Multi-sensory feedback can potentially improve user experience and performance in virtual environments. As it is complicated to study the effect of multi-sensory feedback as a single factor, we created a design space with these diverse cues, categorizing them into an appropriate granularity based on their origin and use cases. To examine the effects of tactile cues during non-fatiguing walking in immersive virtual environments, we selected certain tactile cues from the design space, movement wind, directional wind and footstep vibration, and another cue, footstep sounds, and investigated their influence and interaction with each other in more detail. We developed a virtual reality system with non-fatiguing walking interaction and low-latency, multi-sensory feedback, and then used it to conduct two successive experiments measuring user experience and performance through a triangle-completion task. We noticed some effects due to the addition of footstep vibration on task performance, and saw significant improvement due to the added tactile cues in reported user experience.

No description available.

University of Technology, Sydney. Faculty of Design, Architecture & Building. / The thesis explores the notions of immersive experience in museum exhibitions, and examines whether the communication of the exhibition content can be transmitted more effectively to visitors through the creation of an immersive environment. The study reviews the origins and changing interpretations of the term 'immersive experience', and draws upon the work of researchers including Heim (1998) and Bitgood (1990) to examine immersive experience in the context of museum exhibitions. The role of narrative in enhancing immersive experience in exhibitions is explored through the work of researchers including Hooper-Greenhill (2000) and the ideas of Joseph Campbell on myth, story telling, and the concept of 'hero'. Theories of effective communication and learning in the museum context are examined, as well as formal strategies that can be undertaken by museums to inform and facilitate communication and learning for the experience of the visitor. The author employs the methodology of 'participant observation', using her experience as Senior Designer at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney to reflect on the aspects of multi-sensory stimulation required for the communication process in an exhibition, and on what is achieved by the implementation of new technology into museum exhibition spaces. A number of exhibitions designed at the Powerhouse Museum by the author are used as case studies. The major outcome of the study is a theoretical framework on immersive experience that may be applied by museum designers and curators to enhance communication experience for visitors to exhibitions, or may be used by educators to enhance learning experiences for groups who use museums as learning environments. The thesis concludes with some ideas for further research in the area of immersive experience in the museum, including the development of a methodology for evaluating the effectiveness of immersive experiences created by museum designers.

No description available.

Starting with a group of lightning researchers, planetarium staff, and visualization specialists, an academically diverse group was formed through a grant from the National Science Foundation to develop a planetarium show on lightning. The show target audience is middle school aged children. The goal of the show is to teach lightning safety and lightning facts in an immersive environment. Through the use of video, an animated character, and a meteorologist, the curriculum is presented to the audience. I fulfilled the roles of producer and director through all aspects of production. My role also included maintaining group organization and communication throughout show production. This paper discusses my experiences in producing Enlightening Lightning! by starting with outlining the curriculum and finishing with putting it all together at the planetarium. The goal of this paper is to discuss the techniques and organizational methods used to manage a diverse group and produce a multimedia show.

A dificuldade dos estudantes em relação à aprendizagem de Algoritmos é um assunto que se renova, devido à grande demanda de mercado em relação a profissionais da área de Tecnologia da Informação. A complexidade na construção do raciocínio lógico e do Pensamento Computacional leva a altos índices de evasão e reprovação em disciplinas introdutórias de programação. A concepção tradicional no ensino de Algoritmos possui grandes desafios, da elaboração de materiais interessantes, que estimulem o aluno a resolver problemas, até o uso de novas tecnologias, a fim de motivar o discente em um ambiente dinâmico. Entendendo essas circunstâncias, esta tese tem como foco propor uma concepção diferenciada para o processo de ensino de Algoritmos, caracterizada por uma prática pedagógica baseada na integração de ambientes imersivos a paradigmas de programação, diferentes dos comumente utilizados em sala de aula. Os resultados alcançados com esta proposta mostraram que as características de interação e imersão, proporcionadas pelo mundo virtual, aliadas a ferramentas de programação em blocos visuais, motivam e estimulam a atenção dos alunos, tornando-os protagonistas no desenvolvimento de seus saberes sobre algoritmos e programação. Estas afirmações estão calcadas na observação dos experimentos realizados, com base na metodologia de ensino proposta, consolidados a partir de uma inferência estatística apurada sobre os resultados dos alunos na disciplina de Algoritmos e programação nos três semestres avaliados e, por uma análise detalhada sobre a evolução destes estudantes durante todas as atividades da última etapa do estudo. Estas análises mostraram efetivamente a evolução dos estudantes, tanto na construção do raciocínio lógico, quanto na melhoria do seu desempenho acadêmico. / Difficulties of students towards learning algorithms are a topic that is being renewed constantly, due to the large market demand in relation to professionals in the field of Information Technology. The complexity in the construction of logical reasoning and Computational Thinking leads to high rates of evasion and failure in introductory programming courses. Traditional concept in teaching algorithms has great challenges, since the development of interesting materials that encourage students to solve problems, until to the use of new technologies in order to motivate the students in a dynamic environment. Understanding these circumstances, this thesis focuses on proposing a different design to the process of teaching algorithms, characterized by a pedagogical practice based on the integration of immersive environments with programming paradigms, different from those commonly used in the classroom. The results obtained with this proposal showed that the interaction and immersion features offered by the virtual world, combined with programming tools in visual blocks, motivate and stimulate student's attention, making them protagonists in developing their knowledge about algorithms and programming. These statements are justified by the observation of experiments conducted, based on the proposed teaching methodology, consolidated from a statistical inference calculated on the results of the students in the discipline of algorithms and programming in three semesters evaluated, and, for a detailed analysis of the evolution of these students during all activities of the last stage of the study. These analyzes showed effectively the progress of students, both in the construction of logical reasoning and in improving their academic performance.

