'Feels Like an Indie Game' - Evaluation of a Virtual Field Trip Prototype on Radioactive Waste Management Research for University Education

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Nico Graebling - , Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (Author)
  • Melanie Althaus - , Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (Author)
  • Özgur Ozan Şen - , Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (Author)
  • Thomas Reimann - , Chair of Groundwater Systems (Author)
  • Tuanny Cajuhi - , Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (Author)
  • Gerik Scheuermann - , Leipzig University (Author)
  • Olaf Kolditz - , Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (Author)
  • Karsten Rink - , Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (Author)

Abstract

This article describes the design and evaluation of a virtual field trip on the topic of radioactive waste management research for university education. We created an interactive virtual tour through the Mont Terri underground research laboratory by enhancing the virtual experiment information system, designed for domain experts, with background information, illustrations, tasks, tests, and an improved user interface. To put the tour's content into context, a conventional introductory presentation on the final disposal of radioactive waste was added. A user study with 22 participants proved a good perceived usability of the virtual tour and the virtual field trip's ability to transfer knowledge. These results suggest a benefit of employing virtual field trips in geoscientific university courses. In addition, it is conceivable to use the virtual field trip as a tool for science communication in the context of participatory processes during nuclear waste disposal site selection processes.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)13-24
Number of pages12
JournalIEEE computer graphics and applications
Volume44
Issue number1
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2024
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

PubMed 37889816
ORCID /0000-0002-4259-0139/work/167217172

Keywords