The project will develop a system featuring the core experiential component of a 3D immersive learning environment (ILE) for effective learning of fundamental concepts of earthquakes and foster spatial thinking through real earthquake data. This experiential component is complemented by an introductory componerit and an educational component, which together forms a system covering fundamental earthquake concepts and basic earthquake response strategies. The system will present some of the content from two lectures in GE3231 Natural Hazard that covers plate tectonics, ‘earthquakes, and related primary and secondary hazards. The project hypothesizes that a 3D ILE is a more effective tool for learning earthquake-related concepts given that the technologies adopted support user-centered learning paths, and compared to slide shows or animations, afford more realistic representations of earthquakes and associated hazards in terms of spatiotemporal structures, arrangements, and scales. It aims to address the following research question: is it more effective to learn earthquake concepts through the proposecj 3D ILE than through traditional lecture-tutorial environment?

For the design of the introductory and experiential components, the fundamental concepts will include tectonic plate boundaries, plate boundary types, related processes (e.g., ocean spreading) and landform features (e.g., fault types), various seismic waves (e.g., body and surface wave), how earthquakes are measured, and how they lead to earthquake experiences especially movement of ground and within a building. Spatial thinking, especially those related to location, direction, relative position, as well as process that are highlighted in NRC (2006), will be embedded in the design of the system. Technologies including VR that provides an immersive environment with perceptual stimuli, GIS that provides spatially and temporally indexed information of earthquakes, and shaker board that provides physical feedback will be integrated.

For the second goal, the project plans to carry out a pre-test before the students use the system and a post-test after the students use the system. Both tests will take the form of a quiz that focuses on not only the fundamental concepts but spatial thinking described above. The effectiveness of the system in learning earthqyake knowledge will be assessed by comparing the performance of the pre- and the post-test.

The proposed project complements the pedagpgical project

“Development of a Hazard Risk Assessment ard Communication Tool in a Higher Education Geography Module in Singapore” (Gouramanis and Morales-Ramirez, submitted), which uses the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNODRR 2015) as qn overarching policy tool to educate and mitigate against various natural hazards. The SFDRR has a significant underpinning in education, in which the VR techniques proposed here would greatly benefit.