The authors had unique opportunities to successfully carry out important and creative activities in Second Life (a 3-D virtual community), with VR headsets, and in Spatial.io. They instructed their students to participate in problem-based learning projects (PBL) in Second Life (SL) on a virtual island owned by Nagaoka University of Technology in Japan. The PBL method provides students with challenging ill-structured problems to solve. They work cooperatively in a group to obtain possible solutions to the problems, while their instructors serve as guides. In addition, the group wore VR headsets to have realistic experiences with ocean life and dinosaurs. The authors also joined Spatial.io, a website that includes a variety of human-computer interaction techniques. They explored interesting locations, played games, examined various items, and struggled with a digital twin project.

This study investigates the effects of auditory and visual quality in virtual reality (VR) environments on cognitive load and engagement through pupillometric measurement. It provides a comprehensive consideration of their influence on physiological processes collectively. The experiment controlled both auditory (low-fidelity muffled, normal dynamic, and high-volume monotonous) and visual (less detailed, normal, and richly detailed) stimuli systematically in three VR museum environments. Pupil diameter measurements were employed as primary indicators of cognitive processing, with rigorous preprocessing to ensure data integrity. For visual conditions, low-quality settings with less detail consistently generated maximum stress responses, while normal-quality visuals were determined to optimize the balance of engagement and comfort. High-quality visuals in dim settings had slightly more engagement but had to be calibrated precisely to avoid overstimulation. The audio results indicated that normal-quality dynamic sound produced the most stable pupil responses across all visual contexts and served as a cognitive anchor. Poor-quality audio consistently degraded experience quality, supporting the fact that visual richness cannot compensate for poor auditory design. Notably, combining normal-quality audio with normal-quality visuals provided the optimal physiological profile. These findings guide theoretical advancement in multisensory integration in VR and offer design recommendations of utility: (1) prefer balanced modulation of the senses, (2) avoid visual extremes of simplicity with high luminance, and (3) seek harmonious mixtures of normal-fidelity sensory and visual content. Future research needs to explore individual differences and long-term adaptation in order to further refine these guidelines for a variety of educational, training, and therapy uses in VR.

In recent years, virtual platforms have emerged as powerful tools for immersive communication, education, and collaborative design. Among them, Spatial offers a widely accessible 3D environment that can be experienced not only through VR goggles but also on standard desktop systems. This paper explores the feasibility of using Spatial in a desktop 2D environment without VR goggles to visualize and evaluate 3D CAD models. We describe a practical workflow in which 3D models are uploaded into Spatial and viewed via a Mac desktop interface. Despite the limitations in immersion, we show that desktop interaction with Spatial still offers meaningful spatial understanding and interface operability, providing a low-barrier entry into virtual prototyping. We discuss implications for design education and outline future directions for integrating VR when available.

This paper proposes a method for estimating the acquisition status of students’ graph comprehension ability based on their descriptive answer text. Applying the three-level of graph comprehension theory, we designed a method to categorize students’ graph comprehension ability into three levels. The categorization is based on two metrics: 1) degree-a statistic of co-occurrence networks measuring of variety, and 2) level of graph comprehension-frequency of use of words indicating degree adverbs and words indicating trends. We then designed an “expression-development map” based on these quantities and classified students’ graph comprehension abilities according to which of the four quadrants they belonged to. To confirm the validity of the designed it, we applied the map to surveyed descriptive answer text for nine types of graph generated by elementary, junior/senior high school, and university students. The results showed that the descriptions became more sophisticated as students progressed through educational stages, indicating the validity of the map.

This study analyzes students’ impressions of deep-sea 3D video experiences delivered through a head-mounted display. Four female students watched an undersea expedition video and answered seven structured questions, followed by an open-ended prompt. Their responses revealed that 3D imagery significantly enhanced immersion, visual appeal, and educational engagement compared to traditional 2D images. Participants consistently rated the questions highly, citing immersive qualities, sustained attention, and increased understanding as notable benefits. A co-occurrence network analysis of the open-ended responses identified "immersive," "realistic," and "engaging" as central themes, reflecting how students felt deeply involved in the depicted scenes. "Educational" and "understanding" emerged as interconnected concepts, indicating students perceived that 3D visuals improved their comprehension of complex subjects. Terms like "fun" and "enjoyable" linked closely with "3D viewing," emphasizing the technology’s motivational value. Overall, this study confirms that 3D imagery offers substantial educational benefits by promoting focus, understanding, and enjoyment, suggesting potential applications in fields requiring spatial comprehension. However, due to the small sample size, results cannot be fully generalized.

