Digital Dome Versus Desktop Display: Learning Outcome Assessments by Domain Experts

In previous publications, we reported that students learned about Egyptian architecture and society by playing an educational game based on a virtual representation of a temple. Students played the game in a digital dome or on standard desktop computer and (each) then recorded a video tour of the temple. Those who had used the dome recited more facts in their videos (P < 0.05). In this study, we report reanalysis of the videos tours by two expert Egyptologists, who found an even stronger main effect for conceptual learning (P = 0.000) and better integration between the abstract concepts and the visuals (P < 0.002). We describe the experiment in the context of digital domes for education, surveying the field and discussing relevant theory.