Applying the Think-Aloud Method for Usability Analysis in the Peking Metagamelan Virtual Reality Learning Application

The rapid development of technology affects people’s lives, including education, and virtual reality is one of many digital learning media that can be useful for learning. Virtual reality allows users to interact with the environment through a virtual world. With this concept in mind, an application to support gamelan learning based on Virtual Reality was developed called Peking Metagamelan Virtual Reality. Peking is a gamelan instrument made of bronze with rectangular blades. This application needs to know the user’s opinion regarding its performance and usability in its development. Therefore, the Think-aloud method assisted in the usability analysis process in the VR Metagamelan Peking application. The Think-aloud approach helps to express what the user feels and thinks when using the application. The research process involved five respondents from various educational backgrounds and different experiences. Respondents were asked to work on several task scenarios that were ordered. During the task scenario, respondents were asked to convey their thoughts regarding the application they were trying. The results were then analyzed and produced some recommendations for further improvements to the VR Metagamelan Peking application. The recommendations included improving the application interface, adding several features, and reducing the character’s speed

Identifying immersive environments’ most relevant research topics: an instrument to query researchers and practitioners

This paper provides an instrument for ascertaining researchers’ perspectives on the relative relevance of technological challenges facing immersive environments in view of their adoption in learning contexts, along three dimensions: access, content production, and deployment. It described its theoretical grounding and expert-review process, from a set of previously-identified challenges and expert feedback cycles. The paper details the motivation, setup, and methods employed, as well as the issues detected in the cycles and how they were addressed while developing the instrument. As a research instrument, it aims to be employed across diverse communities of research and practice, helping direct research efforts and hence contribute to wider use of immersive environments in learning, and possibly contribute towards the development of news and more adequate systems.The work presented herein has been partially funded under the European H2020 program H2020-ICT-2015, BEACONING project, grant agreement nr. 687676.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Virtual Reality Development Support Tools for Industrial Training Systems in Indonesian Vocational Education

This study aims to create a Virtual Reality-based Industrial Training Simulation in Vocational Education. A research and development model is used in this study. Design This virtual reality-based industrial training employs the Multimedia Development Life Cycle method, which consists of six stages: concept, design, material content collection, assembly, testing, and distribution. Devices that support the development of virtual reality for simulation of industrial training in the electronics sector, particularly in the field of instrument and control operators, include hardware, software, and human perception; virtual reality-based training simulations have an impact and can be used as one of the main facilitators to assist schools, the Indonesian government, and industry in fulfilling vocational education competencies, so that there is a link and there is a link and there is a link and there is a link and there is a link and there is a link and match to the need for the world of work. The use of virtual-based Industrial Training is used. The following are four (four) key elements for those who build virtual reality systems: i) virtual environment; ii) immersion; iii) feedback; and iv) interactivity. Virtual reality is a new technology that is being used in the field of education because it has its own set of benefits, including high quality and feasibility. This Virtual Reality-based industrial training platform will continue to be developed and implemented in Indonesia as soon as possible

Evaluating a virtual learning environment in the context of its community of practice

The evaluation of virtual learning environments (VLEs) and similar applications has, to date, largely consisted of checklists of system features, phenomenological studies or measures of specific forms of educational efficacy. Although these approaches offer some value, they are unable to capture the complex and holistic nature of a group of individuals using a common system to support the wide range of activities that make up a course or programme of study over time. This paper employs Wenger's theories of 'communities of practice' to provide a formal structure for looking at how a VLE supports a pre-existing course community. Wenger proposes a Learning Architecture Framework for a learning community of practice, which the authors have taken to provide an evaluation framework. This approach is complementary to both the holistic and complex natures of course environments, in that particular VLE affordances are less important than the activities of the course community in respect of the system. Thus, the VLE's efficacy in its context of use is the prime area of investigation rather than a reductionist analysis of its tools and components. An example of this approach in use is presented, evaluating the VLE that supports the undergraduate medical course at the University of Edinburgh. The paper provides a theoretical grounding, derives an evaluation instrument, analyses the efficacy and validity of the instrument in practice and draws conclusions as to how and where it may best be used

The motivation of technological scenarios in augmented reality (AR): results of different experiments

Augmented Reality (AR) is an emergent technology that is acquiring more and more relevance in teaching every day. Together with mobile technology, this combination arises as one of the most effective binomials to support significant and ubiquitous learning. Nevertheless, this binomial can only prove valid if the student is motivated to use it during the learning process. An attempt was made through the implementation of Keller’s Instructional Material Motivational Survey model o determine the degree of motivation of Pedagogy, Medicine and Art students from the University of Seville for using AR-enriched notes available by means of mobile devices in the classroom. Three applications designed for the subjects of Educational Technology, Anatomy and Art served to assess it positively in terms of the motivation raised by the participation in the experiment, as well as regarding academic performance improvement. It can additionally be stated that our main finding was a link between students’ motivation to use the enriched notes and the performance obtained in the subject in which they use them. Evidence was also found that the utilization of Augmented Reality benefits the learning process

GRIDCC - Providing a real-time grid for distributed instrumentation

The GRIDCC project is extending the use of Grid computing to include access to and control of distributed instrumentation. Access to the instruments will be via an interface to a Virtual Instrument Grid Service (VIGS). VIGS is a new concept and its design and implementation, together with middleware that can provide the appropriate Quality of Service (QoS), is a key part of the GRIDCC development plan. An overall architecture for GRIDCC has been defined and some of the application areas, which include distributed power systems, remote control of an accelerator and the remote monitoring of a large particle physics experiment, are briefly discussed.E

The future of technology enhanced active learning – a roadmap

The notion of active learning refers to the active involvement of learner in the learning process, capturing ideas of learning-by-doing and the fact that active participation and knowledge construction leads to deeper and more sustained learning. Interactivity, in particular learnercontent interaction, is a central aspect of technology-enhanced active learning. In this roadmap, the pedagogical background is discussed, the essential dimensions of technology-enhanced active learning systems are outlined and the factors that are expected to influence these systems currently and in the future are identified. A central aim is to address this promising field from a best practices perspective, clarifying central issues and formulating an agenda for future developments in the form of a roadmap

Virtual Reality: The Next American Meta-Medium

This research paper parallels Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Showbusiness by exploring how virtual reality would affect America based on the current development for virtual reality

Virtual Meeting Rooms: From Observation to Simulation

Much working time is spent in meetings and, as a consequence, meetings have become the subject of multidisciplinary research. Virtual Meeting Rooms (VMRs) are 3D virtual replicas of meeting rooms, where various modalities such as speech, gaze, distance, gestures and facial expressions can be controlled. This allows VMRs to be used to improve remote meeting participation, to visualize multimedia data and as an instrument for research into social interaction in meetings. This paper describes how these three uses can be realized in a VMR. We describe the process from observation through annotation to simulation and a model that describes the relations between the annotated features of verbal and non-verbal conversational behavior.\ud As an example of social perception research in the VMR, we describe an experiment to assess human observers’ accuracy for head orientation