Abstract
The rising popularity of high-immersion media has found its way to educational use cases, but such media have not yet been extensively evaluated in their ability to provide fully featured study abroad experiences. As recent events have catapulted virtual study abroad programs to the forefront, and as universities seek to build attractive and effective programs, the necessity of systems that provide immersion and student engagement has become apparent. Using the new concept of Dual-Frame System Design, this paper seeks to find if design thinking methodologies can meet these needs while maintaining system reliability, flexibility, and ease of use. Using off-the-shelf components, including a 360° video camera, smartphones, and personal computers, a system was created and tested through a mixed-methods approach based on a user study of 25 US college students. The results of this research may be useful in the creation of high-immersion virtual study abroad experiences, as well as advancing the interdisciplinary frameworks necessary to make these systems broadly available.
Highlights
1.1 BackgroundProviding students with opportunities to study abroad has been shown to engender many positive effects, from skill development in a foreign language to intercultural competence
Participants were asked to fall under two additional requirements: 1) to have a personal computer as well as a smartphone with the YouTube app installed and the ability to read QR codes, and 2) be a current student at an institute of higher education in the US
As only modern iOS phones all come with a built-in QR code reader in the camera app, and only some Android models do, an extra step of installing a QR code reading app was required for some Android participants
Summary
Providing students with opportunities to study abroad has been shown to engender many positive effects, from skill development in a foreign language to intercultural competence. In the case of Japan, the focus of this research project, there is a restriction on student visa applicants as of April 2021 (MOFA, 2021), effectively preventing new international students from entering the country. In a survey of prospective and current international students from around the world, while the majority prefer on-campus study to virtual study abroad, about a quarter of students (22.5%) are very or extremely interested in studying online (Pang 2020). While this is a small proportion, it is still significant
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