Showing papers by "Maria Roussou published in 2005"

A Virtual Playground for the Study of the Role of Interactivity in Virtual Learning Environments

Abstract: Interactivity is regarded as one of the core components of a successful Virtual Reality experience, and is promoted widely for its effectiveness, motivational impact, and significance for learning. The research described in this paper sets out to explore learner interaction in immersive Virtual Environments, focusing on the role and the effect of interactivity on learning and conceptual change. In order to examine this relationship, different environments (immersive and interactive, immersive but passive, and non-virtual) have been designed to support a set of tasks for primary school students between 8 and 12 years old. The tasks are constructive by nature, including such things as the assembly of columns from parts or the re-design of a playground, and require performing mathematical calculations. A set of qualitative observations have been made on a case-by-case basis, while the analysis is continuing to look at the various elements that form the complex relationship between interactivity and learning.

Can VR be Useful and Usable in Real-World Contexts? Observations from the Application and Evaluation of VR in Realistic Usage Conditions

Abstract: This paper presents our observations from the use of high-end projection-based VR in different real-world settings, with practitioners but also novice users that do not normally use VR in their everyday practice. We developed two applications for two different content domains and present case studies of actual experiences with professionals and students who used these as part of their work or during their museum visit. Emphasis is given on usability issues and evaluation of effectiveness, as well as on our thoughts on the efficacy of the long term deployment of VR under realistic usage conditions, especially when the technology becomes mundane and the content takes precedence over the display medium. We will present an overall assessment of our experience, on issues relating to usability and user satisfaction with VR in real-world contexts.

Can Interactivity in Virtual Environments Enable Conceptual Learning

Abstract: This research sets out to explore user interaction in immersive Virtual Environments (VEs), focusing on the role and the effect of interactivity on learning and conceptual change. The intention is to examine how interaction and conceptual learning are related in the context of virtual environments developed primarily for informal educational settings. In order to study this, different virtual environments have been designed for projection-based immersive Virtual Reality (VR) devices, such as the CAVE®, since these types of environments are increasingly found in realworld contexts. Pilot studies have been carried out with primary school students, while a set of main experiments are being planned. The participants in all studies are children between 8 and 12 years old, as this is the age in which concrete mental models are formed and, thus, best suited to study the development of learning. To date, the children who participated in the pilot studies were asked to carry out tasks, such as the assembly of ancient columns from parts, which were designed to promote constructivist learning. Their interaction in the VE was analyzed using an Activity Theory framework [5]. The result of this analysis has informed the design of the main studies, which is currently underway. MOTIVATION AND RELATED WORK The plethoric development of interactive systems for the broad public, the proliferation of immersive exhibits in museums, informal education institutions and entertainment settings, and the growing sophistication of home gaming systems, emphasize the appeal of interactivity, regarded as the process with which users can have a firstperson experience, in other words, act upon, control, and even modify their own digital experience. In these contexts interactivity is being promoted widely, not only for its recreational potential but also for its significance for learning. This is even more prominent in the case of immersive virtual reality, since interactivity is largely regarded as one of VR’s essential properties. Virtual environments are valued as being extremely motivating for learners [2], especially for those with non-traditional learning styles. Ongoing efforts at studying the other essential properties of VR, such as immersion and the phenomenon of presence are beginning to clarify their educational effect [13]. However, when it comes to interactivity, there is a common belief that the effectiveness of a VE that provides a high degree of interactivity is substantially more than the effectiveness of a VE where interactivity is limited. Little systematic research is available to substantiate this assumption and, to date, no clear evidence exists that interactive VR applications can bring “added value” to learning, especially for children. Furthermore, it is not certain if interactivity alone, as an essential property of the virtual reality medium, can provide a strong effect upon learning. This problem is particularly acute where deep understanding, not behavior, is of concern. Hence, a central question emerges: does interactivity enable learners to construct meaning? This research is interested in examining the dimension of interactivity in a VR experience and, in particular, its potential and limitations for learning. Defining learning is notoriously difficult. There are a range of different perspectives on learning and a great number of theories on how learning takes place. Moreover, the notion of what constitutes learning has evolved throughout the years from a behaviouristic to a constructivist and social constructivist approach. We are interested in examining the effect of interactivity on conceptual learning, as opposed to factual learning, and thus adopt the constructivist tradition as the theoretical model of learning for this work. Conceptual learning is identified with deeper, transferable understandings of generalisable, abstract knowledge; it has do to with logical thinking, the formation of scripts, stories, cases, mental models or constructs, concepts, associations, perspectives, strategies [12]. Similarly, the different definitions of interactivity, as encountered within different contexts, illustrate the fact that interactivity remains a vaguely defined concept, despite its implicit “hands-on” or “physical” nature. Nevertheless, there have been a number of attempts to provide a structure by identifying types, levels, varieties, or degrees of interactivity. At a minimal level, most of these attempts recognize gradations of interactivity, with some actions being more or less interactive than others and the underlying assumption being that the higher the level of interactivity, the better the outcome. For this research, a working definition of interactivity which defines it as the process that actively involves the learner physically (i.e bodily movement) and intellectually, is adopted. This refers to more than a one-to-one calland-response and instead implies multiple decisions and components on different levels: on one end, spatial navigation, considered to be the lowest possible form of interactive activity, manipulation of the environment or parameters of the environment as the basic middle level of interactive activity, and, on the top end, the ability to alter the system of operation itself as the highest form of interactivity. Similarly, Pares and Pares [6] have defined interactivity as explorative, manipulative, and contributive, categories which essentially correspond to our definition. Figure 1. Young users engaged in an ancient column construction activity during the exploratory studies which aimed at examining interactivity in an immersive virtual