3D virtual environment for project-based learning

Abstract

In recent years virtual learning environments have become commonplace and are used in educational processes. Diversity of their implementation architectures is as varied as their application domains. This paper presents a 3D Virtual Learning Environment (hereafter 3DVLE) with client-server architecture for collaborative and constructivists learning. The proposed architecture allows us to provide high quality 3D visualization of desirable content on the client side and, on the other hand, to ensure easy, flexible and centralized management of 3D content and descriptive information. This paper also presents a study on the first attempts of implementation of 3DVLE in the educational process in the master's courses. The major findings of the present study disclosed participants' supportive attitudes toward 3DVLE in providing training related to encyclopedically structured knowledge as well as communicational and interpersonal skills. In addition, section V discusses some advantages and disadvantages of the proposed type of the environment implementation, some applicability issues and the directions for future development of the system.