Asymmetric collaboration in virtual reality

Abstract

It has been established that Virtual Reality (VR) possesses certain qualities for educational purposes. These include the ability to place the learner at the location or in the perspective that the desired knowledge exists (e.g., travelling to another planet or shrinking to miniature size to observe internal anatomy). VR is also considered to contribute with enriching the curricular content, promoting active forms of learning, performance assessment of high validity, and provide the opportunity to teach applied academic knowledge in life-like situations. In regards to teaching mathematics and geometry, three key affordances have been identified; interactive manipulation and construction of three-dimensional geometry, comprehension of spatial relationships, and rectification of abstract problems. Safety protocols and practical guidelines from classroom experimentation have also been formulated by various research projects.
 In this manuscript, asymmetrical immersive VR in education will be reviewed, as it is relevant for the narrative of learning situations where multiple students use the technology together. As an example, in mathematics, asymmetric VR could be used in contexts where unknown variables must be found in collaboration. The purpose of the narrative literature review is to gain a greater understanding of how asymmetric game mechanics has influence on communication and collaboration between learners. To map the dynamics of this type of learning activity, a taxonomy will be presented. Since VR is still under development in terms of hardware and software, it is important that the current and future technical possibilities are described in a conceptual manner, as well as conclude on optimal coupling between communication dynamics and collaboration mechanics.

A Composite Framework of Co-located Asymmetric Virtual Reality

“…The relevant conceptual frameworks underlying these 200 academic works were identified, either cited by the papers themselves or related to multiple papers. This resulting collection of 18 "framework papers" represents ideas from CSCW [2,10,14,19,26,32,42,51], VR [3,30,39], ludology [21,22], group decision making [46], organizational psychology [37,54], economics [1], and education technology literature [49]. These papers were then used to develop CAVR, a framework that draws on the multiple frameworks found.…”

“…Outside of video games, HMD-induced asymmetry has seen attention in collaborative 3D design [16], data analysis [12], and public experiences such as museums [15,17]. Similar to the idea of "blended classrooms" [7], asymmetric VR may also find application in HMD-based training and classroom education [49]. In each of these situations, researchers and designers need language to describe how asymmetric experiences differ.…”

“…The current scoping review revealed one conceptual paper on asymmetric VR. Thomsen et al [49] offer an existing characterization of asymmetry that includes an extension of the Harris et al [22] asymmetric video game design elements to VR. However, the Thomsen et al taxonomy focuses more on interaction design, including the timing of actions and direction of dependence within an asymmetric system rather than offering a broader view that includes the multitude of ways to experience asymmetry within VR.…”

“…A key factor of interdependence (or dependence) is the timing of actions. Action timing [22,49] is organized into five types. Coincident actions (1) occur simultaneously, while sequential/disjoint actions (2) occur in sequence with no required amount of time between them.…”

“…Considered together with dependence, one can posit that different action timings are better supported by a particular asymmetry [49]. While CAVR is intended as a conceptual framework supporting researchers, the alignment of timing and dependence may be additionally useful to designers of asymmetric VR.…”