Development of a virtual laboratory system for science education

The goal of this work is to develop synthetic laboratories to teach natural and engineering sciences by means of interactive 3D visualization. The development framework was designed over six years and scales from small to large computer simulations that are distributed on the Net. Pilot studies demonstrate technical feasibility, indicate educational value, and have helped us to understand better how learners use 3D media and where specific care in designing content is necessary to master learning challenges in a successful way.