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Now showing 1 - 10 of 13
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    Bridging the Distance in Education: Design and Implementation of a Synchronous, Browser-Based VR Remote Teaching Tool
    (The Eurographics Association, 2024) Pehlic, Abdulmelik; Augsdörfer, Ursula; Sousa Santos, Beatriz; Anderson, Eike
    The rapid shift to remote education has presented numerous challenges for educators and students alike. Virtual Reality (VR) has emerged as a promising solution, offering immersive and interactive learning experiences. We design and implement a synchronous, browser-based VR teaching tool. The tool is compatible with budget VR equipment and enables meaningful engagement between teachers and students in a virtual setting, as well as active participation and interaction across a range of platforms, thus solving a range of disadvantages of current approaches.
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    A Research Methodology Course in a Game Development Curriculum
    (The Eurographics Association, 2024) Hu, Yan; Sundstedt, Veronica; Goswami, Prashant; Sousa Santos, Beatriz; Anderson, Eike
    Research methodology courses can often be considered part of a computer science curriculum. These basic or advanced-level courses are taught in terms of traditional research methods. This paper presents and discusses a research methodology course curriculum for students studying programs focusing on digital game development (more specifically, focusing on game engineering). Our research methodology course prepares students for their upcoming thesis by encouraging a research-oriented approach. This is done by exploring new research areas in game engineering as a basis for research analysis and by applying research methods practically in a smaller project. This paper presents the course structure, assignments, and lessons learned. Together with existing literature, it demonstrates important aspects to consider in teaching and learning game research methodologies. The course evaluation found that the students appreciated the interactive lectures, close staff supervision, and detailed feedback on the scientific writing process.
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    Gaming to Learn: A Pilot Case Study on Students Acceptance of Playing Video Games as a Learning Method
    (The Eurographics Association, 2024) Nisiotis, Louis; Sousa Santos, Beatriz; Anderson, Eike
    This paper presents a case study on playing video games as a method to support the delivery of a game development University module, describing the teaching methodology and presenting details on a 'gaming' for learning approach to support the module's learning objectives. It presents the formulation of a theoretical framework to evaluate students acceptance of playing video games as a learning method, and the results of a pilot study using a modified Technology Acceptance Model. The results revealed that gaming as a learning activity was positively perceived by students, finding this method engaging and relevant to their learning curriculum, playful, enjoyable, useful, easy to use, with positive attitudes and behavioural intentions to use. This pilot case study serves as a practical example of implementing video games to support learning, preparing the methodology for further research to understand students acceptance, and the effect on learning outcomes and knowledge acquisition.
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    Emotional Responses to Exclusionary Behaviors in Intelligent Embodied Augmented Reality Agents
    (The Eurographics Association, 2024) Apostolou, Kalliopi; Milata, Vaclav; Škola, Filip; Liarokapis, Fotis; Hu, Ruizhen; Charalambous, Panayiotis
    This study investigated how interactions with intelligent agents, embodied as augmented reality (AR) avatars displaying exclusionary behaviors, affect users' emotions. Six participants engaged using voice interaction in a knowledge acquisition scenario in an AR environment with two ChatGPT-driven agents. The gaze-aware avatars, simulating realistic body language, progressively demonstrated social exclusion behaviors. Although not statistically significant, our data suggest a post-interaction emotional shift, manifested by decreased positive and negative affect-aligning with previous studies on social exclusion. Qualitative feedback revealed that some users attributed the exclusionary behavior of avatars to system glitches, leading to their disengagement. Our findings highlight challenges and opportunities for embodied intelligent agents, underscoring their potential to shape user experiences within AR, and the broader extended reality (XR) landscape.
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    Driller: An Intuitive Interface for Designing Tangled and Nested Shapes
    (The Eurographics Association, 2024) Butler, Tara; Guehl, Pascal; Parakkat, Amal Dev; Cani, Marie-Paule; Hu, Ruizhen; Charalambous, Panayiotis
    The ability to represent not only isolated shapes but also shapes that interact is essential in various fields, from design to biology or anatomy. In this paper, we propose an intuitive interface to control and edit complex shape arrangements. Using a set of pre-defined shapes that may intersect, our ''Driller'' interface allows users to trigger their local deformation so that they rest on each other, become tangled, or even nest within each other. Driller provides an intuitive way to specify the relative depth of different shapes beneath user-selected points of interest by setting their local depth ordering perpendicularly to the camera's viewpoint. Deformations are then automatically generated by locally propagating these ordering constraints. In addition to being part of the final arrangement, some of the shapes can be used as deformers, which can be later deleted to help sculpt the target shapes. We implemented this solution within a sketch-based modeling system designed for novice users.
