student population that doesn't care about the topic. VR will also not make
bad designers into good designers, or bad architects into good architects, 
or bad artists into good artists, or bad surgeons into good surgeons.

What WILL happen, I think, is that OK designers will become good designers,
and good designers will become better designers, and so on. 
--
Chris Shaw               University of Alberta
cdshaw@cs.UAlberta.ca    CatchPhrase: Bogus as HELL !