The prevalence of adolescent school absenteeism due to severe bullying in the UK exceeds 16 000 young people, and the occurrence of anxious school refusers (including self-exclusion due to bullying) is a well-documented issue that transcends geographical borders. The research context for this study is a virtual school (Red Balloon of the Air) that provides educational, therapeutic and social support for some of these young people who are missing out on an education, many of whom have had difficult experiences with peers in previous educational settings. The aim of this case study was to investigate factors that aid or inhibit peer-to-peer interaction and collaboration during a Project Based Learning (PBL) activity in a virtual high school for anxious school refusers. A conceptual framework drawing on the works of Moore (1989), Curtis and Lawson (2001) and Murphy (2004) was developed to analyse the subsidiary research questions. The findings show that notable levels of peer-to-peer interaction were recorded in the chat transcripts from the PBL activity (31.9%), however this interaction did not constitute any notable form of collaboration in the small group activities where the highest concentration of peer-to-peer interactions were recorded. The factors that appear to aid peer-to-peer interaction include incorporating small group work, pairing newer students with more experienced students, and introducing blended learning opportunities whereby students interact face-to-face. In addition to this, on average an increased length of time at the virtual school seems to increase peerto- peer interaction, with the exception of students experiencing emotional difficulty during activities, and level of student choice resulting in students sometimes choosing to working alone. The role of the teacher in peer-to-peer interactions and supporting collaboration is a prominent theme, in particular how the use of technology increases the teacher's access to student conversations which could make the teachers more likely to intervene with solutions. Peer-to-peer interaction and social presence are a pre-requisite for collaboration, however as evidenced in this study the presence of both does not automatically mean collaboration will occur. The limitations of this study include that the findings are based on one PBL activity, which took place in the final weeks of the academic year with no links to the national curriculum. The findings of the study serve as a foundation for further research in the field.

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This study concerns differences between two different generations of people, the younger generation born the year 2000, compared with the older generation born from the 1960s. This study compares these two groups in how they interpret sounds in video games and their affective response to them.  27 participants were gathered for the experiments and did tests in their respective group. They were asked to listen to the sounds, without discussion with each other, instead, they had to rely on their own individual personal experience from video games to answer the questions. After the sounds had been played, a discussion was held with the participants about their previous experience with video games.   The sounds used in the experiments were made from a game sound design perspective and guidelines.

Denna studie ämnar att undersöka studera vilka faktorer hos en virtuell löpartränare genom en smartklocka bidrar till en god användarupplevelse hos motionslöpare samt vad som gör de benägna att använda en virtuell tränare till framtida träningar. I den här studien har sex motionslöpare, som springer en till tre gånger i veckan, fått springa med en virtuell tränare genom en smartklocka under ett träningspass på en löparbana och därefter blivit intervjuade och delat sina upplevelser och åsikter om träningspasset med virtuella tränaren. Löpning är för de mesta löpare ett sätt att rymma från stress och söka välmående. I den aspekten kan löpning ses som en positiv upplevelse som gör människor glada. Att förstå användarupplevelsen mellan löpare och teknologi kan bli en god startpunkt till att designa för en bättre löpningsupplevelse. Studien resulterade att audiofeedback och coaching var bidragande faktorer till deltagarnas goda användarupplevelse samt att feedback baserat på träningen ökade deltagarnas sensoriska engagemang. / This study examines what factors of a virtual trainer through a smartwatch contribute to a good user experience in recreational runners as well as what makes them prone to use a virtual trainer in future workouts. In this study, six recreational runners, who runs one to three times a week, have run with a virtual trainer through a smartwatch during a workout on a running track and then been interviewed and shared their experiences and opinions about the workout with the virtual running trainer. Running for most runners is a way to escape from stress and seek well-being. In that aspect, running can be seen as a positive experience that makes people happy. Understanding the user experience between runners and technology can be a good starting point to design for a better running experience. The study resulted in audio feedback and coaching being contributing factors to the participants 'good user experience and that feedback based on the training increased the participants' sensory engagement.

This master thesis covers the automatic generation of camera motions for simplified navigation in OpenSpace, an open-source astrovisualization software. The project was conducted at the Tandon School of Engineering at New York University in Brooklyn, New York, in collaboration with the American Museum of Natural History. The start phase of the project consisted of research and analysis of the characteristics of ap-propriate paths in OpenSpace as well as the needs of current OpenSpace pilots and users. The resulting characteristics were then translated to use cases and properties for the automatic camera flight system. Based on these use cases two sub-systems were developed: one for specifying details on the path to be created and one that creates a path from that specification. The paths are created using spline mathematics, where the control points of the spline are generated based on information about the scene and target objects. The spline curve is used for defining algorithms for controlling the speed and orientation interpolation along the path. Two example curve types were implemented, with different strategies for rotation interpolation and spline creation. The first curve is based on the assumption that the path is to be created between two visual targets in scene. It creates a zooming out motion that is especially useful when for example moving between planets in the solar system. The second curve type is more general and has the main focus of avoiding collision with objects in the scene. This makes it useful for creating paths to targets that are close to other objects, such as spacecraft orbiting a planet. The system can later be extended with more alternative types. The result is a system that is capable of interpreting a specification from a user, creating a path based on that specification and moving the camera along that path. Instructions are provided through the system in the form of a list of targets that can be specified with varying levels of detail. The resulting system provides a good foundation for automatic camera motions in OpenSpace. Some work remains to solve challenges related to the scale and sparsity of the environment. There is also room for future extensions and improvements, especially regarding the control of the speed of the camera. / <p>Examensarbetet är utfört vid Institutionen för teknik och naturvetenskap (ITN) vid Tekniska fakulteten, Linköpings universitet</p>

