Use Of Collaborative Virtual Environments Research Articles

Collaborative Virtual Environments (CVEs) in the Preparation of Pre-service Mathematics Teachers

In recent times, teacher preparation programmes have faced significant challenges as many universities transitioned to fully online or hybrid instructional models as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. These sudden shifts drastically decreased classroom teaching opportunities, which was a cornerstone of teacher preparation programmes to help preservice teachers learn how to teach effectively. Therefore, considering the importance of visualizations in mathematics education for facilitating teaching, motivating students, and satisfying their desire to comprehend abstract mathematical concepts, this study investigates the barriers to utilizing, and the effective ways of integrating Collaborative Virtual Environments (CVEs) in the preparation of pre-service mathematics teachers. Underpinned by an interpretivist paradigm, the study employed a qualitative research approach and a case study design. Data were collected from twenty-five pre-service mathematics teachers, two mathematics teacher educators, and one department head. For this study, data collected were analysed using thematic analysis, and data trustworthiness was ensured through triangulation of the unit of analysis. Research findings revealed that the use of CVEs in teacher education programs is hampered by several factors, which include resistance to change, technological limits, costs and time constraints, assessment difficulties, equality and access issues, and a lack of training and support. Furthermore, the findings highlighted that for CVEs to be effective in teacher preparation programmes, mathematics educators should encourage the simulation of classroom scenarios, facilitate group discussions and cooperative learning and participate in virtual professional development opportunities.

Collaborative Virtual Environment to Facilitate Game Design Evaluation with Children with ASC

ABSTRACTInvolvement of children with autism spectrum conditions (ASC) in the design of new educational technology is becoming more prevalent. Despite potential barriers due to communication and ideation difficulties for children with ASC, adapted participatory design methods can successfully facilitate their direct involvement. Nonetheless, methods requiring face-to-face communication can still be difficult for children with ASC and research suggests that technology mediation could facilitate their contribution. This study explores the use of collaborative virtual environments (CVEs) as a medium through which students evaluated existing computer games and offered suggestions for game development. CVEs in which the users were represented by (a) avatars and (b) video-pods were compared to a face-to-face condition. Twelve typically developing (aged 8–9 years), 12 higher ability ASC (12–14) and 4 lower ability ASC children (12–14) participated. All student groups preferred the video-pod CVE and students with ASC were generally better able to contribute effectively through this medium than face-to-face.

Assessment of software defect detection efficiency and cost through an intelligent collaborative virtual environment

The use of collaborative virtual environments facilitates communication, coordination and cooperation within a group of people. In the field of information and communications technology (ICT), collaborative virtual environments have been developed to support the learning of programming. In this work, we report an empirical study (controlled experiment) which assess the efficiency and cost of detecting defects in instrumented programs with and without the support of an intelligent collaborative virtual environment (ICVE). The ICVE was used as part of a programming course at undergraduate level. The results suggest an equivalent efficiency in defect detection for both types of participants, those who used the ICVE (3.76 observed defects per hour) and those who worked in a traditional manner (4.07 observed defects per hour). With regard to cost, it was observed that participants who used the ICVE completed the activities within a slightly shorter time frame (49.25 minutes) than those who worked without the environment (52.90 minutes); however, the difference was not significant. It was observed that with regard to efficiency and cost, for this type of task (the detection of defects), working virtually through an ICVE versus working ad hoc (in a tradition manner, at the same time and in the same place) yields equivalent results. When collaborative work cannot be done in a traditional way, the use an ICVE is an alternative approach equally effective.

“Solving” ambiguity in the virtual space: communication strategies in a collaborative virtual environment

