Exploring the Potential of an Interactive Geoscience Teaching Application for Dynamically Visualizing 3D Terrain in Undergraduate Classrooms

Abstract

Students in the geosciences must develop the skills to visualize the Earth in 4D, and use those skills to interpret different geological processes. These take time to develop, which makes the experience of learning how geological processes behave difficult for novices. Currently available tools used to teach these processes in undergraduate education pose challenges for students as a result, and are often difficult to learn or require well developed mental modelling skills to interpret. Through interviews with educators in the geosciences, we determined a list of requirements that a new terrain visualization tool would need to address the shortcomings in the tools currently available to them. Based on these ideas, this thesis investigates the potential for a new terrain visualization tool in the geosciences that emphasizes approachable, interactive, dynamic, and 3D design and supports temporal change visualization. We followed an iterative design process to develop a new tool that meets these requirements. This process included the development of a conceptual prototype, and the evaluation of both paper and software prototypes with friendly testers before finalizing the tool’s design. The tool’s performance with its target audience was evaluated by conducting a formal user study over remote video calls. Undergraduate participants taking courses in the geosciences were recruited to perform a series of tasks using the tool, and interviewed about their experiences. Transcripts from these study sessions were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis and paired with video recordings of each session to determine the tool’s strengths and weaknesses. This analysis concluded that the tool’s interactive 3D visualization was well received, and its familiar interface design allowed for an intuitive experience that encouraged exploration. More detailed terrain manipulation controls and accessible design considerations were identified as areas that could be improved. Temporal visualization was found to be difficult to present in an approachable manner, and further research is recommended to determine what students and educators find most effective. It is also recommended that a follow-up study be performed in collaboration with geoscience educators to iterate on and evaluate the tool in a classroom setting.