A review of recent methodologies, technologies and usability in English language content delivery

English Language Teaching (ELT) and content delivery have undergone vast shift in this era of modernization. With analogue content digitized as a common form of knowledge delivery, methodologies equipped with current technologies have produced new perspectives on English Language Learning. This paper reviews the status, context, teaching parameters, assessment parameters, teaching strategies and usability in the current research capacity of ELT, highlighting the current works with technologies in their content delivery methods. Emerging technologies in ELT has also inspires the other spectrum of study involving the usability of technological interfaces, which has evolved constantly with the progression of human and computer interactivity. The aim of this research is to rediscover usability evolution surrounding the technologies in ELT and to redefine the gap existed in between English learning and tools interactivity. Current technologies and usability measures used in ELT will be discussed, highlighting the current trends in gauging interface interaction. A summary of comparative results in the aforementioned works will also be highlighted in this review paper, together with the categorization of reviewed parameters, variables and metrics in ELT. The reviews conducted have shown that there are still many unexplored areas in ELT, ELT technologies and usability in ELT

Updating the art history curriculum: incorporating virtual and augmented reality technologies to improve interactivity and engagement

Master's Project (M.Ed.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2017This project investigates how the art history curricula in higher education can borrow from and incorporate emerging technologies currently being used in art museums. Many art museums are using augmented reality and virtual reality technologies to transform their visitors' experiences into experiences that are interactive and engaging. Art museums have historically offered static visitor experiences, which have been mirrored in the study of art. This project explores the current state of the art history classroom in higher education, which is historically a teacher-centered learning environment and the learning effects of that environment. The project then looks at how art museums are creating visitor-centered learning environments; specifically looking at how they are using reality technologies (virtual and augmented) to transition into digitally interactive learning environments that support various learning theories. Lastly, the project examines the learning benefits of such tools to see what could (and should) be implemented into the art history curricula at the higher education level and provides a sample section of a curriculum demonstrating what that implementation could look like. Art and art history are a crucial part of our culture and being able to successfully engage with it and learn from it enables the spread of our culture through digital means and of digital culture

A user experience analysis for a mobile Mixed Reality application for cultural heritage

Mixed Reality has emerged as a valuable tool for the promotion of cultural heritage. In this context, in particular, the metaphor of virtual portals allows the virtual visit of monuments that are inaccessible or no longer exist in their original form, integrating them into the real environment. This paper presents the development of a Mixed Reality mobile application that proposes a virtual reconstruction of the church of Sant’Elia in Ruggiano, in the southern province of Lecce (Italy). By placing the virtual portal in the same place where the entrance of the church was located, the user can cross this threshold to enter inside and make a virtual journey into the past. The user experience was evaluated by administering a questionnaire to 60 users who tried the application. From the data collected, four user experience factors were identified (interest, focus of attention, presence and usability), which were compared between young and old, male and female users, and between users who had already visited the church in person and all other users. In general, the scores reveal a total independence of the other three factors from usability and a very high level of interest

Enhancing the online decision-making process by using augmented reality: a two country comparison of youth markets

Although online stores extend the traditional offer of the brick and mortar ones, the limited possibilities to virtually try the product before the effective buying makes the online purchase decision a complex process for consumers. Therefore, online retailers face new challenges for supporting consumers consisting of the introduction of advanced technologies such as augmented reality systems. The present study investigates the effect of augmented reality technologies on consumer behaviour within the online retail environments, by comparing two different cultural settings. Drawing upon the technology acceptance model (TAM), new constructs related to the technology characteristics (e.g. quality of information, aesthetic quality, interactivity, and response time) developed a new conceptual model. This model has been tested for a new technology for virtual try-on (a smart mirror for virtual glasses). Focusing on young consumers, data collected in Italy and Germany yielding a total of 318 participants was used. Findings across these two markets reflect cross-market similarities, but also dissimilarities, related to consumers’ motivation to employ augmented reality systems for supporting their online purchase decision. These insights should prove helpful to retailers in better manage the online channels, that could be easily extended to the mobile one

