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Article Excerpt
This article describes the instructional design theoretical foundation of a desktop virtual reality-based learning environment aimed at complementing the current novice driver education system in Malaysia. It provides an elaboration of how various components of the learning environment are designed to support this theoretical underpinning that fits to the new paradigm of instruction. This is followed by the suggestion of a theoretical framework that can be used to guide the design of other virtual reality-based learning environments. This framework can also act as an initial structure that is to be further refined and/or revised, as a robust model model to guide the design and development of a learning environment using this technology is still unavailable at the present time.
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The benefits of using three-dimensional virtual environment technology, commonly known as virtual reality, in education have increasingly gained recognition from many researchers and educational practitioners. Virtual reality is described as a cutting-edge technology that allows learners to step through the computer screen into a three-dimensional interactive environment. Although virtual reality has been recognised as an impressive learning tool, the need for expensive head-mounted displays, gloves, and high-end computer systems has somehow restricted its uses. However, today virtual reality systems can run by affordable personal computers. Human interaction with the generated virtual worlds can be performed using conventional input devices, such as the mouse and keyboard without introducing any additional peripherals. In short, the availability of relatively low cost desktop virtual reality system has made this technology feasible to be widely used. Indeed, according to Youngblut (1998), this nonimmersive technology is much more mature and ubiquitously used in many different application areas rather than the immersive technology. This article focuses on this particular type of virtual reality technology.
Virtual reality is predicted to be the most significant technological transformation in educational media. Numerous researchers such as Roussos, Moher, Vasilakis, and Barnes (1999), Whitelock, Brna, and Holland (1996), Winn (1993), and Grove (1996) have found that virtual reality technology offers unique capabilities that are able to provide significant and positive support for education. Some of these capabilities include the ability to allow learners to visualise the three-dimensional representation of a problem, to visualise abstract concepts, to articulate their understanding of a phenomenon through their development of virtual environments, to visualise the dynamic relationships in a system, to obtain an infinite number of viewpoints of a virtual environment, and to visit and interact with events that are unavailable or unfeasible due to distance, time, or safety factors. The power of virtual reality as a tool for experiencing prebuilt worlds as well as for world building by learners, suggests that the technology will be widely applicable for education. Moreover, with the current development of virtual reality on the World Wide Web (WWW or Web), other relevant information from the Web could also be linked to the virtual representation of the problem. Indeed, the integration of the Internet and virtual reality has enabled us to manipulate the benefits offered by both technologies.
MOTIVATION OF PROJECT
Malaysia is one of the developing countries that is experiencing a gradual increase in road accidents. Statistics released by the Road Transport Department (RTD) of Malaysia shows that the number of road accidents has been increasing for the last 10 years. This is not limited as a local phenomenon. The World Health Organization (2002) has reported that road traffic crashes will account for the third highest cause of the global burden of disease, jumping from its current ranking of ninth, and developing countries will be largely responsible for this predicted sharp rise.
In the year 2001, a total of 265,175 road accidents were reported in Malaysia where 6,942 persons were killed and 42,856 persons injured (Jabatan Pengangkutan Jalan Malaysia, 2002). These deaths and injuries result in substantial economic and social costs as well as serious grief and physical sufferings. These figures are indeed worrying and prompt the need for effective and sustainable prevention since road traffic injuries are to a great extent, preventable. The Transport Ministry of Malaysia has stated the vision to reduce the fatal accident rate from the present 5.17 deaths to 2 deaths per 10,000 registered vehicles (Sim, 2002). Among the measures taken to reduce road accidents include improving the current driving curriculum and introducing more stringent driving evaluation procedures.
Virtual Reality and the Current Practice in the Novice Car Driver Education
The main goal of RTD is to produce competent car drivers. The current law allows a person who is 17 or older to undertake tests to obtain a driving license. A candidate, who will be called "learner" throughout this text, has to undergo a driver education programme. This programme requires him or her to successfully complete four evaluation components to be eligible for a driving license. These include a compulsory attendance of a five hour basic practical lesson known as the Courteous Driving Course, a compulsory attendance of a six hour practical training course, a theory test (oral or written), and an on road test.
The RTD of Malaysia has published a textbook known as the Driver Education Curriculum in 1997 while a revised version known as the Driver Education Curriculum Learning Manual was introduced in March, 2003. Generally, the aim of these books is to provide each learner with the essential knowledge required of a competent driver. Besides a large portion of text, this textbook also comprises various static images.
Limitations of the current methods. The cognitive domain, according to Reigeluth and Moore (1999) is defined as the domain that deals with the recall or recognition of knowledge, the development of understandings, intellectual abilities, and skills. Focusing solely on the cognitive skills that need to be imparted to a learner, the textbook, theory test, and the basic practical lesson are observed to pose a few limitations. The following will summarise these limitations while a more comprehensive elaboration of these observations is reported in Chen, Toh, and Wan (2003).
The use of a two-dimensional plan, view of road scenarios, and heavy reliance on the linguistics ability of the learner to understand narrative information (spoken and printed text), for example, has introduced unnecessary levels of abstraction. Learning is decontextualised as the use of knowledge or skills is separated as to how they would be used in real life. For instance, theoretical learning materials are contained in textbook and...
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