X3D and E-Learning

Goals

The Web3D Consortium is starting a new interest group: X3D and E-Learning.

This group will enable the creation of Web-Enabled 3D content, tools and platforms for online e-learning.

We will collaboratively harmonize and integrate X3D Graphics content with other standards.

Our tasks our many! They include:

Integration. Explore and demonstrate best practices for integrating X3D Graphics models with e-learning content.

Examples. Create demonstration examples showing how display, animation and user interaction with X3D models can all augment the learning effectiveness of online textbooks and e-learning content.

Archival publishing. Show how X3D can serve as the common archival publishing format for 3D models. Such 3D content may be built from a wide variety of diverse graphics technologies, and remain useful indefinitely.

Multiple platforms and user interfaces. Show how X3D e-learning modules can work with different user interfaces including Web browsers, electronic books and notepads, mobile devices, DVD publication, etc.

Lessons learned. Produce X3D documentation and examples that show how these "lessons learned" can be used repeatably by the educational community. These approaches can also help consortium members, such as e-book publishers and companies that build authoring software.

Accessibility. Show how X3D models can be made accessible to (and provide information for) users with accessibility challenges. Compatibility with the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) is essential.

Best practices. Decide whether to formalize these successful techniques (perhaps as Web3D Recommended Practice for X3D E-Learning) or else to keep them online as informal resources.

Specification. Recommend formal improvements and additions to the X3D Specification as needed and appropriate.

Marketing. Communication and outreach showing successful examples is important so that educators and students know how to publish 3D content.

Discussions occur on the x3d-public@web3d.org mailing list. If the email traffic becomes very busy then we can create a separate email list.

Meeting minutes are also distributed on the X3D-Public mailing list and archived online.

Our twice-monthly teleconference for X3D and E-Learning is usually

Participation is open to everyone via the Web3D teleconference line. Non-members can request access information for this call, or Join Web3D!

Our first public call is 22/23 September 2010.

Identify people in Web3D and other groups who want to collaborate on these issues
Maintain this X3D and E-Learning wiki page to track issues and progress
Begin regular teleconference meetings

We welcome participation by anyone interested in helping this group establish X3D for E-Learning.

Primary hosts are X3D X3D Working Group and Web3D Korea Chapter

We are considering a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the IMS Global Consortium.

The following individuals have volunteered to serve as Web3D and IMS representatives in the X3D E-Learning Special Interest Group.