Abstract
Immersive virtual reality (iVR) devices are rapidly becoming an important part of our lives and forming a new way for people to interact with computers and each other. The impact and consequences of this innovative technology have not yet been satisfactory explored. This empirical study investigated the cognitive and social aspects of collaboration in a shared, immersive virtual reality. A unique application for implementing a collaborative immersive virtual environment (CIVE) was developed by our interdisciplinary team as a software solution for educational purposes, with two scenarios for learning about hypsography, i.e., explanations of contour line principles. Both scenarios allow switching between a usual 2D contour map and a 3D model of the corresponding terrain to increase the intelligibility and clarity of the educational content. Gamification principles were also applied to both scenarios to augment user engagement during the completion of tasks. A qualitative research approach was adopted to obtain a deep insight into the lived experience of users in a CIVE. It was thus possible to form a deep understanding of very new subject matter. Twelve pairs of participants were observed during their CIVE experience and then interviewed either in a semistructured interview or a focus group. Data from these three research techniques were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis, which is research method for studying individual experience. Four superordinate themes—with detailed descriptions of experiences shared by numerous participants—emerged as results from the analysis; we called these (1) Appreciation for having a collaborator, (2) The Surprising “Fun with Maps”, (3) Communication as a challenge, and (4) Cognition in two realities. The findings of the study indicate the importance of the social dimension during education in a virtual environment and the effectiveness of dynamic and interactive 3D visualization.
Highlights
Recent rapid and continuous development of immersive VR technology has opened the possibility for a wide range of applications
Immersive VR finds a purpose in many fields, for example, in psychotherapy and diagnostics [1,2,3,4], cognitive training [5,6], relaxation [7,8], rehabilitation [9,10], medicine [11,12], training in the industry [13,14,15], tourism and cultural heritage [16,17,18], journalism [19], and sport [20,21]
The collaborative immersive virtual environment (CIVE) application was built in a virtual environment described by Doležal, Chmelík & Liarokapis [73]
Summary
Recent rapid and continuous development of immersive VR technology has opened the possibility for a wide range of applications. Several recent studies analyzed the potential benefits of immersive technologies for education in geography and task solving. The findings of a qualitative student survey showed a range of benefits (improved orientation in the study area, higher interactivity with the data, and enhanced motivation through immersive 3D geovisualization) and suggested that an immersive 3D visualization can increase learning effectiveness in higher education. Focusing on hypsography education using modern technology, Carrera et al [53] studied the possibilities of Augmented Reality technology (AR). They experimented with 63 students and tested the usability of AR to interpret relief (maximum slope, visibility between points, contour interval, and altitude interpretation). None of the aforementioned studies combined both VR and a collaborative environment
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