Loading...
12 results
Search Results
Now showing 1 - 10 of 12
- Collaboration in 3D virtual worlds : a protocol for case study researchPublication . Cruz, Armando; Paredes, Hugo; Fonseca, Benjamim; Martins, Paulo; Morgado, LeonelThree-dimensional virtual worlds have been growing fast in number of users, and are used for the most diverse purposes. In collaboration, they are used with good results due to features such as immersion, interaction capabilities, use of avatar embodiment, and physical space. In the particular cases of avatar embodiment and physical space, these features support nonverbal communication, but its impact on collaboration is not well known. In this work we present a protocol for case study research and its creation process, which aims to assert itself as a tool to collect data on how nonverbal communication influences collaboration in three-dimensional virtual worlds. We define the propositions and units of analysis, and a pilot case to validate them. Then, two cases are analysed under the created protocol. Most of the propositions found chains of evidences supporting them.
- Development of a mechanical maintenance training simulator in OpenSimulator for F-16 aircraft enginesPublication . Pinheiro, André; Fernandes, Paulo; Maia, Ana Margarida; Cruz, Gonçalo; Pedrosa, Daniela; Fonseca, Benjamim; Paredes, Hugo; Martins, Paulo; Morgado, Leonel; Rafael, JorgeMechanical maintenance of F-16 engines is carried out as a team effort involving 3 to 4 skilled engine technicians. This paper presents the development of a mechanical maintenance simulator for their training. This simulator aims to enable technician training to be enhanced with cooperation and context prior to the training phase with actual physical engines. We describe the requirements that were identified with the Portuguese Air Force, the overall software architecture of the system, the current stage of the prototype, and the outcomes of the first field tests with users.
- Integrating virtual worlds with learning management systems : the MULTIS approachPublication . Morgado, Leonel; Paredes, Hugo; Fonseca, Benjamim; Martins, Paulo; Almeida, Álvaro; Vilela, Andreas; Pires, Bruno; Cardoso, Márcio; Peixinho, Filipe; Santos, ArnaldoLearning Management Systems (LMS) provide minimal support for educational use of virtual worlds. Integration efforts assume the educators are inside the virtual world, providing hooks to services in the external LMS, to setup and manage virtual world activities. We present the inverse approach, enabling educators to setup and manage virtual world activities using the traditional LMS Web interface as an integral part of the overall educational activities of a course. In our approach, the LMS enables the teacher/trainer to setup, control, track, and store virtual world activities and its elements. It is the result of a joint effort by academic and corporate teams, implemented in the Formare LMS for OpenSimulator and Second Life Grid virtual world platforms. We explain how the Multis architecture can be used for integration, with concrete cases, an approach that can be implemented in other LMS and virtual world platforms, to overcome the limitations of existing systems for organizational management of e-learning activities.
- Exploring the usage of 3D virtual worlds and kinect interaction in exergames with elderlyPublication . Paredes, Hugo; Cassola, Fernando; Morgado, Leonel; Carvalho, Fausto de; Ala, Silvia; Cardoso, Francisco; Fonseca, Benjamim; Martins, PauloThe combination of the potentialities of the interactive technologies, like exergames and the emerging motion capture devices with the ability of 3D virtual worlds for socialisation and context, can produce a platform to promote the physical activity of its users, which leverages its potential. The OnlineGym is an exploratory project based on an online 3D virtual worlds platform that allows users to interact with the system through the use of a motion capture device. This paper discusses the chosen technological approaches and the preliminary results of the experiments performed with users.
- Model-driven generation of multi-user and multi-domain choreographies for staging in multiple virtual world platformsPublication . Silva, Emanuel; Silva, Nuno; Morgado, LeonelThis paper presents an approach that enables the staging of choreographies for education and training purposes in multiple virtual world platforms. Choreography is the description of a set of actions that must or may be executed by a group of participants, including the goals to be achieved and any restrictions that may exist. For capturing and representing multi-actor multi-domain choreographies an approach based on ontologies with distinct levels of abstraction is adopted. Further, this paper proposes a modelling driven approach and a set of processes that, through mappings between ontologies, enable the automatic construction of a platform-specific choreography from a platform-independent one, thus reducing the time and effort of the choreography development. For this, the MDA paradigm was adopted and adapted in a way where models can reflect two dimensions of independence: platform independence and application domain independence. We also point the guidelines for staging the choreography in a virtual world platform.
