Projects at New Nexus

These Proof-of-Concept projects all use an off-the-shelf software platform, the game "Neverwinter Nights 2". We chose this because it approximates the kind of authoring tool kit that the Dream Kit will be.

BRONZE BLADES: CHEMISTRY and more
The first proof-of-concept project was created in 2007 to demonstrate the efficacy of using virtual worlds for learning. This first project, nicknamed "Bronze Blades", sought to teach high school chemistry students something about elements, smelting minerals and creating alloys.  We chose the NWN2 software platform because it contained a world-builder tool set that allowed us to create a rough demo of the New Nexus concept. It had serious limitations, but it worked out fairly well for our demo purposes. The learning module we created took roughly 600 man-hours to build, a testament to the need for a more efficient, user-friendly tool set.

It was created with a very open-ended design to allow each teacher to shape his/her students' experience. Some teachers could use a module like this as a central part of his/her teaching; others would use it as an outside-of-class supplemental experience. This would not only help get students more excited about the subject, it would also deepen and broaden their understanding the the material.

If you have Neverwinter Nights 2, you can explore the module for yourself here: CLICK.

LITERATURE: SHORT STORIES
These projects will be virtual worlds (again using NWN2) to accompany the reading of three short stories. Here the virtual worlds will allow students to enter into the world of the story, walking around in its places, meeting its characters, and possibly participating in its action. As with all subjects, there are many possible approaches and uses for a virtual world in teaching literature, and we are merely demonstrating three different approaches.

• "Sir Gawain & The Green Knight" - the medieval poem/story exploring the theme of chivarly
• "The Most Dangerous Game," by Richard Connell. This is a two-player module with one player hunting the other.
• Edgar Allen Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death"  explores mortality and human hubris.

MEDIEVAL MECHANICS: NEWTONIAN PHYSICS  
This module centers on calculations around force, initial velocity, distance and the pull of gravity. It's set in a medieval castle and the student is called on to help the Lord of the Castle decide how high to build his walls and how far to clear trees so that his archers can shoot attackers at maximum range.