Immersive learning research

Editorial. Material for the special issue "Immersive Learning Research" of the Journal of Universal Computer Science.Welcome to the Journal of Universal Computer Science (J.UCS) special issue organized by the Immersive Learning Research Network (iLRN) following the 2017 iLRN conference. This issue includes eight papers on the focused topic "Immersive Learning Research", including extended versions of papers presented at iLRN 2017 and articles from the public call for papers.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

An Observation Framework for Recognising Learning Evidence in 3D Collaborative Virtual Environments

Immersive environments such as 3D virtual spaces enable collaborative learning and facilitate better connections between students, virtually. Learners do acquire new knowledge or skills while practising collaborative activities in such spaces. However, recognising evidence of learning to assess students is a critical issue which must be considered when organising learning activities in virtual environments. Although there is extensive coverage in the empirical literature regarding assessing learning in real-world classrooms, there is a lack of research focused on identifying learning evidence and assessing students who are performing educational activities within virtual worlds. This thesis aims to fill this research gap, exploit the affordances of immersive environments, and investigate appropriate methods for identifying users’ performance within these. This research proposes a computational framework, and a number of virtual observation models, for classifying learning evidence in immersive environments – and then maps all these elements to an appropriate learning design. In order to implement the computational framework required, the research includes the construction of a proof-of-concept prototype. The prototype employs virtual observation components and applies fuzzy logic and multi-agents approaches in order to assess students’ performance in real-time; this is from a number of different perspectives and based on multiple pedagogical frameworks. The present study also goes on to evaluate the research framework proposed by putting together a large number of educational sessions which are then carried out in a virtual world. These evaluation sessions involve both student and expert participants collaborating together to validate the model used. Subsequently, the thesis discusses the findings from the experimental sessions and their broader significance for the research area. Overall, the results strongly supported the effectiveness and usefulness of using the proposed virtual observation method when assessing collaborative students performing within immersive environments

A Cybersecurity Model for a Roblox-based Metaverse Architecture Framework

The adoption of virtual reality VR and augmented reality AR headsets in futuristic and science fiction has made it possible for the Metaverse to exist as a single universal immersive virtual universe By extending technology outside of our physical reality the Metaverse alters the human experience The four categories we use to categorize metaverse definitions are environment interface interaction and social value Currently it is unclear what the metaverse s structure and elements are A cybersecurity framework for these devices is necessary as the world grows more interconnected and immersive technologies are increasingly widely used in business government and consumer markets Used was a literature revie

Proceedings of the International Workshop on EuroPLOT Persuasive Technology for Learning, Education and Teaching (IWEPLET 2013)

"This book contains the proceedings of the International Workshop on EuroPLOT Persuasive Technology for Learning, Education and Teaching (IWEPLET) 2013 which was held on 16.-17.September 2013 in Paphos (Cyprus) in conjunction with the EC-TEL conference. The workshop and hence the proceedings are divided in two parts: on Day 1 the EuroPLOT project and its results are introduced, with papers about the specific case studies and their evaluation. On Day 2, peer-reviewed papers are presented which address specific topics and issues going beyond the EuroPLOT scope. This workshop is one of the deliverables (D 2.6) of the EuroPLOT project, which has been funded from November 2010 – October 2013 by the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) of the European Commission through the Lifelong Learning Programme (LLL) by grant #511633. The purpose of this project was to develop and evaluate Persuasive Learning Objects and Technologies (PLOTS), based on ideas of BJ Fogg. The purpose of this workshop is to summarize the findings obtained during this project and disseminate them to an interested audience. Furthermore, it shall foster discussions about the future of persuasive technology and design in the context of learning, education and teaching. The international community working in this area of research is relatively small. Nevertheless, we have received a number of high-quality submissions which went through a peer-review process before being selected for presentation and publication. We hope that the information found in this book is useful to the reader and that more interest in this novel approach of persuasive design for teaching/education/learning is stimulated. We are very grateful to the organisers of EC-TEL 2013 for allowing to host IWEPLET 2013 within their organisational facilities which helped us a lot in preparing this event. I am also very grateful to everyone in the EuroPLOT team for collaborating so effectively in these three years towards creating excellent outputs, and for being such a nice group with a very positive spirit also beyond work. And finally I would like to thank the EACEA for providing the financial resources for the EuroPLOT project and for being very helpful when needed. This funding made it possible to organise the IWEPLET workshop without charging a fee from the participants.

Designing the Metaverse

The Metaverse, a term coined in science fiction, is now being discussed seriously as a new form of infrastructure. The Metaverse is intended to make possible thematically interconnected immersive experiences. In this paper, we conceptualize the Metaverse as a meta design space. Within this space, designers create various interconnected design spaces. We highlight how the key dimensions of human experience (time, space, actors, and artifacts) each introduce tensions for making decisions in those design spaces, and we highlight the transitions between design spaces. This conceptual language opens up this novel and emergent phenomenon both to those wishing to design new disruptive technolo-gies and those seeking to improve existing platform strategies. We conclude by highlighting how the Metaverse will not only comprise immersive virtual experiences but also transitions between physical and virtual experiences

