Implementation of a framework for development of teaching material using distributed sharing virtual space

Recently, computer networks have been actively used at educational sites for WBT (Web-based teaching) and the like. Teachers are trying to develop teaching materials and actively use them in the classroom. The development of teaching materials by 3D CG, actively utilizing the computer graphics functions, has also been started. However, since specialized knowledge and viewpoints are required in developing 3D teaching materials, this development is not easy compared to teaching materials development for WBT and the like. Nor is the environment for utilizing the materials unified. From this viewpoint, this paper proposes a framework for teaching materials development which facilitates the development of 3D teaching materials in the distributed sharing virtual space and realizes the collaborative utilization of multiple teaching materials on a network. The proposed scheme and the teaching materials developed by conventional methods are compared and the effectiveness of the proposed system in the development of teaching materials is discussed. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 37(14): 97–106, 2006; Published online in Wiley InterScience (). DOI 10.1002sscj.10607