This special issue of the International Journal of Human Computer Interaction, which is focused on Trends in Adaptive Interactive Training Systems, is dedicated to the life and work of Dr. Ray S. P...

eXtended Reality (XR) promises to provide a powerful capability to disseminate a vast array of instructional content appropriate for all types and levels of learners, ultimately revolutionizing education and training. Yet, while XR presents an opportunity for a powerful paradigm shift in education, a scientifically grounded andragogy for harnessing the didactic power of XR has yet to emerge. Herein, a unified framework of research-based instructional strategies for guiding the design of proficiency-based XR educational and training content is proposed, along with an associated naval maintenance use case. While this work draws on relevant pedagogical and andragogical theories, as well as fundamental learning theories applicable to learners of all ages, the framework specifically targets adult learners and training of complex skills applicable to various professional domains. Within the framework, learning theories have been aligned with learner proficiency level to specify competency-based learning objectives and activities, XR form factors, and learning loops that are anticipated to boost XR training efficacy. The proposed framework—the Exercisable Learning-theory and EVidence-based Andragogy for Training Effectiveness using XR (ELEVATE-XR)—is meant to serve as a guide to drive effective and efficient design of XR applications that enhance adult learning.

Immersive technologies, such as virtual and augmented reality, initially failed to live up to expectations, but have improved greatly, with many new head-worn displays and associated applications being released over the past few years. Unfortunately, ‘cybersickness’ remains as a common user problem that must be overcome if mass adoption is to be realized. This article evaluates the state of research on this problem, identifies challenges that must be addressed, and formulates an updated cybersickness research and development (R&D) agenda. The new agenda recommends prioritizing creation of powerful, lightweight, and untethered head-worn displays, reduction of visual latencies, standardization of symptom and aftereffect measurement, development of improved countermeasures, and improved understanding of the magnitude of the problem and its implications for job performance. Some of these priorities are unresolved problems from the original agenda which should get increased attention now that immersive technologies are proliferating widely. If the resulting R&D agenda is carefully executed, it should render cybersickness a challenge of the past and accelerate mass adoption of immersive technologies to enhance training, performance, and recreation.

The development of command and control resource performance predictor (C 2RP 2) tool, is discussed. The inputs are made through an adaptable sense, process, compare, decide, and act scheme. Task demands are input on a 0 to 2 scale, where 0 indicates that the activity doesn't require that particular activity, while 2 indicates that activity places high demand on the processing under consideration. The tool calculates the task difficulty value based on the average demands placed on the various processing resources.

As technology advances, systems are increasingly able to provide more information than a human operator can process accurately. Thus, a challenge for designers is to create interfaces that allow operators to process the optimal amount of data. It is herein proposed that this may be accomplished by creating multimodal display systems that augment or switch modalities to maximize user information processing. Such a system would ultimately be informed by a user's neurophysiological state. As a first step toward that goal, relevant literature is reviewed and a set of preliminary design guidelines for multimodal information systems is suggested.

This report represents a committee summary of the current state of knowledge regarding aftereffects and sense of presence in virtual environments (VEs). The work presented in this article, and the proposed research agenda, are the result of a special session that was set up in the framework of the Seventh International Conference on Human Computer Interaction. Recommendations were made by the committee regarding research needs in aftereffects and sense of presence, and, where possible, priorities were suggested. The research needs were structured in terms of the short, medium, and long term and, if followed, should lead toward the effective use of VE technology. The 2 most critical research issues identified were (a) standardization and use of measurement approaches for aftereffects and (b) identification and prioritization of sensorimotor discordances that drive aftereffects. Identification of aftereffects countermeasures (i.e., techniques to assist users in readily transitioning between the real and virtual worlds), reduction of system response latencies, and improvements in tracking technology were also thought to be of critical importance.

Metaphors are commonly used in human-computer interface design. These metaphoric designs, however, often do not extend beyond the surface-level interface. It stands to reason that more valid test of the benefits of such context-based designs would be derived from an analysis of metaphors that more closely approximate human-environment interaction. In this study, the influence of pictogram-based versus symbolic interface designs on human-computer performance was empirically evaluated. First, a Goals, Operators, Methods, Selection rules analysis was performed to determine how closely each of the designs assimilated the actual procedures an individual would use in real life. As expected, the symbolic design was found to break from the analogy at an earlier stage than the pictogram-based design, thus providing impetus for empirical testing. Novice and expert participants were given a set of computer-based tasks to perform using both designs, Dependent variables were performance time, total number of steps to task completion, and subjective reports workload. The performance results indicated that the novices significantly benefited from the use of the pictogram-based design in terms of performance time and efficiency. In addition, the performance of experts was significantly more efficient while using the pictogram-based design. These results provide empirical evidence to support the current trend in pictorial human-computer interface designs.

The software market has been inundated with Windows-based application programs claiming increased usability and convenience. Although this trend is indeed prolific, it has resulted in two important implications: (a) an increase in the need to select employees with high levels of Windows-based computer expertise or to identify current employees who require enhanced training, and (b) an increase in the need to measure user expertise to support human-computer interaction research. Despite these increasing demands, questionnaires used to determine general computer experience are scarce. Furthermore, questionnaires regarding computer experience in a Windows environment are seemingly nonexistent. A reliable means of measuring experience in a Windows environment could substantially facilitate both human-computer interaction research and training. This article describes the procedures used to develop and test the reliability of the Windows Computer Experience Questionnaire (WCEQ). A test-retest correlation revealed that the WCEQ is a reliable measure of computer experience. Furthermore, a subsequent factor analysis revealed that the WCEQ is composed of four main factors: general Windows experience, advanced Windows experience, formal instruction and reliance on help functions.

Exposure to virtual environments often causes users to experience symptoms of motion sickness. An accessory manifestation of motion sickness symptoms is postural disequilibrium. If the postural disequilibrium that occurs persists beyond the time an individual is within the confines of the laboratory or system site, user safety could be compromised and products liability issues could be forthcoming. In this study, a portable, automated postural assessment system is developed that can be employed before and after exposure to a virtual reality (VR) system in order to certify that a user's balance on exiting the system is at least demonstrably as good as it was on entering. It is argued that if the "coming out" balance performance is sufficiently poorer than the "going in" balance, then the user should be retained until the pretest balance performance is regained. The results from a set of normative and validation experiments on postural equilibrium identified several reliable measures of stance that could serve as a basis for certification. Furthermore, a new automated video-based measure using only head movement showed that performance over sessions is stable and reliable. The head movement changes that occur with stimuli, such as alcohol and simulator exposure, are well behaved, predictable, and significant even with small samples. The implication is that the proposed objective measure of postural stability, in conjunction with procedures for obtaining self-reports of symptoms, can afford some measure of certification that exposure to a given VR system is without harm.