i-irasshai: An Immersive Cultural Learning Experience

i-imsslzai (http://www.peachstar.org/iirasshai) is a unique Japanese cultural learning experience for ~ n ~ l i s h speaking students delivered through a combination of CD-ROM and Internet technology. The educational approach taken is a constructivist one. where meaning and knowledge acquisition is rooted in experience. The goal of the program is for students to gain insight into Japanese culture by allowing them to explore Japan within an authentic context, but without the knowledge of a foreign language. Through the integration of photographs, video, and audio captured on location in Japan, students walk through twenty locations including a school, market, temple, shrine, sushi restaurant, and residences. 360-degree virtual reality images are enhanced with sound and "show me" hot spots that portray modern daily life realistically, much as a visiting student might experience in Japan. C u ~ ~ e n t and historical information is accessible via the iminersive environment or through a Guidebook. To encourage a goal-directed exploration, students are invited to choose from fifty "to-do lists" that cover different aspects of Japanese culture. Certificates reward successful completion of each list. Students may also engage in an open exploration with or without the aid of the lists. During their exploration, students may experience up to sixty interactive activities simulating various cultural situations, such as removing shoes before entering a home, arranging tatami mats for certain occasions, and decorating a tokonoma (alcove). This paper describes the three-year process of project development including instructional design, content development, and technological decisions that brought the project to completion. The development stages include: the proposal process, instructional design stage, planning of content and technology, implementation,