The shift to online education, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, has introduced challenges in monitoring student engagement, an essential aspect of effective teaching. In response, real-time student monitoring interfaces have emerged as potential tools to aid instructors, yet their efficacy has not been thoroughly examined. Addressing this gap, we conducted a controlled experiment with 20 instructors examining the impact of engagement cues (presence versus absence) and student engagement levels (high versus low) on instructors’ monitoring effectiveness, teaching behavior adjustments, and cognitive load in online classes. Our findings underscored the fundamental benefits of student engagement monitoring interfaces for improving monitoring quality and effectiveness. Furthermore, our study highlighted the critical need for customizable interfaces that could balance the informational utility of engagement cues with the associated cognitive load and psychological stress on instructors. These insights may offer design implications for the design of future student engagement monitoring interfaces.

Many families often live geographically apart from each other due to work, education, or marriage. Therefore, long-distance families frequently use computer-mediated communication (CMC) tools to stay connected. While CMC tools have significantly improved family communication, they cannot fully mediate social presence. To examine the potential of telepresence robots for improving long-distance family communication, we conducted a two-week qualitative in situ study involving eight families. We analyzed recorded videos of their family interactions and conducted pre- and post-deployment interviews. Our findings highlight telepresence robots’ potential as family communication tools, enabling immersive, natural, and dynamic interactions through physical embodiment and autonomy. Particularly, we identified five categories of family interaction mediated by telepresence robots: engaging in multi-party family communication, exploring home, restoring family routines, providing support, and having joint physical activities. Based on our findings, we present design guidelines for leveraging telepresence robots as effective family communication tools.

Role-playing can be an effective method for disability awareness education (DAE), and the immersive nature of virtual reality (VR) holds promise for enhancing DAE experiences. However, existing VR applications for DAE often pay less attention to the social aspects of disabilities, resulting in a lack of ability to simulate implicit social discrimination experienced by individuals with disabilities. To bridge this gap, we developed DiVRsity, a customizable VR group role-playing platform for DAE. To identify design requirements for DiVRsity, we conducted a formative study with VR and DAE experts. In an evaluation study, 28 participants engaged in role-playing exercises using DiVRsity, simulating discriminatory interpersonal situations experienced by individuals with vision impairments. Findings revealed that participants’ disability awareness significantly increased after engaging in role-playing activities using DiVRsity compared to before. We discuss the potential of VR as a role-playing platform for DAE and provide design implications for future VR-based DAE tools.

Increasingly, older adults are shopping via mobile devices as technology has been incorporated into their lives. When older adults adopt and use mobile shopping, social interactions with close others greatly influence their experience. Therefore, this paper aimed to provide a comprehensive understanding of how social interactions with close others shaped older adults’ mobile shopping practices. We conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews with 31 older adults who reported using mobile shopping regularly. We found that older adults engaged in three types of social interaction: learning from, collaborating with, and assisting close others in adopting and using mobile shopping. Through these social interactions, they gradually built trust in mobile shopping systems and supported each other’s decision-making processes. In conclusion, we presented design implications for facilitating social interactions to improve older adults’ mobile shopping experience.