A dificuldade dos estudantes em relação à aprendizagem de Algoritmos é um assunto que se renova, devido à grande demanda de mercado em relação a profissionais da área de Tecnologia da Informação. A complexidade na construção do raciocínio lógico e do Pensamento Computacional leva a altos índices de evasão e reprovação em disciplinas introdutórias de programação. A concepção tradicional no ensino de Algoritmos possui grandes desafios, da elaboração de materiais interessantes, que estimulem o aluno a resolver problemas, até o uso de novas tecnologias, a fim de motivar o discente em um ambiente dinâmico. Entendendo essas circunstâncias, esta tese tem como foco propor uma concepção diferenciada para o processo de ensino de Algoritmos, caracterizada por uma prática pedagógica baseada na integração de ambientes imersivos a paradigmas de programação, diferentes dos comumente utilizados em sala de aula. Os resultados alcançados com esta proposta mostraram que as características de interação e imersão, proporcionadas pelo mundo virtual, aliadas a ferramentas de programação em blocos visuais, motivam e estimulam a atenção dos alunos, tornando-os protagonistas no desenvolvimento de seus saberes sobre algoritmos e programação. Estas afirmações estão calcadas na observação dos experimentos realizados, com base na metodologia de ensino proposta, consolidados a partir de uma inferência estatística apurada sobre os resultados dos alunos na disciplina de Algoritmos e programação nos três semestres avaliados e, por uma análise detalhada sobre a evolução destes estudantes durante todas as atividades da última etapa do estudo. Estas análises mostraram efetivamente a evolução dos estudantes, tanto na construção do raciocínio lógico, quanto na melhoria do seu desempenho acadêmico. / Difficulties of students towards learning algorithms are a topic that is being renewed constantly, due to the large market demand in relation to professionals in the field of Information Technology. The complexity in the construction of logical reasoning and Computational Thinking leads to high rates of evasion and failure in introductory programming courses. Traditional concept in teaching algorithms has great challenges, since the development of interesting materials that encourage students to solve problems, until to the use of new technologies in order to motivate the students in a dynamic environment. Understanding these circumstances, this thesis focuses on proposing a different design to the process of teaching algorithms, characterized by a pedagogical practice based on the integration of immersive environments with programming paradigms, different from those commonly used in the classroom. The results obtained with this proposal showed that the interaction and immersion features offered by the virtual world, combined with programming tools in visual blocks, motivate and stimulate student's attention, making them protagonists in developing their knowledge about algorithms and programming. These statements are justified by the observation of experiments conducted, based on the proposed teaching methodology, consolidated from a statistical inference calculated on the results of the students in the discipline of algorithms and programming in three semesters evaluated, and, for a detailed analysis of the evolution of these students during all activities of the last stage of the study. These analyzes showed effectively the progress of students, both in the construction of logical reasoning and in improving their academic performance.

A dificuldade dos estudantes em relação à aprendizagem de Algoritmos é um assunto que se renova, devido à grande demanda de mercado em relação a profissionais da área de Tecnologia da Informação. A complexidade na construção do raciocínio lógico e do Pensamento Computacional leva a altos índices de evasão e reprovação em disciplinas introdutórias de programação. A concepção tradicional no ensino de Algoritmos possui grandes desafios, da elaboração de materiais interessantes, que estimulem o aluno a resolver problemas, até o uso de novas tecnologias, a fim de motivar o discente em um ambiente dinâmico. Entendendo essas circunstâncias, esta tese tem como foco propor uma concepção diferenciada para o processo de ensino de Algoritmos, caracterizada por uma prática pedagógica baseada na integração de ambientes imersivos a paradigmas de programação, diferentes dos comumente utilizados em sala de aula. Os resultados alcançados com esta proposta mostraram que as características de interação e imersão, proporcionadas pelo mundo virtual, aliadas a ferramentas de programação em blocos visuais, motivam e estimulam a atenção dos alunos, tornando-os protagonistas no desenvolvimento de seus saberes sobre algoritmos e programação. Estas afirmações estão calcadas na observação dos experimentos realizados, com base na metodologia de ensino proposta, consolidados a partir de uma inferência estatística apurada sobre os resultados dos alunos na disciplina de Algoritmos e programação nos três semestres avaliados e, por uma análise detalhada sobre a evolução destes estudantes durante todas as atividades da última etapa do estudo. Estas análises mostraram efetivamente a evolução dos estudantes, tanto na construção do raciocínio lógico, quanto na melhoria do seu desempenho acadêmico. / Difficulties of students towards learning algorithms are a topic that is being renewed constantly, due to the large market demand in relation to professionals in the field of Information Technology. The complexity in the construction of logical reasoning and Computational Thinking leads to high rates of evasion and failure in introductory programming courses. Traditional concept in teaching algorithms has great challenges, since the development of interesting materials that encourage students to solve problems, until to the use of new technologies in order to motivate the students in a dynamic environment. Understanding these circumstances, this thesis focuses on proposing a different design to the process of teaching algorithms, characterized by a pedagogical practice based on the integration of immersive environments with programming paradigms, different from those commonly used in the classroom. The results obtained with this proposal showed that the interaction and immersion features offered by the virtual world, combined with programming tools in visual blocks, motivate and stimulate student's attention, making them protagonists in developing their knowledge about algorithms and programming. These statements are justified by the observation of experiments conducted, based on the proposed teaching methodology, consolidated from a statistical inference calculated on the results of the students in the discipline of algorithms and programming in three semesters evaluated, and, for a detailed analysis of the evolution of these students during all activities of the last stage of the study. These analyzes showed effectively the progress of students, both in the construction of logical reasoning and in improving their academic performance.

