This study recognizes the need for providing a tool to facilitate learning British Sign Language (BSL). Virtual reality coupled with gamification holds exciting prospects to accommodate this need. This paper presents a work-in-progress study that focuses on evaluating the impact of combining scaffolded instruction with gamification to design a 3D interactive game to support learning the BSL alphabet. The paper outlines the project motivations, its aims and objectives, the proposed research methodology, and the expected contributions to knowledge.

Authentic assessment is the concept of using creative learning experiences to assess students’ skills and knowledge in conditions that simulate reality. The importance of authentic assessment in higher education is recognized as it helps measure student performance and attainment of skills related to the expected learning outcomes of the degree program, they study that map the skills required in their profession in the related industry. There is also growing evidence that authentic assessment can enhance student engagement and improve the student experience and learning outcomes. VR coupled with gamification offers the authentic context for students to apply their knowledge and skills while solving real-world problems. This paper presents a work-in-progress study that focuses on the creation of an educational resource that effectively supports teaching and learning crime-scene analysis and evidenced-based inferences in Criminology through simulated crime scenes. The paper describes a participatory design process involving students and academics as co-creators of a VR game, the CrimOPS, it presents the initial prototype derived from this collaboration and preliminary study results.

In this doctoral colloquium a time when our lives become increasingly virtual, art follows. This research investigates the potential framework where the creative process in visual arts could be equally effective and intuitive in a virtual environment. This paper presents the main research questions of this PhD study. It describes the proposed methodology to answer those questions and identify a potential toolkit of existing VR platforms which could act as an analogue counterpart for the artist in a virtual environment.

Cultural heritage sites serve as tools for the public to perceive cultural elements and are the cornerstone of our modern society. For years, museums and cultural institutions have been transforming how they practice visitor experiences, moving from “objects” to “people” through several different approaches. Museums are searching for innovative ways to engage their visitors to accomplish their mission, meet educational goals and provide a memorable experience for their visitors. There is a growing body of research on the use of gamification in cultural sites to improve visiting experiences and encourage visitors to engage actively in museum activities. The goal of this paper is to investigate whether gamified experiences in cultural sites can improve visitor experiences through the use of treasure hunting AR. This paper presents the research questions of this study and discusses a framework that is being developed to address those.

The elements of presence and interaction have been connected with high-quality learning in online learning environments. This can be achieved by offering learning environments and material that can engage the learner throughout the learning experience, allowing them to connect with the content, find relevance, construct meaning and critical thinking. Hybrid VR applications offer great potential for engaging learners in environments that accurately capture the world, allowing them to make personal connections and find relevance. Coupled with a branching narrative, computer-generated imagery (CGI) and interactivity can lead to highly engaging learning experiences. Hybrid VR applications, though, are bandwidth-demanding that can impact the learning experience. This paper presents a study comparing the Quality of Experience (QoE) of a hybrid VR application streamed over the standard internet and POINT network under increased network load. The paper presents the project motivations, a pilot study and its output. It closes with conclusions about the effect of the QoE and presence in learning and future directions.

Open days are organised by Universities to give potential students the opportunity to visit the University premises, talk to staff and student ambassadors and develop a sense of how it feels to study at a University a concept difficult to convey via prospectus. Visiting open days requires the investment of personal time, travel, and expense especially if from abroad. In recent years there has been an increasing demand for open days to be delivered online. Social distancing measures imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic enforced this mode of delivery of open days as the only viable option. Many Universities created VR campuses to help students experience their campuses but lack an empathetic response in the way they fail to capture the actual vibe of a university from the human perspective. New tools such as 360-degree immersive storytelling video (VR) and 3D interactive media present new opportunities for effectively delivering open days capturing not only a realistic representation of the place, but the actual feel of a place. This paper presents work-in-progress focusing on studying if 360-degree immersive storytelling video can invoke an empathetic response. It achieves this by submerging a user in a 360-degree immersive storytelling video that effectively and realistically captures student life. This paper presents the project motivation, discusses the proposed research methodology, presents the research instruments and finishes with expected contributions to knowledge and future work.

The COVID-19 pandemic social distancing measures had immense evidenced impact on student life in higher education affecting their mental health in many ways. In addition, remote working measures taken by Higher Education organizations to protect students and staff created an additional barrier for students seeking support at a stage they feel the most vulnerable. This paper presents a work-in-progress study that focuses on investigating ways of designing an online system for self-assessment symptoms of anxiety based on which available support is provided in a personalized and emotionally engaging manner. The project builds and compares three prototypes: a conventional web site; a VR immersive environment with a single virtual human playing the role of a student life advisor; and an immersive environment with more than one virtual humans interacting with the user aiming to study which system engages and assists vulnerable students more effectively, contributing to a better user experience. The paper presents that project motivations, its aims and objectives, the proposed research methodology and the expected contributions to knowledge.

