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While virtual reality (VR) might be effective in engaging learners with authentic and immersive learning experiences, current literature is lacking in understanding the relationship between learners’ perceived cognitive loads and motivational support. In addition, it is unclear as to how the incorporation of game-based learning strategies might impact the overall efficacy of VR for instructional purposes. The presentation reports a NSF-funded project that utilizes the HTC Vive VR system to host a game-based VR learning environment for teaching introductory archaeology classes in a US Midwestern university. The presentation will also report the results of multiple regression analyses to delineate relationships between cognitive loads and motivational components based on survey responses of 106 participants. The presentation will conclude by discussing game-based VR design opportunities and challenges in terms of the role of motivational design, design efficiencies and their unintended consequences. 

Virtual reality (VR) holds great potential for instructional and educational purposes as it is capable of immersing learners cognitively, physiologically, and emotionally by transcending physical limitations and boundaries, so learners can acquire experiences otherwise unattainable. A case in point is a VR learning environment that allows archaeology instructors to teach a variety of concepts and skills on archaeological fieldwork without bringing students to actual archaeological sites. A VR environment would also enable students to practice newly acquired skills in a safer and more affordable space than physically visiting the sites. VR alone, however, is insufficient to engage learners. Therefore, we identify game-based learning strategies to guide the development of the VR archaeology environment by incorporating game structure, game involvement, and game appeal into the design. The presentation reports an NSF-funded project that utilizes the HTC Vive VR system to host a game-based learning environment for teaching introductory archaeology classes in a US Midwestern university. The manuscript reports the design, development, and formative evaluation of the VR archaeology game grounded in learners’ motivational and cognitive processes. In particular, the formative evaluation findings, based on 40 participants' responses, reveal various design opportunities and challenges for designing game-based learning experience in virtual reality environments. 

Like many natural sciences, a critical component of archaeology is field work. Despite its importance, field opportunities are available to few students for financial and logistical reasons. With little exposure to archaeological research, fewer students are entering archaeology, particularly minority students (Smith 2004; Wilson 2015). To counter these trends, we have leveraged the ongoing revolution in consumer electronics for the current, digitally-empowered generation by creating a game-based, virtual archaeology curriculum to 1) teach foundational principles of a discipline that is challenging to present in a traditional classroom by using sensory and cognitive immersion; and, 2) allow wider access to a field science that has previously been limited to only select students. Virtual reality (VR) is computer technology that creates a simulated three-dimensional world for a user to experience in a bodily way, thereby transforming data analysis into a sensory and cognitive experience. Using a widely-available, room-scale, VR platform, we have created a virtual archaeological excavation experience that conveys two overarching classroom objectives: 1) teach the physical methods of archaeological excavation by providing the setting and tools for a student to actively engage in field work; and, 2) teach archaeological concepts using a scientific approach to problem solving by couching them within a role-playing game. The current prototype was developed with the HTC Vive VR platform, which includes a headset, hand controllers, and two base stations to track the position and orientation of the user’s head and hands within a 4x4 meter area. Environments were developed using Unreal Engine 4, an open source gaming engine, to maximize usability for different audiences, learning objectives, and skill levels. Given the inherent fun of games and widespread interest in archaeology and cultural heritage, the results of this research are adaptable and applicable to learners of all ages in formal and informal educational settings.