This multi-year research study funded by the National Science Foundation is led by the Denver Museum of Nature & Science and the Metropolitan State College of Denver. The goal of Astronomy Learning in Immersive Virtual Environments (ALIVE) is to evaluate the effectiveness of computer-generated immersive virtual environments (VE) for teaching astronomical concepts in college introductory astronomy classes.
The study will find optimal learning modes and quantify the benefits that immersive VEs may have for enabling spatial learning. It will compare the advantages of immersive VEs over non-immersive counterparts. Data collected will be used to determine student gains and retention. Correlation with blind demographic data will identify learning modes important for specific sub-groups, including ones that lead to differential gains in spatial cognition for females over males.