- Staging choreographies for team training in multiple virtual worlds based on ontologies and alignmentsPublication . Silva, Emanuel; Silva, Nuno; Morgado, LeonelIn this paper we present an approach that makes possible the staging of choreographies for education and training purposes in potentially any virtual world platform. A choreography is seen here as the description of a set of actions that must or may be executed by a group of participants, including the goals to be achieved and any restrictions that may exist. We present a system architecture and the formalization of a set of processes that are able to transform a choreography from a platform-independent representation into a specific virtual world platform’s representation. We adopt an ontology-based approach with distinct levels of abstraction for capturing and representing multi-actors and multi-domain choreographies to be staged in virtual world platforms with distinct characteristics. Ontologies are characterized according to two complementary dimensions – choreography’s domain (independent and dependent) and virtual world platform (independent and dependent) – giving rise to four ontologies. Ontology mappings between these ontologies enable the automatic generation of a choreography for virtually any target virtual world platform, thus reducing the time and effort of the choreography development.
- A review of management tools for OpenSimulatorPublication . Vicente, Bruno; Sousa, Fernando Pais de; Furtado, Pedro; Faria, João Pascoal; Morgado, LeonelTo host OpenSimulator virtual world servers at educational institutions, system administrators find at their disposal a diversity of web-based management systems with different sets of features. To support the selection among current management tools and provide a baseline from which to identify subsequent development needs, we installed and evaluated 4 of these systems (WiFi pages, OSMW, MWI and jOpenSim), analysing and comparing their features. WiFi pages only provides account-management features. MWI has mostly the same features, but also provides systems administrators with the option of creating their own management website. OSMW has account-management and maintenance features, such as log management and editing of configuration files. jOpenSim provides features for account and event management and feature for generating some actions within virtual world, such as broadcasting a message to all regions. From matching the identified features with the literature-reported requirements for virtual world deployment at educational organizations, we conclude that there is no management tool that fulfils all the functional requirements reported in the literature and, therefore, that the adoption of current tools by system administrators will always requires manually performing some of the administrative tasks. We therefore call for development of novel, more encompassing administrative tools for OpenSimulator virtual worlds.
- iLRN 2018 Montana. Workshop, long and short paper, and poster proceedings from the fourth immersive learning research network conferencePublication . Beck, Dennis; Allison, Colin; Morgado, Leonel; Peña-Rios, Anasol; Ogle, Todd; Richter, Jonathon; Gütl, ChristianWorkshop, short paper, and long paper proceedings
- Integration scenarios of virtual worlds in learning management systems using the MULTIS approachPublication . Morgado, Leonel; Paredes, Hugo; Fonseca, Benjamim; Martins, Paulo; Almeida, Álvaro; Vilela, Andreas; Pires, Bruno; Cardoso, Márcio; Peixinho, Filipe; Santos, ArnaldoThis work further clarifies how the MULTIS architecture can be used for integration of virtual worlds in learning management system (LMS) for organizational management of e-learning activities, as an extension to a previous work published in the proceedings of VEAI 2016. Current LMSs provide minimal support for educational use in an organizational context, and other integration efforts assume that educators are inside the virtual world, accessing the LMS as an external service. Our approach enables educators to set up and manage virtual world activities from within the traditional LMS Web interface as an integral part of the overall educational activities of a course. The MULTIS architecture foresees several alternative communication channels between LMS and virtual worlds, including the spooling of automated clients or “bots” and the flexibility to inject code if necessary and possible. In this work, we detail the application of this architecture and its approach in several sample scenarios, based on previous analysis of integration requirements. It is the result of a joint effort by academic and corporate teams, implemented and tested in the Formare LMS for OpenSimulator and Second Life Grid virtual world platforms.
- Requirements for the use of virtual worlds in corporate training : perspectives from the post-mortem of a corporate e-learning provider approach of Second Life and OpenSimulatorPublication . Morgado, Leonel; Paredes, Hugo; Fonseca, Benjamim; Martins, Paulo; Antunes, Ricardo; Moreira, Lúcia; Carvalho, Fausto de; Peixinho, Filipe; Santos, ArnaldoBetween 2009 and 2011, a joint academia-industry effort took place to integrate Second Life and OpenSimulator platforms into a corporate elearning provider’s learning management platform. The process involved managers and lead developers at the provider and an academic engineering research team. We performed content analysis on the documents produced in this process, seeking data on the corporate perspective of requirements for virtual world platforms to be usable in everyday practice. In this paper, we present the requirements found in the documents, and detail how they emerged and evolved throughout the process.