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Astronomy Education Review / Volume 9 / Issue 1 / RESEARCH AND APPLICATIONS

2010, AER, 9 (1), 010105, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/AER2009044

The Impact of Stereo Display on Student Understanding of Phases of the Moon

Published 23 March 2010

Ximena C. Cid and Ramon E. Lopez

Department of Physics, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, Texas, 76019

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Understanding lunar phases requires three-dimensional information about the relative positions of the Moon, Earth, and Sun, thus using a stereo display in instruction might improve student comprehension of lunar phases or other topics in basic astronomy. We conducted a laboratory (15 sections) on phases of the Moon as part of the introductory astronomy classes. Half of the laboratories were taught using stereo visualizations projected by a portable GeoWall system running the AstroWall software, while the other half of the laboratories were identical, but without stereo. We found that both sets of laboratories showed a statistically significant gain in student comprehension, but that there was no statistical difference between the stereo laboratories and the nonstereo laboratories. We conclude that there is no advantage to using a stereo display in teaching about lunar phases.

© 2010 The American Astronomical Society

KEYWORDS and PACS

Keywords

computer aided instruction, educational aids, Moon, physics education, teaching, college nonmajors, solar system, research into teaching/learning

PACS

PUBLICATION DATA

ISSN

1539-1515 (online)

Publisher

$abstract.society.value is a Member of CrossRef The American Astronomical Society

ARTICLE DATA

History
Received 08 July 2009
Accepted 19 February 2010
Published online 23 March 2010
Digital Object Identifier
http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/AER2009044

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Figures (click on thumbnails to view enlargements)

FIG.1
Example of a typical depiction of seasons trying to show how the Earth being closer to the sun does not cause summer; however, the dominant perceptual feature of the diagram is that the orbit of the Earth is an elongated ellipse

FIG.1 Download High Resolution Image (.zip file) | Export Figure to PowerPoint

FIG.2
The portable GeoWall stereo projection system used in this study (portable silver-matted screen not shown)

FIG.2 Download High Resolution Image (.zip file) | Export Figure to PowerPoint

FIG.3
AstroWall display in the two-projector view as seen from the dusk side in the Full Moon phase. The white line represents the orbit of the Moon around the Earth. In this view the Sun is off screen to the left. The blue dot represents a person standing on the Earth. The red line is the Earth’s rotation axis. The gray box on the right side of the left image controls the demonstration and shows the phase of the Moon as seen from an observer on Earth. The two Earth-Moon images, which are slightly offset from each other, are superposed by the GeoWall. Viewers wearing polarized glasses see the image in stereo. In the nonstereo laboratories, the right image was covered up (courtesy of http://www.geowall.org/astrowall.html)

FIG.3 Download High Resolution Image (.zip file) | Export Figure to PowerPoint



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