STEM Learning
Creating a 3D terrain surface to display landscape data and landscape simulations over helps with understanding environmental data and the topographic effects on landscape processes.
This innovative technology received high level national endorsement through being awarded the 2018 National Higher Education – Education Technology award.
This approach has been used by CDU since 2016 in a variety of teaching and cross-cultural and inter-generational knowledge exchange contexts for tertiary level teaching and in Northern Australian remote Indigenous community contexts.
Multisensory teaching – making the digital tactile. A large body of research has shown the benefits of multisensory engagement in significantly improving learning outcomes. Similarly, research has shown the benefits of multimodal teaching. The 3D printed landscape models with projected spatial data make the digital tactile and through the addition of infrared sensor technology, the printed surface itself becomes interactive.Indigenous STEM learning. Through bringing digital tools and skills to life on local country the application is building on existing meaning and enabling knowledge sharing of ancient and lived experience. In this way the 3D landscapes support two-way learning where local indigenous knowledge can be combined with science, technology and maths in a meaningful way.
Creative complex systems thinking and coding. There is an increasing need to develop higher-order computational, problem-solving and creative thinking skills. This technology uses simple coding techniques so complex landscape systems are brought to life in a virtual lab for student enquiry. The underlying code of the projected simulations are open source implemented and easily modified by students and teachers.
