C-VISions

Today's cheaper personal computers with improved computational power have made the technology of networked desktop virtual reality environments accessible to typical end users, including students. This paper describes C-VISions, a collaborative virtual environment developed to support interactive and collaborative learning using virtual simulations. The research effort is grounded on the principles of active, experiential learning and constructivist/social constructivist ideas, with their attendant commitment to group sense making, discourse-based learning, and community building processes. The paper also provides an overview of the system's design and implementation. Finally, we explain the current status of the research effort and articulate plans for future work.