This study delves into the innovative initiative at Suzuka National College of Technology, where a creative workshop initially established onsite for entrepreneurial experimentation has been replicated in a virtual space to enhance the educational experience in startup education; by integrating real-time simulations with foundational business theories the virtual center not only provides a platform for testing business ideas through simulations that mimic market reactions and consumer behavior but also bridges the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application, which is crucial in practical engineering education where experiential learning is key. This dual-environment approach not only facilitates the development of practical skills but also enables students to gain insights into the realities of business management and innovation, preparing them effectively for the challenges of the entrepreneurial world; the future of this virtual center looks promising as it plans to incorporate tools for business planning, financial forecasting, and market analysis to provide a comprehensive preparation platform for students, ensuring they are well-equipped to conceive, plan, and execute their business ideas successfully.

The term "metaverse" has become a common word in recent years. This term, a virtual space on the Internet, is gaining importance in various fields in today's era of remarkable progress toward the fusion of virtual space and real space using digital science. The authors have been engaged in a project to develop educational applications using experiences in 3D virtual space with headset-type goggles. In this study, we investigated the physiological effects on the viewer by observing and analyzing the blink and discussed its applicability.

In this study, we introduce a plan about the application of various realities for future educational purposes. To start, we provide an overview for three types of realities [Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) and Mixed Reality (MR)] and clarify their relationships to each other. Then we classify VR tools into three types and focus on the integrated stand-alone type and prepare a plan for its educational application. Finally, we discuss important factors that could contribute to the examinees’ educational outcomes in the future.

The concept of a 3D experience using the Google Cardboard VR headset and cell phones is discussed in terms of its educational effect. As for the video component, content on YouTube as a 360°VR video is used. The following three topics are included in this project: skydiving, lunar exploration, and deep-sea exploration. In some organizations, groups of faculty and student members are asked to participate in such an activity to experience 3D using a cell phone and YouTube along with the VR headset. The authors plan to analyze the results using a 5-point scale. A similar experiment is already in progress. It involves the use of a different VR headset tool (Oculus Quest). Since the contents of both activities are similar, the purpose of this experiment is to compare and verify the advantages and disadvantages of using a VR cardboard headset and a cell phone, as well as to identify the advantages and disadvantages of using a cell phone.

During the COVID 19 pandemic, the importance of global academia-industrial alliances has increased. It is hoped that the alliances will help us to solve the current problems caused by the pandemic. In this paper, we introduce the application of IT tools and communication skills utilized in a special educational project for an academia-industrial collaboration. Some concrete examples from 2020 are provided from the viewpoint of the national alliance project in Japan. A discussion is included that describes the plans available to increase and strengthen the national project in the future.

For this study, instructors carried out active learning classes using tools to obtain biological information. Due to the constrained conditions for their use, students proposed their own projects and successfully carried them out on their own. The students belonged to two groups: one was for17 year old students and the other was for the students 19 years of age. Both groups displayed good creativity and engineering design capabilities. However, there was a clear difference between the two groups. The older students had more quantitative and application-related capabilities. We could confirm that the age demographic in KOSEN education was very sensitive for the improvement of creative engineering design capability.

This paper introduces and describes a learning system for analyzing devices in a virtual world and points out its significance for current research collaboration. Now we are in Society 5.0, so daily problems should be solved by IoT (Internet of Things) with a mutual collaboration without borders. The authors need to collaborate with each other among remote organizations and different nations. For such situations, we need to establish the learning system for analyzing devices which would lead to an actual sharing system in the future. In this paper, the proposed concept for the learning system in metaverse is explained. The significance of the system is described, too.

An experimental trial was carried out with a problem-based learning (PBL) class for students. They were asked to come up with a plan for applying a glass sensor to determine concentration power. They held a discussion and agreed on a system and process, in which students would focus on memorizing English words. The process had three components. While studying English words, the students listened to music at the same time. As a second component, when the learning time was not long enough, students could concentrate on learning the words without any music. However, when the learning time was prolonged, the combination of learning and outcomes was higher for the case of memorizing 10 words. The students defined a coefficient that was based on the average of memorizing capability and concentration power. The results and the system are a unique case study. We believe the basic concept could be applied to the final trial for mutual non-verbal communication.

Mars, the most Earth-like of the planets, has motivated scientists to search for life there. Presently, plans are in the works for landing humans on the Red planet between 2025 and the 2030s. Young students of today may have an opportunity to travel to Mars and /or serve as future astronauts. Therefore, it is important to provide them with enjoyable and rewarding learning experiences about space travel and the planet Mars. This paper describes successful STEM activities that use innovative e-learning to simulate components of real Mars missions.