Music branding is not a new phenomenon in marketing, and it is not uncommon that companies brand themselves through means such as jingles, audio logotypes and the use of music in commercials. The digitalization of music has affected the way people listen to music, but it has also given brands the potential to brand themselves through music in other ways than those mentioned above. The aim of this study is to investigate and identify how music branding in alternative ways on digital platforms can build value for brands in the fashion industry. A literature study was conducted in the first part of this study, followed by a multiple-case study of the fashion companies Burberry and Converse and their respective digital platforms Burberry Acoustic and Converse Rubber Tracks. The findings indicate that the alternative music branding analyzed in this case study is successful and that it has led to both brands having a deeper emotional connection with their consumers. Having identified their respective target groups, they have managed to adjust their ways of alternative music branding to the needs of their customers.

This study is connected to the project Sonification of Goods in Stores, which aims to prevent retail theft. The goal was to investigate whether or not test subjects timed their computer mouse clicks in relation to background music. It builds upon other experiments on adaptation to external rhythms. The study was performed by recording click-times when test participants were doing an online quiz while listening to background music. Two types of clicks were of interest. The main focus was clicks on question boxes, which triggered an interaction sound and a popup with a question when clicked. Clicks on the answer buttons, of which there were 4 for each question, each containing a prewritten alternative, was of secondary interest. The click-times were analyzed using a Chi2-test, comparing the number of clicks within different sections of the music. The results fail to support the idea that clicks on question boxes are correlated to the background music, but suggest some correlation for clicks on answer buttons. However, the deviation from an even distribution was small while the individual differences were big, hence it is reasonable to for practical applications act as if there was no correlation. / Denna studie är kopplad till projektet Sonification of Goods in Stores, som ämnar att förebygga butiksstölder. Målet var att undersöka huruvida försökspersoner anpassade sina datormusklick efter bakgrundsmusik. Den bygger på andra experiment på anpassning till externa rytmer. Studien utfördes genom att registrera klicktider medan försökspersoner deltog i digital frågesport. Två typer av klick var av intresse. Huvudfokus var klick på frågerutor, som orsakade ett interaktionsljud och en popup med en fråga när de klickades på. Klick på svarsalternativ, av vilka det fanns 4 per fråga, vardera med ett förifyllt svar, var av sekundärt intresse. Klicktiderna analyserades med Chi2-test, som jämförde antalet klick inom olika delar av musiken. Resultaten tyder inte på att klick på frågerutor skulle vara korrelerade till bakgrundsmusiken, men antydde visst samband för klick på svarsalternativ. Avvikelsen från jämn fördelning var dock liten medan de individuella skillnaderna var stora, därför är det rimligt att för praktiska applikationer agera som om sambandet inte existerade.

<p>Examensarbetet är utfört vid Institutionen för teknik och naturvetenskap (ITN) vid Tekniska fakulteten, Linköpings universitet</p>

<p>Examensarbetet är utfört vid Institutionen för teknik och naturvetenskap (ITN) vid Tekniska fakulteten, Linköpings universitet</p>

Immersive media provides new avenues for preserving and sharing traditional folktales. To keep up with modern generations and continue to cultivate an interest in the arts as well as different cultures, this researcher argues that storytellers need to keep on adapting by conveying stories in new ways. Virtual Reality (VR) offers an interesting medium to present and preserve folktales. The goal of this study is to evaluate the user and learner experience of an immersive digital media application design using a think aloud protocol, surveys, and tests to document what worked and what did not in the design, including if any informal learning was achieved. To study the design, the investigator re-created a scene of a folktale using immersive technology. For the study, one scene from the new narrative was selected to investigate. The narrative is based on the story type, ATU 480: The Kind and the Unkind Girls, a wonder tale type in the Aarne-Thompson-Uther (ATU) Index, which is a catalog of folktale types used in folklore studies. For this pilot study, 26 participants, primarily Games and Interactive Media (GaIM) students at the University of Central Florida, were gathered. The prototype entitled "The Daughter," was mainly influenced by a Romanian version of the tale and made for the Oculus Quest VR headset. The surveys and tests showed that learning was perceived as well as achieved and that users did feel a sense of immersion, presence, etc., but low audio issues plagued some users. The practical implications of VR storytelling include the potential for discourse about new service strategies and design guidelines, inspired by an iterative design, as embodiment and an increased sense of immersion may aid in digital storytelling. This study also continues the conversation on preserving digital folktales and the role that authenticity plays.