Several research projects in spatial cognition have suggested Virtual Environments (VEs) as an effective way of facilitating mental map development of a physical space. In the study reported in this paper, we evaluated the effectiveness of multimodal real-time interaction in distilling understanding of the VE after completing gamified educational tasks. We also measure the impact of these design elements on the user's experience of educational tasks. The VE used reassemble an art gallery (namely REVERIE VG), and it was built using REVERIE (Real and Virtual Engagement In Realistic Immersive Environment), a framework designed to enable multimodal communication on the Web. We compared the impact of REVERIE VG with an educational platform called Edu-Simulation for the same gamified educational tasks. We found that the multimodal VE had no impact on the ability of students to retain a mental model of the virtual space. However, we also found that students thought that it was easier to build a mental map of the virtual space in REVERIE VG. This means that using a multimodal Collaborative Virtual Environment (CVE) in a gamified educational experience does not benefit spatial performance, but also it does not cause distraction. The paper ends with future work and conclusions and suggestions for improving mental map construction and user experience in multimodal CVEs.

There is a growing literature addressing the potential of Serious Games (SGs) in supporting Deep Learning (DL). DL in pedagogical context goes beyond basic training as it encourages students to refine, broaden and deepen their understanding, develop advanced processes and skills, and apply learning to new, novel and authentic situations. The aim of this doctoral colloquium research is to effect and quantify DL using SGs. This paper presents a methodology that addresses this aim. This comprises of the development of a framework called the Game ELC+ to test the strength of adult teaching (andragogy) as well as facilitate DL. The Game ELC+ framework fuses the Octalysis Framework, Bloom's Taxonomy, Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning and Ruskov's four evidences of DL. A use case of judgment and decision making in recruitment and selection - through a SG build following the Game ELC+ is proposed and tested with users.

Abstract Three hundred sixty–degree (360°) immersive video applications for Head Mounted Display (HMD) devices offer great potential in providing engaging forms of experiential media solutions especially in Cultural Heritage education. Design challenges emerge though by this new kind of immersive media due to the 2D form of resources used for their construction, the lack of depth, the limited interaction and the need to address the sense of presence. In addition, the use of Virtual Reality (VR) headsets often causes nausea, or motion sickness effects imposing further implications in moderate motion design tasks. This paper introduces a methodological categorisation of tasks and techniques for the design of 360° immersive video applications. Following the design approach presented, a testbed application has been created as an immersive interactive virtual tour at the historical centre of the city of Rethymno in Crete, Greece, which has undergone user trials. Based on the analysis of the results of this study, a set of design guidelines for the implementation of 360° immersive video virtual tours is proposed.

Breast cancer incidence and mortality rates vary geographically reflecting factors including regional and cultural differences in diet and lifestyle. There are numerous successful commercial mobile apps to help people control their diet and manage weight. However, such products are not suitable for people with special medical conditions that may require targeted dietary as well as motivational support. The paper presents a user centered approach of developing a Mobile Web App that focuses on breast cancer patients looking at their specific dietary, physical and mental requirements depending on the stage of their medical treatment. The paper explores the effect of incorporating gamification and social media as motivational drive to engage and motivate people to achieve their goals of adopting healthier eating habits while increasing physical activity in order ensure lasting lifestyle behavioural change. The design of PhytoCloud is being described, a gamified Mobile Web App that enables users to record their dietary habits and physical activity and motivate their consumption of food with oestrogen-like properties (phytoestrogens) which are linked to the prevention of reappearance of breast cancer. The paper concludes with a discussion of future directions and adaptations to the current design to suite a Mobile Native Application design.

Human embodiment/representation in virtual environments (VEs) similarly to the human body in real life is endowed with multimodal input/output capabilities that convey multiform messages enabling communication, interaction and collaboration in VEs. This paper assesses how effectively different types of virtual human (VH) artefacts enable smooth communication and interaction in VEs. With special focus on the REal and Virtual Engagement In Realistic Immersive Environments (REVERIE) multi-modal immersive system prototype, a research project funded by the European Commission Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013), the paper evaluates the effectiveness of REVERIE VH representation on the foregoing issues based on two specifically designed use cases and through the lens of a set of design guidelines generated by previous extensive empirical user-centred research. The impact of REVERIE VH representations on the quality of user experience (UX) is evaluated through field trials. The output of the current study proposes directions for improving human representation in collaborative virtual environments (CVEs) as an extrapolation of lessons learned by the evaluation of REVERIE VH representation.

In traditional computer science courses, students do not often get the chance to experience an entire project cycle, starting from the idea development stage and ending with the final release of a product together with collaborators from different disciplines. Developing a game gives learners the possibility to experience an entire development cycle, to learn how to work in a team, and to learn new skillsets required to create games. Students can profit even more from an interdisciplinary and international setup. In this paper, we describe a first pilot of an interdisciplinary and international student game project, during which students from different backgrounds, and with different nationalities and different learning expectations can work together to develop games. We report on a first pilot with 24 students studying different subjects, such as computer science, law, or biology, in two different countries. First results show that such programs are highly engaging for students, can boost their employability, have a high learning outcome, and raise their interest in international collaborations.

The need for a real-world driving problem to guide technology development has long been recognised. However, this does not guarantee the identification of requirements for technology development. This paper argues that a more systematic approach is needed for choosing and making best use of a driving problem for CVE technology. The method consists of identifying the stakeholders in the technology development project. A series of issues must then be addressed: choice of problem area, choice of application, choice of research approach, design of the application, ensuring use by real users, choice of method of study, and identification of technology requirements. The method is illustrated by considering the development of the Deva CVE system with an art-based application and with an educational application.

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