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The design, implementation, and evaluation of a digital interactive globe system integrated into an Earth Science course

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Abstract

The aim of this study is to design and implement a digital interactive globe system (DIGS), by integrating low-cost equipment to make DIGS cost-effective. DIGS includes a data processing unit, a wireless control unit, an image-capturing unit, a laser emission unit, and a three-dimensional hemispheric body-imaging screen. A quasi-experimental study was conducted to evaluate the learning effectiveness of our system. A total of 105 junior high-school students from Taiwan participated in this 8-week experiment. The students were divided into three individual groups of 35 students each, with one control group and two experimental groups (EG1 and EG2). The results of one-way mixed design ANOVA indicated that participants in the experimental group, who used the DIGS, outperformed the other two groups, in the post-test as well as in the delayed test. These findings demonstrate that the proposed DIGS can effectively enhance the performance of the learners in an Earth Science course.

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Author notes

  1. Wei-Kai Liou and Kaushal Kumar Bhagat have contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Interactive Entertainment Design, China University of Technology, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC

    Wei-Kai Liou

  2. Smart Learning Institute of Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China

    Kaushal Kumar Bhagat

  3. Science Education Center, National Taiwan Normal University, 88 Sec. 4, Ting-Chou Rd., Taipei, Taiwan

    Chun-Yen Chang

  4. Department of Earth Sciences, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan

    Chun-Yen Chang

Authors
  1. Wei-Kai Liou
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  2. Kaushal Kumar Bhagat
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  3. Chun-Yen Chang
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Correspondence to Chun-Yen Chang.

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Liou, WK., Bhagat, K.K. & Chang, CY. The design, implementation, and evaluation of a digital interactive globe system integrated into an Earth Science course. Education Tech Research Dev 66, 545–561 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-018-9573-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-018-9573-2

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