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The Beesties: Entomology AR

Milestone 1
CGT 411
http://teambeesties.weebly.com/

The study of entomology merits great respect due to its application in zoology, medical
research, and environmental studies. However, the small scale of insects makes their study
difficult, especially for students. Dr. Christian Oseto, entomology professor at Purdue,
understands the struggles for his students to visualize the minuscule inner workings of an insects
mouth and how it functions. While there is plenty of research that supports the use of visual cues
to aid learners of a new subject, evidence is more inconclusive in terms of what form of visuals.
This lead us to turn our attention to two possible solutions: the use of 3D animation
through either videos or the use of Augmented Reality. Videos aim to immerse the viewer with
3D elements projected on a 2D screen. On the other hand, AR super imposes 3D creations into
the real world, allowing for a more immersive experience. We wish to study how these mediums
compare and contrast in effectiveness in teaching students the fundamentals of entomology that
Dr. Oseto hopes to convey.

Our ultimate goal in this project is to create two separate products, a 3D animated video
lecture and an AR animated demo, to use as a comparative study in order to determine which
method, if either, results in a students increased understanding when taking an etymology class.
The main focus of the project is to model 5 different types of insect heads: the butterfly, the
beetle, the honey bee, the house fly, and the mosquito. Included into each of these heads will be
the different parts that make up the jaw, throat, and mouth of each insect and we will animate
them to act out how they would operate normally as they would in real life. As of now we plan to
begin modeling these heads at the start of this weekend, using Maya as our main program of use.

As our group consists of five different people of varying skill levels, the quality of each
head will be different. To manage the situation, we have begun to set up regular intervals,
roughly three to four times a week, for inspection and review to make sure that each one of them
have reach the standard that we have set, whether they to help improve the quality or to fix any
irregularities that we may come across. We will skin the model after unwrapping the UVs in
roadkill, matching each body parts texture to that of the insects to make it as accurate as
possible. Then, once the heads are ready to be uploaded into Augment, we will proceed to rig and
animate each of the heads to act out their functions and the videos will be edited using Adobe
After Effects.

Each animation will be roughly three to six minutes, with the video portion having a
voiced over lecture added into it and the AR lecture being used as if it were an actual class
lecture. After each participant has completed the product that they have been given they will be
handed a survey and be asked to answer the questions to the best of their ability. After we have
obtained over twenty different scores from each survey, we will compare the results from them to
see if which lecture produced the better results.

We have begun to set up different meeting times at a regular interval with Dr. Oseto in
order to strengthen our team knowledge and integrity of our project. Through in-lab dissection,
access to course material, and the personal tutelage of Dr. Oseto, we plan to learn how each
insect head functions more specifically. These meetings will include Dr. Osetos firsthand
accounts of the insects structure, sitting in and observing the lectures, observing physical models
and participating in his labs by personally dissecting specimens. All of this will be done in order
to help build a new method that could change the way etymology has been taught for the past
few decades, and bring the field into a more up to date format.

We have set up an account with augment and gained access to a premium education
account. We first uploaded a model and then found it through the search bar in the application.
We then tested an animated model to see how that worked in the application, moving it around to
get a feeling for the controls and anchoring a model with a tracker. Augment can be used to put
our 3D models a real world setting looking through some sort of glass or screen. The application
allows us to post and find our models easily, and we expect very little problems when people try
and find our product.

Each member of the group has to create an account for CITI online and complete the
corresponding training tests. Each member has created an account and will be completed with all
necessary tests come 2/26. The IRB application to conduct studies through Purdue is a group
application, one submitted for the team. Garrett completed and will submit the non-exempt
application through the CoeusLite program associated with the Purdue IRB once all members
have completed their CITI tests.
Alex Parient has been selected to be in charge of Entomology Knowledge/ Modeling
Management. He is tasked with the quality inspection and ensuring the cohesiveness of all the
models and textures created. Alex is also in charge of organizing the collective entomology
knowledge. He will lead research and study of insects and document the various parts and organs
of each model and be responsible for sharing that information.
David Jordan is our groups AR Specialist and lead Animation Designer. He has been given
the role of designing and approving the animations created for the project to ensure smooth
transitions. He is also in charge of implementing AR technology using the Augment app,
uploading our completed files to the app and tests preliminary models. He aids in organizing and
documenting literary sources and 3D modeling.
Johnny Zhao is in charge of our project timeline and project organization. He maintains up to
date information on the team website and updates the project calendar as members reach
deadlines and submit files. He organizes the groups project folders and files into the proper
formats and uploads them to an online cloud where all group members can have access. He is
also tasked with 3D modeling, texturing, and animation.
Zhaoliang Zhang is tasked with organizing research and supervises the study of the project.
He ensures all necessary steps have been taken to move forward with the research study, such as
forms submitted, creation of sample surveys, studying possible testing mechanisms and
statistical structures that could be used. He is a part of 3D modeling and animation.

Garrett Preusz has the job of managing the group project as a whole, documents all team papers,
and heads communication with the Envision Center and the team sponsor. He schedules team
meetings when needed, documents progress of teammates, and organizes research documents for
the paper and the study. He is tasked with insect modeling and texturing.

Our goal is to investigate the similarities and differences in visual learning between two
different mediums: a video-based 3D animation projected on a screen and an AR 3D simulation
via mobile device. We will accomplish this in regards to creating learning materials for
entomology by making two separate products showcasing insect heads to use as a comparative
study in order to determine which method, if either, results in a students increased understanding
when studying entomology. We wish to study the concepts of visual learning and the degree is it
beneficial or unproductive to students.

Research indicates there are benefits to having visual cues and references with text
information. However, there is little or inconclusive evidence supporting one medium of visual
display over another. For example, in a study by Harp and Mayer (1997), students were taught
about the subject of lightning. Those who learned with a visually complex display, with many
visual details found the material interesting but performed worse than students who learned
with a simple visual presentation. P.883 Other experimental studies showed that learners build
referential connections between visual depictions and the presented information (Lewalter,
2003. p.178). We wish to further investigate this concept with the use of 3D animation and
Augmented reality.

To capture and measure our concepts, we believe it is possible to find correlation between
the medium which students used to learn and the effectiveness of them learning the subject. Tests
can be issued over the topic taught in the mediums and graded to gather how well the student
performed. To eliminate possible lurking variables of prior knowledge or lack thereof, we will
provide written text descriptions and chapters detailing the same information presented the in the
mediums.
Participants of the study will be the volunteers sampled from Dr. Osetos entomology
classes. We will incentivize participation in our study by extending an extra credit opportunity in
regards to Dr.Osetos class. We will also provide concessions for students completing the study.
The sample size of our survey will be the approximately 40 students, 20 assigned to a group
issued the 3D animation, the other 20 to the AR simulation. We will select them randomly from
Dr. Osetos class to be assigned to one of the two groups. We will display to one group a 3D
video of the different insect heads while the other group will access the models and animations
through the Augment app.

We will collect data from our own issued surveys over their perceived effectiveness in
learning the material. We will also collect the graded results of a sample test created over the
presented material. We will evaluate our project based on its accuracy to depict the 5 varying
insect heads and their function, its labeling of the various insect parts, and if it properly displays
the topics to the level Dr. Oseto requires for it. Collected data will be organized and submitted to
Purdues Department of Statistics. Making use of the Experimental Design and Data Analysis
Consulting, we can gather data analysis, averages, and more to better understand the results of
our study. Before finalizing the test questions and surveys, will need to consult the Department
of Statistics and Dr. Oseto to create a survey and a test that can most accurately measure the
students knowledge of the subject (before and after) while remaining within the guidelines set
by IRB protocol.

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