Cette thèse porte sur la localisation de la position virtuelle de sources sonores utilisant des moyens de reproduction acoustique du type immersif de faible coût. L’étude compare la performance d’utilisateurs avec et sans défis visuels. Des études de multiples sources montrent qu’un pourcentage important des personnes ayant des défis visuels vivent avec des revenus annuels très bas. Ce constat a orienté ce projet de recherche, afin que les technologies acoustiques utilisées dans les essais soient des technologies de reproduction acoustique de faible coût. Ceci, pour couvrir le contexte acoustique le plus probable chez les utilisateurs de cette technologie. La création de plusieurs jeux acoustiques immersifs dans le contexte académique a exposé le besoin d’un modèle de perception capable d’orienter les concepteurs de scénarios acoustiques par rapport aux échantillons sonores à utiliser (la fréquence du son et leur positionnement). Un modèle de convivialité pour l’utilisation d’échantillons sonores dans un contexte acoustique immersif de bas coût est défini comme résultat des constats expérimentaux. La littérature expose l’existence d’une capacité accrue pour déterminer la localisation d’objets et d’interlocuteurs par des personnes non voyantes. L’origine de cet accroissement de capacité semble être relié à une utilisation plus efficace de l’information auditive ou à une spécialisation d’une partie du cortex visuel pour traiter l’information sonore. La présente expérience suggère que, dans un contexte acoustique immersif de faible coût, les personnes avec et sans défis visuels ont une performance similaire dans la localisation de la position virtuelle des sons produits. Les conclusions sont établies à partir du résultat de l’analyse comparative de métriques objectives pour 55 participants (19 ayant des défis visuels et 36 sans défis visuels) réalisant une activité de jeu acoustique sans interface visuelle. L’analyse des actions de localisation des participants dans 10500 évènements sonores, donne des résultats conformes aux attentes et est à la base des constats et du modèle de convivialité. Des stratégies de localisation de la position virtuelle du son ont été analysées et les conclusions sont présentées. Un modèle de convivialité acoustique appliqué au contexte est proposé. Celui-ci est un graphique d’interprétation simple, destiné aux concepteurs d’acoustique pour environnements immersifs.

This dissertation is comprised of three articles that discuss the linguistic choices made by six Mormon missionaries who had been assigned to work with the Spanish speaking population of southern Arizona. Data was collected through interviews, reflective journals, and participate observations. The first article chronicles the missionaries' feelings about a temporary language use rule that required them to speak Spanish from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm for one week. The missionaries experienced elevated confidence as they increased their Spanish use, but also found it to be tiring. The rule provided sufficient motivation for them to significantly alter their linguistic behavior, but once the week was over they reverted back to mostly speaking English. The second article examines how their behavior changed during that week. The missionaries explained their temporary goal to the Spanish-English bilinguals they worked with who were happy to also alter their language use and accommodate the missionaries' Spanish speaking objective. However, other language learning missionaries outside of the group of six were less accommodating and often continued speaking to the missionaries in the study in English even when spoken to in Spanish. The third article discusses the factors that influence which language missionaries choose to use. They often felt uneasy in initial encounters when speaking to someone who might be a native Spanish speaker. Many of their linguistic choices were made based on phenotype, but they preferred to speak to a new person in whichever language they overheard them speaking. The missionaries also felt that native Spanish speakers rejected their invitations to speak Spanish simply because they were white. While race played a large role in language choice, both the missionaries and their interlocutors were invested in conversing in the language that made the other most comfortable. This paper shows that Spanish language learning missionaries in the United States are eager to improve their linguistic abilities, but often require external motivation and community support to use the target language.