The National Research Council recommends that student education in science, mathematics, engineering and technology focus on interdisciplinary, inquiry-based learning, Internet use, and innovative technologies. In this proof-of-concept project, we are developing (with NSF DUE-0341541, Alabama EPSCoR, and UAB funds) interactive, discovery-based computer simulations for wireless delivery across the Web to undergraduate students enrolled in an introductory physical geology science laboratory course.

System components include a desktop Windows PC running Apache server, MySQL database, PHP, and a high-speed connection to the Internet. In the geoscience laboratory, small groups of students are provided a wireless PocketPC (Dell Axim X30) that accesses and authenticates with the server through the campus wireless network.

One of the systems under development is OilPatch (written in PHP), a game designed to follow traditional instruction in contour maps. OilPatch simulates a competitive environment for oil and gas exploration and production through the analysis of contour maps (automatically generated by Surfer, Golden Software, Inc.) of a buried “target” horizon. Student corporations bid on property for leasing and drilling. Wells drilled through the target horizon are either dry, or produce oil or gas, which earn funds deposited in the corporation bank account. Repetitive rounds of bidding, map analysis, and drilling/production, lead to more detailed maps and increasingly complex analytical tasks.

OilPatch runs automatically from the server, and requires no user intervention after it is started. OilPatch is composed of a series of modules that include 1) administrator modules (authentication controls, registration of schools, classes, student lists, and email addresses), 2) game setup module (controls the number and durations of “rounds”, constants for drilling rates and expenses, production constants for gas and oil, and map data), and 3) reports module (controls the collection of all student-generated map images, and expense and production data).

After the game is over, students are emailed a compressed (ZIP) archive of their work. Students are graded not on their end-of-game bank balance, but by the quality of a required post-game analytical report.

Other systems are also in development.