Enhancing education and training through data-driven adaptable games in flipped classrooms

The Flipped Classroom (FC) is a set of pedagogical approaches that move the information transmission out of class and exploit class time for active and/or peer learning activities. In this context, students are required to engage with pre- and/or post-class activities in order to prepare themselves for class work. The FC instruction method has already been used in conjunction with other learning strategies. This theoretical paper presents the first developmental steps of a research project, which aims at building the FC through a fully bespoke and personalized experience, by using data-driven adaptable games and problem-based learning elements to improve the learning experience. The project will develop a gaming platform that will support the whole FC in a cyclical perspective, and aims to use the resources of gamification in a more significant manner that could go beyond score tracking and badges. Moreover, the problem-based learning approach will be used to better frame the learning activities included in FCs, while learning analytics features will provide adaptable learning pathways. The potential of this approach is to build a better FC experience for all the stakeholders. Students will be given more agency to calibrate their learning experience, while educators can monitor the students’ progress more effectively and adjust their learning activities accordingly. Finally, researchers will get better insight into the FC learning process, and the mechanics, which contribute to optimize the learning experience

MindSpaces:Art-driven Adaptive Outdoors and Indoors Design

MindSpaces provides solutions for creating functionally and emotionally appealing architectural designs in urban spaces. Social media services, physiological sensing devices and video cameras provide data from sensing environments. State-of-the-Art technology including VR, 3D design tools, emotion extraction, visual behaviour analysis, and textual analysis will be incorporated in MindSpaces platform for analysing data and adapting the design of spaces.</p

Exploring Past and Present: VR Reconstruction of the Berlin Gendarmenmarkt

© 2018 IEEE. Virtual reality games demand the use of highly realistic 3D models to provide an immersive environment to the users. Therefor, modeling of real world structures is a common process within the industry. In recent years the photogrammetric tools have become available to aid in this process. However, obtaining high quality imagery is still an issue w.r.t. budget and time constraints. We present a simple, effective method for the reuse of existing video and photo material towards the generation of 3D models suitable for a virtual reality gaming environment. An abundance of existing content may be available in on-line repositories (YouTube, Flickr, Google images,..) and can be exploited. A complete video-to-VR pipeline is presented and a use-case of the Berlin Gendarmenmarkt square is tested, wherein the use of both commercial and open source software is evaluated. Our proposed method improves existing workflows used by VR game designers in both structural accuracy and creation time of real world objects.status: publishe

An Extended Reality System for Situation Awareness in Flood Management and Media Production Planning

Flood management and media production planning are both tasks that require timely and sound decision making, as well as effective collaboration between professionals in a team split between remote headquarter operators and in situ actors. This paper presents an extended reality (XR) platform that utilizes interactive and immersive technologies and integrates artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to support the professionals and the public involved in such incidents and events. The developed XR tools address various specialized end-user needs of different target groups and are fueled by modules that intelligently collect, analyze, and link data from heterogeneous sources while considering user-generated content. This platform was tested in a flood-prone area and in a documentary planning scenario, where it was used to create immersive and interactive experiences. The findings demonstrate that it increases situation awareness and improves the overall performance of the professionals involved. The proposed XR system represents an innovative technological approach for tackling the challenges of flood management and media production, one that also has the potential to be applied in other fields

Connecting the Elderly Using VR: A Novel Art-Driven Methodology

Demographic change confronts us with an ever-increasing number of elderly people who face isolation and socialization issues. Background: The main challenge of this study is to inject emotional and aesthetic aspects into the design process of a virtual reality (VR) social space for the elderly. In this context, we asked architects and artists to improve the perception elderly people have of their way of communicating with others. Artists, in collaboration with computer engineers, designed experiences that evoke positive cognitive and emotional feelings and memories by following design trends and aesthetic values likely to be appreciated by older people, which were integrated in VR. Methods: We approached our goal by implementing an innovative art-driven methodology, using a plethora of technologies and methods, such as VR, artificial intelligence algorithms, visual analysis, and 3D mapping, in order to make design decisions based on a detailed understanding of the users’ preferences and collective behavior. Results: A so-called virtual village “Cap de Ballon” was co-created, having a public space inspired by the villages of Santorini and Meteora and a private space inspired by the 3D scanning of an elderly person’s apartment. Conclusions: The overall concept of the VR village‘s utility, design, and interior design were appreciated by the end users and the concept was evaluated as original and stimulating for creativity

V4Design for enhancing architecture and video game creation

© 2018 IEEE. Architecture, Design and Virtual Reality game creation companies are in great need of acquiring, re-using and re-purposing visual and textual data to recreate, renovate or produce a novel target space, building or element. This come in align with the abrupt increase, which is lately observed, in the use of immersive VR environments and the great technological advance that can be found in the acquisition and manipulation of digital models. V4Design is a new project that takes into account these needs and intends to build a complete and robust design solution that will help the targeted industries to improve their creation process.status: publishe