Virtually real or really virtual: towards a heritage metaverse

The hype surrounding the impending mainstreaming of Virtual Reality can seem to prioritize the digital above the critical. With the development of VR said to be at a pivotal point, there is an important opportunity to consider the emergence of virtual heritage and its potential futures. This paper argues that there is a disjunction between the present reality of virtual heritage and virtual reality, and discusses the twin challenges of presence and realism within virtual reality. In particular, it highlights a paradox inherent in virtual heritage and virtual reality and proposes the use of ‘loose-realism’ as a solution. Ultimately, the challenge is to address the claims that virtual reality represents a new class of information system, or metaverse, in order that virtual heritage fully engages with enquiry about the pas

VR Let My Creativity Out: Youth Creating with Immersive Learning Technologies

With a greater demand for ingenuity and innovation in today’s creative economy, educators need to be creative practitioners inasmuch as students must be, learn, and grow creatively. This qualitative study explores the affordances and constraints of youth creating with immersive learning technologies at a Youth VR Research Camp. A class of 28 students in grade 8, ages 13 and 14, were invited to participate as the co-researchers. The data collection methods included artifact analysis, student-led pair interviews, sharing circles, surveys, and observation. The process of research-creation involved MultibrushVR and FrameVR design challenges focussed on pro-social and environmental change. Findings revealed that the immersive experiences provided flexible learning pathways for the youth to take creative risks, exercise autonomy over their learning, and co-design with peers in novel ways. Although a few co-researchers reported discomforts, such as dizziness or nausea, from using the Meta Quest headsets, a significant 94% expressed interest in further learning through VR. Furthermore, 78% concurred that VR facilitated creative self-expression, while 88% acknowledged having the freedom to make decisions about their learning in VR. These findings indicate that immersive education, when effectively designed, can be a viable strategy for teachers striving to nurture creative learning and creative thinking in their classrooms. The data collected in this study serves as a foundation for future research on the role of immersive education in augmenting creativity and facilitating self-directed learning

Developing arts-based methods for exploring virtual reality technologies: A university–industry case study

Collaborations between human–computer interaction (HCI) researchers and arts practitioners frequently centre on the development of creative content using novel – often emergent – technologies. Concurrently, many of the techniques that HCI researchers use in evaluative participant-based research have their roots in the arts – such as sketching, writing, artefact prototyping and role play. In this reflective paper, we describe a recent collaboration between a group of HCI researchers and dramatists from the immersive theatre organization Kilter, who worked together to design a series of audience-based interventions to explore the ethics of virtual reality (VR) technology. Through a process of knowledge exchange, the collaboration provided the researchers with new techniques to explore, ideate and communicate their work, and provided the dramatists with a solid academic grounding in order to produce an accurate yet provocative piece of theatrically based design fiction. We describe the formation of this partnership between academia and creative industry, document our journey together, and share the lasting impact it has had upon both parties

Enhancing Primary School Teaching through Virtual Reality

In this day and age, the usage of computers as well as Internet combined with mobile devices is an integral part of our routine especially for adolescents and younger children. Thus, it puts forward a multitude of challenges and advances for educational institutions. The purpose of this article is to explore the current use of virtual reality in order to support teaching and learning along with presenting a teaching proposal concerning the utilisation of CoSpace Edu software on the subject of Religious Affairs

Immersive Participation:Futuring, Training Simulation and Dance and Virtual Reality

Dance knowledge can inform the development of scenario design in immersive digital simulation environments by strengthening a participant’s capacity to learn through the body. This study engages with processes of participatory practice that question how the transmission and transfer of dance knowledge/embodied knowledge in immersive digital environments is activated and applied in new contexts. These questions are relevant in both arts and industry and have the potential to add value and knowledge through crossdisciplinary collaboration and exchange. This thesis consists of three different research projects all focused on observation, participation, and interviews with experts on embodiment in digital simulation. The projects were chosen to provide a range of perspectives across dance, industry and futures studies. Theories of embodied cognition, in particular the notions of the extended body, distributed cognition, enactment and mindfulness, offer critical lenses through which to explore the relationship of embodied integration and participation within immersive digital environments. These areas of inquiry lead to the consideration of how language from the field of computer science can assist in describing somatic experience in digital worlds through a discussion of the emerging concepts of mindfulness, wayfinding, guided movement and digital kinship. These terms serve as an example of how the mutability of language became part of the process as terms applied in disparate disciplines were understood within varying contexts. The analytic tools focus on applying a posthuman view, speculation through a futures ethnography, and a cognitive ethnographical approach to my research project. These approaches allowed me to examine an ecology of practices in order to identify methods and processes that can facilitate the transmission and transfer of embodied knowledge within a community of practice. The ecological components include dance, healthcare, transport, education and human/computer interaction. These fields drove the data collection from a range of sources including academic papers, texts, specialists’ reports, scientific papers, interviews and conversations with experts and artists.The aim of my research is to contribute both a theoretical and a speculative understanding of processes, as well as tools applicable in the transmission of embodied knowledge in virtual dance and arts environments as well as digital simulation across industry. Processes were understood theoretically through established studies in embodied cognition applied to workbased training, reinterpreted through my own movement study. Futures methodologies paved the way for speculative processes and analysis. Tools to choreograph scenario design in immersive digital environments were identified through the recognition of cross purpose language such as mindfulness, wayfinding, guided movement and digital kinship. Put together, the major contribution of this research is a greater understanding of the value of dance knowledge applied to simulation developed through theoretical and transformational processes and creative tools