Collaborative virtual environments (CVE) face the challenge of succeeding in incorporating critical dimensions of cooperation and communication in everyday working situations. One of these dimensions, situation ambiguity, is scarcely considered in studies on CVE although it can prove a key factor in future use of CVE in real work situations. Many computer-supported cooperative environments and telecommunication systems, like those currently used in telemedicine, would benefit from the incorporation of some degree of situation ambiguity allowing users to deploy their diagnostic and interpretive abilities. In the perspective adopted in this study, ambiguity is the contingent outcome of the ongoing interaction taking place between the environment and the interests of social actors. The research focuses on the cooperation within couples of participants facing situation ambiguity in a virtual environment: a simulated city named Babylon. Participants moved in the city through an avatar and could communicate in one of the following conditions: face-to-face, phone or chat. Their goal was that of meeting somewhere in the city, in a place that they did not know previously. Babylon contained elements designed to allow both production and detection of ambiguity. Ambiguity emerged when participants realized the presence of inconsistencies in the way they perceived the situations they had to face. The moments in which ambiguity was perceived—called “critical events” (CE)—were measured and described through qualitative (ethnographically oriented) methods. The different strategies that participants used to “solve” ambiguity were characterized as: looking for environmental cues, narrowing the focus of attention and investing on cooperation. Both CEs and strategies were analyzed with respect to the three communication conditions: face-to-face, phone and chat. All the communication conditions allowed the emergence of ambiguity and the negotiation of strategies to solve ambiguity between partners: according to literature, chat is very costly in terms of time spent on writing but this disadvantage did not block completely the emergence of ambiguity and the development of adequate strategies of solution. All navigations but three (on a total of 18 couples) succeeded: the partners did meet in a short time (less than 15 min) relying on their pragmatic resources in a new virtual place. Further research is required to clarify the possible factors influencing the choice of one strategy over the others, the order in which strategies follow each other and the role of leadership in ambiguity detection and solution.

Educational virtual environments: design rationale and architecture

The use of collaborative virtual environments in e-learning is one of the most promising uses of virtual reality technology. While much research has been done in the area of networked virtual environments corresponding to the sharing of events, very little research has been done on specific services and functionality. However both the requirements and the kind of the offered services affect significantly the design of a system. In this paper we present the design and implementation of a platform suitable for educational virtual environments, which are collaborative virtual environments aiming at offering collaborative e-learning services to the users. Apart from the platform itself, we present the technological choices, and a new method for sharing virtual environments. Furthermore, we present an e-learning environment to support e-learning services using collaborative virtual environments from both the technical and functional point of view, along with the end-user evaluation results.

Virtual worlds as meeting places for formal systems

Over the last seven years, we have been exploring the use of collaborative virtual environments called Virtual Worlds (VWs) as a new type of testbed for experimenting with ways of organizing and integrating diverse types of computational and human processes. In other papers, we have discussed a wide variety of applications to fields as diverse as education and software engineering. In this paper, we focus on some of the mathematical experiments we are currently building in these environments.

Chatting to Learn and Learning to Chat

Chatting to Learn and Learning to Chat

CVE'98

A Collaborative Virtual Environment (CVE) is an application that uses a Virtual Environment to support human-human and human-system communication. Within such virtual environments, multiple users can convene, communicate and collaborate. Virtual Environments vary in their representational richness; for example environments may be graphical (2D or 3D) or may be purely text-based as with many MUDs/MOOs. Users are often represented by embodiments (or "avatars"), which also can vary from rich moving characters (such as in the Massive environment [1] or in Microcosm [2]) or simple 2D static cartoon images (as in The Palace, [3]).The design, development and use of CVEs is a growing research area with much potential for inter-disciplinary collaboration between researchers in the fields of computer science, psychology, sociology, cultural & media studies, architecture & urban planning, Artificial Intelligence, human computer interaction and CSCW.The Second International Conference dedicated to the design, development and evaluation of such Collaborative Virtual Environments (CVE'98) recently took place in Manchester. CVE'98 was part of Manchester's Digital Summer, celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the "birth of the Baby"; the demonstration of the first stored computer program. The conference took place over two days, from the 17th until the 19th June in the MANDEC Centre on the University of Manchester campus, and attracted 95 attendees from all over the world, drawn from computer science, human factors, sociology, psychology, graphic arts and other disciplines.

Visualising and populating the Web: Collaborative virtual environments for browsing, searching and inhabiting Webspace

This paper presents new services for accessing, exploring and collaborating via the World Wide Web. These are based on the use of Collaborative Virtual Environment (CVE) technology which is used to create navigable 3-D graphical, textual, audio and video representations of the structure of the Web and also of its users. The paper describes a number of different services which address the issues of: browsing the Web; searching the Web; directly representing the presence of other users on the Web and enabling communication with them; and finally new forms of interface to the Web, based on the notion of “mixed realities” which are used to create new forms of boundary between physical and virtual spaces.