Expanding Field-Archaeology Education: The Integration of 3D Technology into Archaeological Training

Abstract

This contribution analyses and discusses the use of 3D technology in education and learning. Basing the discussion on a case study performed during two seasons of a field school for 1st-year archaeology students, we explore how to expand traditional didactic programs by developing and testing a web-based system for educational purposes. We examine how these technologies can be used as educational means and supporting tools during an excavation; how universities can incorporate these technologies into pedagogy. We investigate whether the combination of these technologies with a successful pedagogical theory could promote students’ comprehension of the reflexive approach and engagement with the interpretative process. We introduced the students to a complete excavation methodology, including excavation, documentation, data management, and interpretation. Alongside the traditional documentation, a digital approach was added, with 3D technologies and an Interactive Visualisation System that allows fully three-dimensional reasoning from the beginning and throughout the whole archaeological process. Preliminary results show that students easily incorporate 3D documentation into their toolbox for analysing and visualising the material and understand both the possibilities and limitations of the system. However, we identified some limitations in the students’ use of the system. Together with the students’ feedback, we will use them to develop it further and discuss its use in education.

[Retracted] Display and Analysis of Virtual 3D Technology in Interior Design

“…A series of operations for detection and resection of intracranial tumors need the support of three-dimensional technology, which can have a clear understanding of the size and location of tumors and improve the success rate of surgery [7]. In archaeological research, integrating 3D technology into archaeology can promote students' deep understanding of archaeology and full 3D reasoning, which runs through the whole archaeological process [8]. In the marine ecosystem, coral reef is an important part of maintaining the ecosystem.…”

Managing Data from Maritime Archaeology Investigations: AIR at Gribshunden

“…6). IVS is a customized application of the web-based platform 3DHOP (Potenziani et al 2015;Potenziani et al 2018), designed for publishing online the complete highresolution dataset of the 3D models (for more information on IVS and other uses of it, see Derudas & Berggren 2021). With the IVS of Gribshunden, archaeologists can visualize the high-resolution 3D models of the whole wreck and track the excavation progress in the trench, exploring and measuring them singularly or combining them for comparisons and visual analysis of the excavation sequence.…”

A preliminary analysis of the effectiveness of online practical laboratory delivery using 3D models for higher education courses in biological anthropology

“…Online learning is becoming increasingly common in many practice-based fields in both STEM and the humanities, including biological anthropology and its cognate disciplines anatomy, archaeology, biology, and forensic anthropology (Bayle et al 2022;Derudas and Berggren 2021;Erolin and Rea 2019;Yammine and Violato 2015). Since its inception in the 1970s, there has been intense discussion around the general utility of online education, with its greater flexibility, accessibility, and inclusiveness cited as key benefits (Mitchell and Delgado 2014;Lloyd et al 2012;Dumford and Miller 2018;Bernard 2021;Almahasees et al 2021).…”

“…Within STEM disciplines, however, online learning has traditionally been perceived to be an unsuitable medium for the delivery of practical training (Peuramaki-Brown et al 2020), prompting educators to turn to the use of digital 3D materials to replicate in-person learning experiences (e.g., Gutiérrez-Carreón et al 2020;Hilbelink 2009;Prabhakaran et al 2018). In anatomy, biology, and archaeology, these materials have included digital 3D surface models, medical computed tomography (CT) models, 3D visualisation systems, and virtual reality environments (Bayle et al 2022;Derudas and Berggren 2021;Erolin and Rea 2019;Peuramaki-Brown et al 2020;Petersson et al 2009). Although the use of 3D models has been shown to improve both student engagement and factual and spatial knowledge acquisition, not all in-person experiences can be replicated, leading some researchers to conclude that 3D technologies are best used to 'enhance' in-person learning (Erolin and Rea 2019;Yammine and Violato 2015).…”