The Design of Internet Collaborative Learning System Structure with the Integration of 3D Virtual Instruments

The collaborative learning approach has in the past decades gained significant recognition. It is a group instruction design, which combines education theory and social psychology. Most web-based collaborative learning systems today provide a network environment that is conducive to the students’ online study of theory-based curriculums in a collaborative learning format. Few however explore how a network based collaborative environment involving the practical operation of instrumentation can be established. To transplant the six characteristics of traditional collaborative learning (including characteristics such as heterogeneous grouping, positive interdependence, positive face-to-face interaction, individual learning performance assessments, social skills and the group process) into the network collaborative learning environment, this paper proposes the design of a network collaborative learning system with remotely operated 3D virtual instruments. To express the six characteristics through network collaborative learning, this research uses Access Grid tools and Remote Control Parameter Delivering Technology to design the structure of the system, and integrate traditional elements to create a web-based collaborative learning environment based around documentation, video conferences or 3D virtual sets. The proposed system functions contain (1) face-to-face voice communications (2) real-time text chat (3) electronic whiteboard instruction (4) SCORM learning content sharing (5) VOD video-conferencing instruction (6) recording of the group learning process (7) individual learning performance assessment. This means that the proposed system structure and functionalities are a true translation of traditional collaborative characteristics into an Internet-based collaborative learning environment.