Unique research from Curtin University of Technology is using animated fish to find out how people learn.<\/p>\n
Curtin School of Education Professor of Learning Technologies, Richard Lowe, is using computer generated 3D images of moving fish as part of his research.<\/p>\n
“With the advent of the internet and online learning, more animation is being used on the web to help people learn,” Professor Lowe said.<\/p>\n
“Much of this animation is done intuitively and sometimes conflicts with our capacity to process information and learn.<\/p>\n
“We are researching how to design animation so that it can help learning.”<\/p>\n
Professor Lowe’s research is part of international projects with the University of Bourgogne, France and the Knowledge Media Research Centre in T\u00fcbingen, Germany.<\/p>\n
“Being able to understand and identify movements and locomotion is a very complex skill,” he said.<\/p>\n
“We are using eye-tracking to find out how people process movement by showing them animated moving fish.<\/p>\n
“Our findings show when they are forced to make inferences they become more analytical and learn more efficiently.<\/p>\n
“Animation is used for teaching and learning in many areas such as education, medicine, finance, and engineering.<\/p>\n
“Our research will provide the fundamental guidelines for designing effective animations that are good for learning.”<\/p>\n