Can you see Orion?: knowledge construction and collaborative discourse while problem solving with virtual reality

ABSTRACT

Immersive technologies have the potential to play unique roles in the collaborative problem-solving process. To advance research in these contexts, new methods of documenting group collaboration with technology are necessary. The goal of this paper is to develop and utilize a coding scheme that enables investigation of the nature of collaborative interactions within the context of a shared virtual reality (VR) and tablet computer astronomy simulation. This multi-device environment was integrated into the laboratory learning of an undergraduate introductory astronomy course. Two exemplar groups were identified and reviewed for diversity of collaboration and technology interactions. Informed by existing coding practices for collaborative learning, these observations were then used to generate the coding scheme. Coding results reveal that task complexity contributed to an increase in diverse collaboration, and users who switched between technology platforms showed marked differences in their interactions with group members. Moments of discourse when group members were sharing the same simulation view were typically oriented around the acquisition of new knowledge and were often followed by bursts of productive discourse. We discuss the utility of our coding scheme alongside implications of this work via insight into what constitutes understanding in collaborative contexts augmented by immersive and networked technologies.

KEYWORDS:

• Collaborative learning
• Immersive virtual reality
• Astronomy education
• Multi-device simulations

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the work of Nathan Kimball, Chris Hart, and Noah Paessel at the Concord Consortium for their contributions to the development and testing of the digital environment. In addition, thanks to Jina Kang and Morgan Diedrich at Utah State University for their contributions facilitating the classroom enactment and software log analysis. Finally, we thank the collaborating teachers at both Parkland and Middlesex community colleges for their valuable feedback and willingness to test new approaches to astronomy education

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under grant number #1822796. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. The research described in this manuscript was approved by the University of Illinois Office for the Protection of Research Subjects (IRB #19842).

Notes on contributors

James Planey

James Planey is a PhD student in Curriculum & Instruction at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He is interested in how immersive technologies such as VR and AR can be meaningfully integrated into science classroom instruction to support student learning as they engage with spatially complex science content. His research interests are shaped by his previous experience as a high school science teacher, NGSS curriculum designer, and informal educator.

Taehyun Kim

Taehyun Kim is a PhD student in the Curriculum & Instruction department at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. His research is focused on how body-based interactions with immersive media (e.g. virtual reality) can facilitate complex understanding of STEM learning content, and how media can be adequately designed to include these types of interactions.

Emma Mercier

Emma Mercier is an associate professor in Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Her work focuses on the relationship between social interaction and learning, particularly as it relates to collaborative learning in classrooms. Mercier uses emergent technology and methods in order to create ways to support collaborative learning, and to provide teachers with insight into their groups’ processes.

Robb Lindgren

Robb Lindgren is an associate professor in in Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. His research examines theories and designs for learning within emerging media platforms (e.g. simulations, virtual environments, mobile devices, video games, augmented and mixed reality, etc.). He seeks to understand how digital technologies can be used to construct new identities and generate new perspectives that lead to stronger comprehension of complex ideas, particularly in STEM content areas.