CollabVR: VR Testing for Increasing Social Interaction between College Students
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education has accelerated the shift in learning paradigms toward synchronous and asynchronous online approaches, significantly reducing students’ social interactions. This study introduces CollabVR, as a social virtual reality (SVR) platform designed to improve...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Computers |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-431X/13/2/40 |
| _version_ | 1797298556939272192 |
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| author | Diego Johnson Brayan Mamani Cesar Salas |
| author_facet | Diego Johnson Brayan Mamani Cesar Salas |
| author_sort | Diego Johnson |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education has accelerated the shift in learning paradigms toward synchronous and asynchronous online approaches, significantly reducing students’ social interactions. This study introduces CollabVR, as a social virtual reality (SVR) platform designed to improve social interaction among remote university students through extracurricular activities (ECAs). Leveraging technologies such as Unity3D for the development of the SVR environment, Photon Unity Networking for real-time participant connection, Oculus Quest 2 for immersive virtual reality experience, and AWS for efficient and scalable system performance, it aims to mitigate this social interaction deficit. The platform was tested using the sociability scale of Kreijns et al., comparing it with traditional online platforms. Results from a focus group in Lima, Peru, with students participating in online ECAs, demonstrated that CollabVR significantly improved participants perceived social interaction, with a mean of 4.65 ± 0.49 compared to traditional platforms with a mean of 2.35 ± 0.75, fostering a sense of community and improving communication. The study highlights the potential of CollabVR as a powerful tool to overcome socialization challenges in virtual learning environments, suggesting a more immersive and engaging approach to distance education. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T22:36:37Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-83d55d7028124f188c246b35a6656e8b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-431X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T22:36:37Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Computers |
| spelling | doaj.art-83d55d7028124f188c246b35a6656e8b2024-02-23T15:12:54ZengMDPI AGComputers2073-431X2024-01-011324010.3390/computers13020040CollabVR: VR Testing for Increasing Social Interaction between College StudentsDiego Johnson0Brayan Mamani1Cesar Salas2College of Software Engineering, Peruvian University of Applied Sciences, Lima 15023, PeruCollege of Software Engineering, Peruvian University of Applied Sciences, Lima 15023, PeruCollege of Software Engineering, Peruvian University of Applied Sciences, Lima 15023, PeruThe impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education has accelerated the shift in learning paradigms toward synchronous and asynchronous online approaches, significantly reducing students’ social interactions. This study introduces CollabVR, as a social virtual reality (SVR) platform designed to improve social interaction among remote university students through extracurricular activities (ECAs). Leveraging technologies such as Unity3D for the development of the SVR environment, Photon Unity Networking for real-time participant connection, Oculus Quest 2 for immersive virtual reality experience, and AWS for efficient and scalable system performance, it aims to mitigate this social interaction deficit. The platform was tested using the sociability scale of Kreijns et al., comparing it with traditional online platforms. Results from a focus group in Lima, Peru, with students participating in online ECAs, demonstrated that CollabVR significantly improved participants perceived social interaction, with a mean of 4.65 ± 0.49 compared to traditional platforms with a mean of 2.35 ± 0.75, fostering a sense of community and improving communication. The study highlights the potential of CollabVR as a powerful tool to overcome socialization challenges in virtual learning environments, suggesting a more immersive and engaging approach to distance education.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-431X/13/2/40social virtual realityvirtual learning environmentssocial interactioncollege studentsremote educationextracurricular activities |
| spellingShingle | Diego Johnson Brayan Mamani Cesar Salas CollabVR: VR Testing for Increasing Social Interaction between College Students Computers social virtual reality virtual learning environments social interaction college students remote education extracurricular activities |
| title | CollabVR: VR Testing for Increasing Social Interaction between College Students |
| title_full | CollabVR: VR Testing for Increasing Social Interaction between College Students |
| title_fullStr | CollabVR: VR Testing for Increasing Social Interaction between College Students |
| title_full_unstemmed | CollabVR: VR Testing for Increasing Social Interaction between College Students |
| title_short | CollabVR: VR Testing for Increasing Social Interaction between College Students |
| title_sort | collabvr vr testing for increasing social interaction between college students |
| topic | social virtual reality virtual learning environments social interaction college students remote education extracurricular activities |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-431X/13/2/40 |
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