This paper compares the properties of physical and digital workspaces in the context of a prototype of a collaborative virtual environment that has been developed with reference to work in design professions and concentrates on the organisation of work materials. Spatial properties are analysed in terms of the sociality of workspace use. Digital spaces can be engineered to mimic or to transcend...

In this invited talk, I examine how the technologies of networking and desktop virtual reality can be used to enhance the quality of student learning. I use the C–VISions (Collaborative Virtual Interactive Simulations) system, developed at the National University of Singapore, as an exemplar system to help the audience appreciate the unique advantages that the technology affords for student lea...

In the last decades a new culture of childhood has been emerging that redefines the relations between children and their social environment. Instead of seeing children as passive actors in the society where they live, children are regarded as social actors capable of supplying their own personal and active contribution to social life. This approach includes involving children in the planning of...

Collaborative virtual environments are becoming an intrinsic part of professional practices. In addition to providing collaboration support, they have the potential to collect vast amounts of multimedia data about the actions and content of such collaborative activities. The aim of this research is to utilize this data effectively, extract meaningful insights out of it and feed discovered knowl...

The general goal of Collaborative Virtual Environments (CVEs) is to provide a space within which people may interact. CVEs are increasingly being used to support collaborative work between geographically separated participants. User embodiment is concerned with the provision of users with a representation of their choice so as to make others (and themselves) aware of their presence in a virtual...

The growing need for communication, visualization and organization technologies in the field of e-learning environments has led to the application of virtual reality and the use of collaborative virtual environments. This paper presents a system architecture to support such environments, defined by user needs and using state of the

The lack of intuitive and non-intrusive non-verbal cues is one of the distinctive features that separate computer-mediated communication settings from face-to-face encounters. The analysis of the non-verbal communication forms in a multi-player game session indicates that the participants of collaborative virtual environment can effectively use various forms of non-verbal communication to reduc...

In the recent years, the usage of three dimensional (3D) Collaborative Virtual Environments (CVEs) for educational purposes has increased. The metaphors behind the design of virtual places are quite diverse, from replication of real universities to art museums and scientific labs. This paper reports the results of a case study where the students of our university, as a part of their course assi...

We argue that a conceptual framework is required to support the practical evaluation of collaborative virtual environments. We propose such a framework based on an extended, three level concept of affordance. The application of the framework is illustrated by way of a case study. We conclude with some reflection on the framework’s effectiveness and identify areas where further tools or conceptu...

The impact of Collaborative Virtual Environments (CVEs) on communities’ development is a topic still rather unexplored. All the interaction processes mediated by these technological environments are characterised, from both psychosocial and discursive points of view, by absolutely new practices and by the absence of some communication features, typical of face-to face. The “Community of Practic...