Mobile learning: benefits of augmented reality in geometry teaching

As a consequence of the technological advances and the widespread use of mobile devices to access information and communication in the last decades, mobile learning has become a spontaneous learning model, providing a more flexible and collaborative technology-based learning. Thus, mobile technologies can create new opportunities for enhancing the pupils’ learning experiences. This paper presents the development of a game to assist teaching and learning, aiming to help students acquire knowledge in the field of geometry. The game was intended to develop the following competences in primary school learners (8-10 years): a better visualization of geometric objects on a plane and in space; understanding of the properties of geometric solids; and familiarization with the vocabulary of geometry. Findings show that by using the game, students have improved around 35% the hits of correct responses to the classification and differentiation between edge, vertex and face in 3D solids.This research was supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council Design Star CDT (AH/L503770/1), the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) projects LARSyS (UID/EEA/50009/2013) and CIAC-Research Centre for Arts and Communication.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Co-Creating with the Senses: Towards an Embodiment Grammar for Conceptualising Virtual Reality (VR) Narrative Design

This creative practice thesis comprises two components, a dissertation titled Co-Creating with the Senses: Towards an Embodiment Grammar for Conceptualising Virtual Reality (VR) Narrative Design and a creative work, The Recluse, a fictional VR script written in the Maria Vargas Immersive Play template, available through Final Draft. The advent of publicly available virtual reality (VR) technologies has led to the emergence of a new genre of storytelling, henceforth referred to as ‘VR narratives’. There has therefore been a need to articulate its defining grammar and to contribute insights born out of artistic experimentation in a scholarly field which until recently was dominated by scientific points of view. Employing a somaesthetics approach outlined by researcher Kristina Höök, the dissertation draws on a qualitative study into 10 VR narrative works in order to propose an embodiment grammar through which the art form may be conceptualised. The study’s findings, a group of eight embodied states organised into a framework, urge for the relenting of authorial control in order to instead frame affective potential, thus echoing a Deleuzian concept of the assemblage. In particular, the framework draws attention to the way that VR’s deeper affective dimensions may be elucidated by framing co-creation through the medium’s distinct sensory possibilities. As interest gathers in a future metaverse, the insights raised by the study are significant, with potential applications in a range of affective design contexts. The Recluse is my original contribution to this emerging art form and a case study through which to interrogate the framework’s findings. A mystery with supernatural elements, the VR script aims to communicate an experience that transports the participant to the world of Alma Cohen, a famous artist turned recluse, where they are invited to experience the strange occurrences in Alma’s life through their own embodied actions. The VR script explores the potential for intimate encounters with virtual characters and the sensory, co-creational and affective possibilities which arise through these dynamics. It highlights, following the framework, the way that more open structuring approaches are required in order to access the medium’s deeper affective possibilities and also the present technological constraints in achieving this

Young children as digital photographers - possibilities for using the digital camera in the primary classroom

The affects in education of the digital revolution have been spoken about and researched of late. There is an explosion of applications for computers, use of iPhones, iPods, iPads, mobile phones and other portable technology; all allowing digital access for users to be connected to the rich sources of information. The invention of new devices for communication in the technology ring is ever growing; as soon as one device is introduced into the market there is an announcement of a new model being develope

An Experiential View to Children Learning in Museums with Augmented Reality

Museums facilitate schoolchildren’s experiential learning, and when combined with Augmented Reality (AR) applications, schoolchildren can benefit from interactive, engaging learning experiences. Experiential learning is therefore situated in a context relevant to schoolchildren’s learning experience with digital technologies such as AR in museums, hence, it seems appropriate to employ Kolb’s (1984) Experiential Learning Cycle as a theoretical base. A museum in the UK was used as a single case study, and experiments and three focus groups were conducted with 19 schoolchildren and data analysed using thematic analysis. This study revealed three new themes specific to schoolchildren’s experiential learning experiences with AR in museums including: (1) integrating AR could further enhance knowledge acquisition, (2) schoolchildren were able to identify their preferred learning style, and (3) schoolchildren are motivated to continue learning with AR in museums. Theoretical contributions and practical implications are presented, as well as suggestions for future research

From Personalization to Adaptivity: Creating Immersive Visits through Interactive Digital Storytelling at the Acropolis Museum

Storytelling has recently become a popular way to guide museum visitors, replacing traditional exhibit-centric descriptions by story-centric cohesive narrations with references to the exhibits and multimedia content. This work presents the fundamental elements of the CHESS project approach, the goal of which is to provide adaptive, personalized, interactive storytelling for museum visits. We shortly present the CHESS project and its background, we detail the proposed storytelling and user models, we describe the provided functionality and we outline the main tools and mechanisms employed. Finally, we present the preliminary results of a recent evaluation study that are informing several directions for future work