The Technology Behind a Virtual Exploratorium: A Resource for Discovery-Based Learning in the Geosciences

The Virtual Exploratorium (VE) is an electronic geoscience learning environment Much of this environment will be constructed on the Internet, with interactive elements developed in the Java programming language. The goal of this project is to encourage discovery-based geoscience learning by engaging the students to think, act, and make decisions just like a scientist. To do this, we will give the students access to real datasets and a visualization environment. However, since most survey level students do not think like scientists, interactive educational materials are linked to the datasets through visualizations, interactive models, and tools -- aiding the students in their exploration. The goal of each tool implemented is to help the student learn a specific geoscience principle that a normal scientist would use when looking at the data.

The Exploratorium will use the Java programming language to develop interactive data-exploring tools and tutorials. Dataset management and visualization will use the Vis5D software developed at the University of Wisconsin, with an altered interface to specify itself more to the project. We will also incorporate the VisAD Java component libraries, developed by the University of Wisconsin, UNIDATA, and the National Center for Supercomputing Applications. VisAD offers extreme versatility with data formats, supports interactive 3D, and was designed to be extensible as well. These features lend itself well to enhancing an learning environment. Compatibility, performance, and other issues will also be discussed.

The Digital Library for Earth System Education (DLESE) is a new effort in the Geoscience community to develop an internet library of educational resources. Such a library would help give teachers rapid-access to educational materials, data, and the information necessary to use them. In order for DLESE be successful, it would require the community to develop and share their content. The VE would serve as a powerful resource within DLESE.