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Computer-mediated communications (CMC) can be used as a substitute for face-to-face (FtF) meetings but their effectiveness is highly context dependent. This paper describes a theoretical framework and initial experimental design for characterizing a travel replacement threshold. This effort begins with a use case of remote engineering maintenance training, conducted in three conditions: side-by-side (physically proximate), teleconference (using off-the-shelf software), and a custom VR/AR system designed to provide the apprentice with a virtual view of both the instructor’s larger scale lab and smaller scale workbench. The research hypotheses, experimental protocol, and dependent measures are described. The task involves an instructor demonstrating a circuit board troubleshooting task to a remote apprentice. The apprentice then completes the trained task independently, and performance and subject preferences are compared across conditions. The details of this paper, the result of extensive literature review and winnowing of variables, may assist researchers exploring CMC, training, or social communication.

Computer-mediated communication (CMC) has become the new normal in the era of pandemic-induced physical distancing. CMC has dramatically reduced business travel and daily commuting for knowledge workers able to work from home, which in turn reduces carbon emissions and energy expenditure. CMC offers a different communication experience compared to in-person interactions, and its impact on the success of communication is complex. Here, we report the Communication Objectives Model (COM), a framework developed to: a) understand differences in the performance of communication objectives between CMC and face-to-face interactions, and b) guide future research on measurement of such communication objectives. Given that effective communication is essentially the result of a team activity, the psychosocial constructs that comprise our framework are derived from team research across multiple domains (e.g., social psychology, human-computer interaction, and computer supported cooperative work). Constructs of interest include trust, rapport, engagement, conflict management, collective efficacy, mental models, and shared situation awareness. For each construct, we provide a definition, empirical evidence, and theoretical bases for its observable behavioral markers, as well as potential measurement methods and analytical techniques. The contributions of this research include a framework for characterizing differences between different communication media, a hypothetical implementation demonstrating how the framework can inform the decision to travel in-person versus to deploy CMC (i.e., a travel replacement threshold), and an inventory of tools and techniques that can be used to measure and assess the psychosocial constructs involved in CMC.

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