Research Methods

Cyber Infrastructure

According to the National Science Foundation (NSF), Cyber Infrastructure (CI) describes an environment in which computing systems, data storage systems, advanced instruments and data repositories, visualization environments, and people are all linked together by software and high performance networks to improve scholarly productivity and to enable breakthroughs not otherwise possible. Collaboration and communication in a visualization environment are critical to an effective implementation of a cyber infrastructure system. This environment to foster development of such needs skills requires 1) networked computing technologies and 2) virtual learning environments, including VR based games, simulations and modeling. Networked computing technologies such as networked desktops and laptops have become essentials of modern life and allow for various learning capabilities. VR-based games have shown to motivate users with non-routine challenge problems and motivate users to learn outside the game to improve game play. Difficult abstract concepts and large data sets can be accessed in more visual, interactive and concrete ways in virtual environments which leads to the conclusions that simulations, modeling and collaboration tools in VR games will have a positive influence on learning.

Recent reports show that many STEM classes rely more heavily on textbooks than examples making introductory science and egnineering classes more difficult, causing less interest in these fields. Therefore, it becomes crucial to design an engaging learning environment for students to explore these math and science fields to develop further interest. In this VR game system design, emphasis is placed on the individual science and engineering concepts building upon each other that contribute to the design of a system rather than being separate fields of knowledge. These games each focusing on a different concept can be used as a replacement for traditional laboratory exercises at different levels of the Project-Lead-The-Way (PLTW) curriculum.

A sustainable city is a city designed to improve the quality of life, including ecological, cultural, political, institutional, social, and economic components without leaving a burden on the future generations. SustainCity provides these key characteristics of a sustainable city through a series of VR games (e.g., Power Ville, GridLock, and Stability, etc.) and provide the player to learn more about STEM fields designing and maintaining this eco-city. The games align with the curriculum and academic subject matter including math, circuit design and persuasive writing as shown in the figure below.

Metacognitive Interventions

Our contention is that metacognitive awareness on the part of students can be improved through systematic and direct instructions on strategic reading. To support that, three important metacognitive reading interventions, as detailed below, are carefully designed into our interactive game activities.

• Road Map training – In the project, a road map is integrated into our game stories providing students with study guides. The study guide is a set of suggestions and/or interspersed questions designed to lead students through a problem solving process by directing attention to the key ideas and suggesting the application of skills needed to solve the problem successfully.



• What I Know-What I Want to Know- What I have Solved (KWS) training – Our project adapts a well known reading strategy, What I Know-What I Want to Know- What I Have Learned (KWL) into our games. The KWS provides a 3-column chart structure to activate students’ prior knowledge by recalling what students know about a problem (K), to motivate students to read/think by asking what they want to know (W), and finally to review what part of the problem has been resolved and what is yet to be solved (S). The KWS chart can be visited and re-visited through the games by players, forcing them to conduct the sophisticated kind of thinking required for drawing inferences and developing interpretations.







• Think-Aloud-Share-Solve (TA2S) training – Students appear to learn a great deal through mutual exploration, meaning-making, and ample feedback. TA2S is a variation of the collaborative learning strategies, Think-Aloud and Pair Problem-solving, and implemented via online chatting in our games.