SBIR Phase I: Virtual Gorilla Construction Kit - Virtual Modeling for Learning

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project provides a plan to develop, deploy, and evaluate a virtual reality-based modeling kit that will enable students to build virtual models of gorilla motion and social interaction within a web-based inquiry framework. Using the Virtual Gorilla Construction Kit, students will build virtual models within the context of answering questions about gorilla behavior. The modeling possible with the virtual environment the investigator is proposing, which is quantitative/logical in its underlying operation, can help students move beyond the purely descriptive to an understanding of the relationships between relevant variables. Virtual reality is an environment that is uniquely suited for the dynamic nature of 3-D gorilla motion. Research has shown that students do not effectively blend lectures, 2-D static images, and textual descriptions of scientific phenomena. Building virtual reality models provides the right match for the content and builds deep understanding of the 3-D nature of science concepts and the inquiry skills of model-based science. Thus, the investigator will develop the Virtual Gorilla Construction Kit as representing an exciting learning environment, which uses the power of cyberspace to learn about gorilla space. The market for the project for this immediate version of the software will be other zoo educational programs, middle school life science, high school biology, and university freshman-level animal behavior survey courses.