E-learning is a powerful educational tool nowadays. Particularly, it could activate classrooms and enhance the understanding of educational content taught by teachers. However, teachers often have various difficulties for using e-learning. One problem is for them to produce educational tools on their own. Some teachers need support for this type of activity. From the viewpoint, it is very important for us to know the various types of support that teachers need. In this study, we focused on teachers’ mental situations when they produce educational materials for their classrooms. We aimed to establish a model, so that the data of eye blinking could be analyzed and applied to evaluate teachers’ psychological and mental situations. Using a commercial glass-type sensor to observe eye blinking behaviors, we measured them for three teachers (as examinees), while they were producing their own presentation files. The data for the blinking behaviors were compared with the concentration power index and analyzed. And we discussed the possibility of applying the model to determine how teachers could be supported technically.

Human resource development program in nuclear engineering has been developed and carried out for national college students in Japan. It consists of (a) remote lectures and e-Learning contents on radiation and nuclear related subjects, and (b) on-site workshops and visits at nuclear related facilities or Nagaoka University of Technology. In approximately 10 years since it was started, more than 10 thousand of students participated in the program, which, we believe, was effective to enhance their understanding in these fields. However, as an educational system, it seems possible to be improved through utilization of ICTs etc. From our understanding that the problem is the lack of bidirectional feature in our program. In the future, we are planning to provide substantial amounts of exercises base on Active-learning with ICTs to deepen the understanding of the subjects carried out in the workshops or facility visits.

A virtual workshop for creative teaching was successfully carried out in Second Life (SL) with elementary school teachers (teachers of young children). Creative teaching is important for engaging and motivating students (of all ages) to pursue academic studies, especially in the areas of STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics). Countries need a supply of qualified STEM graduates to compete globally, creatively solve challenging problems, and provide the scientists, engineers, etc. of the future. The participants had no previous experience with SL, so they enjoyed the workshop very much and liked the creative setting (virtual classroom) and opportunity to make and operate their own avatars. This paper describes five creative teaching techniques, the teachers’ brainstorming session, and lesson ideas for turning students onto learning.

Students’ psychological responses were evaluated by a commercial electrooculography (EOG) sensor. As psychological responses, we picked up two factors – concentration power and the impression about the simplicity for problem solving. A glass-type EOG sensor detected the electrooculogram and calculated the blink rate (focus), the blink strength (calmness) and the head posture (posture), constituting the final parameter called concentration power. In this study, we investigated the correlation between the two psychological responses and EOG parameters. We could confirm the qualitative correlation between the EOG parameter corresponding to concentration power and the psychological response. At this point, we presume that it could be applied to e-learning in virtual classrooms soon. As for the impression about the simplicity to solve problems, we could not found the reasonable correlation. However, the detailed analyses for all of the parameters and their time-dependent behaviors might make it clearer and also other relations with more psychological response.

We performed pilot electroencephalography experiments to examine whether brain activity would reflect the difficulty levels of English words for Japanese English learner. During experiment, "easy" and "difficult" English words were visually presented and the participant responded whether he understood the meaning of the presented English word. We found that the most characteristic brain activity was a power decrease in the 10-20 Hz frequency band at 400-800 ms after stimulus presentation, which seemed to reflect the differences in the difficulty of the words. Future studies will focus on applying machine-learning techniques so as to classify brain activities for each word.

A project about renewable energy was successfully carried out in Second Life (SL) by a team of Japanese students with a U.S. instructor who used English to communicate. This was a challenging task, especially since the students’ first language is Japanese. To improve the learning environment, a teaching assistant was available to translate information from English to Japanese when necessary. This paper describes the successful STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) activity in SL where the Japanese students designed and built a special airplane for wind energy. It also mentions other contributions of our work, such as the incorporation of an Engineering Design Process into the lesson and the advantages we found by carrying out the renewable energy project in a virtual reality environment.

The discussion through Skype on research topics between two laboratories were carried out as virtual problem based learning project. During the discussion, the blinking eyes were counted as biological data. After the project, questionnaires were given to the participants. Two series of data, biological data by counting blinking eyes and psychological data derived from questionnaires were compared and analyzed. Both data were compatible reasonably and could be well explained complimentary. If the system could be established systematically, it would be a very powerful educational tools for both teachers and students in the future.

While learning instruments playing, one engages in the following mental and motor activities; reading notes in a musical score, retrieving relevant information from long-term memory concerning how to play the notes, moving relevant body parts, and verifying his/her performance against the expected sound. The learner is required to coordinate these activities in the learning process. This paper assumes that how the process of coordination is carried out should depend on the degree of matching between the learner’s skill and the musical score which should appear in the process of reading; visually encoding the to-be-played notes and verifying the sound from the instrument he/she has just played. This paper proposes a method for objectively measuring the degree of matching by using eye movements data while reading a musical score with hearing notes.

