Developing a virtual physics world

Abstract

In this article, the successful implementation of a development cycle for a physics teaching package based on game-like virtual reality software is reported. The cycle involved several iterations of evaluating students' use of the package followed by instructional and software development. The evaluation used a variety of techniques, including ethnographic observation, surveys, student focus groups and conventional assessment. The teaching package included a laboratory manual, instructional support materials and the Real Time Relativity software that simulates a world obeying special relativistic physics. Although the iterative development cycle was time consuming and costly, it gave rise to substantial improvements in the software user interface and in the students' learning experience.

Practising teaching using virtual classroom role plays

“…Approaches to addressing these problems in teacher education will therefore have the potential for wider application in other disciplines. As well as being of increasing interest to the teacher education community, role plays housed within a virtual world have been used in a range of other disciplines, including health and medical education (Boulos, Hetherington, & Wheeler, 2007), nursing (Kilmon, Brown, Ghosh, & Mikitiuk, 2010), languages (Henderson, Huang, Grant, & Henderson, 2012), physics (Wegener, McIntyre, McGrath, Savage, & Williamson, 2012), history (Wakefield, Warren, Rankin, Mills, & Gratch, 2012) and religious studies (Farley, 2010). As a consequence, the findings reported in this article are likely to be of interest to practitioners and researchers in these other professional disciplines.…”

Relativity concept inventory: Development, analysis, and results

“…This is in contrast with quantum mechanics, which has a more complex mathematical structure. Nevertheless, the amount of physics education research on special relativity is small [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12].…”

Pre-Service Physics Teachers’ Difficulties in Understanding Special Relativity Topics

“…Difficulties related to abstractness of relativistic physics, problems associating it with everyday life and imaging the concepts in mind were clearly stated by the participants. In order to overcome these difficulties, it is suggested in some studies that special relativity is taught by visualisations, using computer programs such as animations, simulations and games (Carr & Bossomaier,2011;Henriksen, 2014;Kortemeyer et al, 2013;Kraus, 2008;McGrath et al, 2010;Savage et al, 2007;Wegener et al, 2012). The use of thought experiments in teaching of the special relativity as an effective tool is also common (Cacioppo & Gangopadhyaya, 2012;Cornier & Steinberg, 2010;Franklin, 2010).…”

“…Ogborn (2005) suggests a sequence consisting of four steps for teachers to teach relativity. Among studies on special relativity, studies focusing on teaching by visualisation occupy an important place (Carr & Bossomaier, 2011;Henriksen et al,2014;Kortemeyer et al, 2013;Kraus, 2008;McGrath et al, 2010;Savage et al, 2007;Smith, 2011;Wegener et al, 2012). Al-Khalili (2003) shares his ideas about teaching relativity using topics that most people find interesting, such as time travel.…”