Learning About Complex Environmental Processes in Immersive and Non-Immersive Virtual Environments Funded by the NSF REPP Program from October 1998 to September 2001 The goal of this project is to determine the effect virtual environments have on students' ability to understand complex scientific processes. We will examine the advantages and disadvantages of "immersing" students in computer-generated environments which employ virtual reality technology. There are two thrusts to this research. First, we will determine the effect of varying certain properties of immersive environments on student comprehension. Second, we will compare the amount students learn in immersive environments with the amount they learn in non-immersive "desktop" environments. PRISM databases and models will provide the information needed in order for the students to learn about the Puget Sound environment. Working with the Center for Environmental Visualization and the Human Interface Technology Laboratory, we will construct two and three-dimensional visualizations of data, build interfaces that allow students to interact with and move through the environments, design tasks that will lead them to understand what is happening in the environment, and then assess their understanding in a variety of ways.