Generic skills (GS) are meta-competencies necessary for acquiring knowledge from provided information in classes. This paper assumes that GS consists of a skill associated with the literacy for pulling information from the accessible contents in the classes, and a skill associated with the literacy for pushing knowledge stored in the students’ brain for obtaining useful information from the instructors. Based on the assumption, we propose a method for assessing developmental stages of GS. Observational studies were conducted in a real classroom for testing this assumption. For preparation, we defined a micro-structure of GS. Using the structure, we identified three critical parameters that should characterise the students’ performance on the micro-structure. Then, we selected elite monitors to verify whether micro-structure works in our study. The results suggested that the micro-structure of GS works well in classroom situations. We conclude that three critical parameters are good parameters for assessing developmental stages of GS.

The approach of e-Learning has become a powerful way to deliver knowledge considering the increase in on-line users. Virtual classes that utilize the method of synchronous e-Learning have an Avatar to represent the human user. However, the Avatar in virtual class acts like a puppet, and it has a very small connection with the real user. All of the participants of the virtual class are represented by a naturalistic Avatar without any expressions. Non-verbal communication is a very essential element in the educational process, and it increases the student's performance. One of the main non-verbal communications is by facial expressions, which have been introduced to the virtual world previously. This paper discusses the method of introducing students’ Eye Blinking (EB) into the Avatar in the virtual world because EB is one of the major non-verbal communication methods, and it can be used to identify the student's status during the e-Learning sessions. Therefore, an Eye Blinking Visualization System (EBVS) is constructed to establish a rich connection between the Avatar and the real user, as an implementation of non-verbal communication in a class of virtual e-Learning. A system of EB detection in the real world was constructed in which eye blinks are represented through the animations of furry Avatar in the virtual world. The real world and the virtual world are connected by an external server to transfer the EB from the real world to the virtual world. Ultimately, the EB pattern of the real user is visualized in the virtual e-Learning environment through the furry Avatar. When the system is implemented, it takes an average of 2.5 seconds to transfer the information, which is a comparatively short time. When the real user is blinking his/her eyes, the eye blink appears in the virtual e-Learning environment within a very short period of time. Students can communicate more smoothly, friendly, effectively and they feel as a real world classroom environment even though they are engaging with e-Learning through the EBVS. This system can be supplied eye contact and non-verbal communications which are very essential elements in the learning field.

As a way to exploit Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the provision of training in simultaneous singing and piano playing, we introduced a method of requiring students to view e-learning material and to submit videos of their performance. In this paper, we evaluate how this method improves students’ performance skills, based on the length of time the students spent in viewing the e-learning material, the reports submitted by the students, the videos of the students’ performance taken in the course of their regular practice, and the results of their mid-term and final performance exams. It is shown that (1) the combination of the viewing of the e-learning material and the submission of performance videos, which are both non-face-to-face training, encourages the students to undertake self-training and can considerably improve their performance skills, and that (2) it is necessary to provide face-to-face training for certain skills that cannot be improved through non-face-to-face training.

This paper proposes a method of crawling Web servers connected to the Internet without imposing a high processing load. We are using the crawler for a field survey of the digital divide, including the ability to connect to the network. Rather than employing normal Web 'page' crawling algorithm, which usually collect all pages found on the target server, we have developed 'server' crawling algorithm, which collect only minimum pages from the same server and achieved low-load and high-speed crawling of servers.

Since conventional historical records have been written assuming human readers, they are not well- suited for computers to collect and process automatically. If computers could understand descriptions in historical records and process them automatically, it would be easy to analyze them from different perspectives. In this paper, we review a number of existing frameworks used to describe historical events, and make a comparative assessment of these frameworks in terms of usability, based on "deep cases" of Fillmore's core grammar. Based on this assessment, we propose a new description framework, and have created a microformat vocabulary set suitable for that framework. Also the paper describes an exploratory work on how to describe inter-event relationship.

Since conventional historical records have been written assuming human readers, they are not well-suited for computers to collect and process automatically. If computers could understand descriptions in historical records and process them automatically, it would be easy to analyze them from different perspectives. In this paper, we review a number of existing frameworks used to describe historical events, and make a comparative assessment of these frameworks in terms of usability, based on "deep cases" of Fillmore's core grammar. Based on this assessment, we propose a new description framework, and have created a microformat vocabulary set suitable for that framework.

The ccTLD (country code Top Level Domain) in a URL does not necessarily point to the geographic location of the server concerned. The authors have surveyed sample servers belonging to 60 ccTLDs in Africa, with regard to the number of hops required to reach the target site from Japan, the response time, and the NIC registration information of each domain. The survey has revealed the geographical distribution of server sites as well as their connection environments. It has been found that the percentage of offshore (out of home country) servers is as high as 80% and more than half of these are located in Europe. Offshore servers not only provide little benefit to the people of the country to which each ccTLD rightly belongs but their existence also heightens the risk of a country being unable to control them with its own policies and regulations. Offshore servers constitute a significant aspect of the digital divide problem.