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    Cues to fast-forward collaboration: A Survey of Workspace Awareness and Visual Cues in XR Collaborative Systems
    (The Eurographics Association and John Wiley & Sons Ltd., 2024) Assaf, Rodrigo; Mendes, Daniel; Rodrigues, Rui; Aristidou, Andreas; Macdonnell, Rachel
    Collaboration in extended reality (XR) environments presents complex challenges that revolve around how users perceive the presence, intentions, and actions of their collaborators. This paper delves into the intricate realm of group awareness, focusing specifically on workspace awareness and the innovative visual cues designed to enhance user comprehension. The research begins by identifying a spectrum of collaborative situations drawn from an analysis of XR prototypes in the existing literature. Then, we describe and introduce a novel classification for workspace awareness, along with an exploration of visual cues recently employed in research endeavors. Lastly, we present the key findings and shine a spotlight on promising yet unexplored topics. This work not only serves as a reference for experienced researchers seeking to inform the design of their own collaborative XR applications but also extends a welcoming hand to newcomers in this dynamic field.
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    An Overview of Teaching a Virtual and Augmented Reality Course at Postgraduate Level for Ten Years
    (The Eurographics Association, 2024) Marques, Bernardo; Santos, Beatriz Sousa; Dias, Paulo; Sousa Santos, Beatriz; Anderson, Eike
    In recent years, a multitude of affordable sensors, interaction devices, and displays have entered the market, facilitating the adoption of Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR/AR) in various areas of application. However, the development of such applications demands a solid grasp of the field and specific technical proficiency often missing from existing Computer Science and Engineering education programs. This work describes a post-graduate-level course being taught for the last ten years to several Master's Degree programs, aiming to introduce students to the fundamental principles, methods, and tools of VR/AR. The course's main objective is to equip students with the necessary knowledge to comprehend, create, implement, and assess applications using these technologies. This paper provides insights into the course structure, the key topics covered, assessment, as well as the devices, and infrastructure utilized. It also includes a brief overview of various sample practical projects, along the years. Among other reflections, we argue that teaching this course is challenging due to the fast evolution of the field making updating paramount. This maybe alleviated by motivating students to a research oriented approach, encouraging them to bring their own projects and challenges (e.g. related to their Master dissertations). Finally, future perspectives are outlined.
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    Harnessing Artificial Intelligence to Expedite Content Creation for the Development of eXtended Reality Experiences
    (The Eurographics Association, 2025) Freitas, André; Borges, João; Marques, Bernardo; Dias, Paulo; Santos, Beatriz Sousa; Kuffner dos Anjos, Rafael; Rodriguez Echavarria, Karina
    Despite eXtended Reality (XR) many benefits and demonstrated potential, the process of creating content specifically designed for distinct applications remains time-intensive and resource-demanding, hindering broader adoption. This study presents a student-driven project that investigates the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in streamlining the content creation process of 3D models. The proposed solution enables a user, equipped with an XR headset to use gesture recognition and perform a query via a text prompt, or as an alternative, to use voice recognition. Afterward, a request will be made to an API, which will generate the 3D model. Finally, the model will be added to a local library and become accessible in the XR environment, allowing users to manipulate, position, and other features. Initial findings highlight both opportunities and challenges, confirming it is already possible to integrate AI into a game engine with interesting results, while also showcasing that additional work is still necessary for obtaining more detailed and complex 3D models moving forward.
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    Immersive Virtual Reality for Developing Spatial Skills in Learning 3D Transformations in Computer Graphics
    (The Eurographics Association, 2025) Alobaid, Maha; Young, Gareth; Manzke, Michael; Kuffner dos Anjos, Rafael; Rodriguez Echavarria, Karina
    Learning computer graphics requires programming, problem-solving, mathematics, and spatial reasoning proficiency. One of the most challenging topics for students is understanding 3D transformations, a difficulty often attributed to insufficient spatial skills. Due to its immersive, interactive nature, virtual reality (VR) has been proposed as an effective tool for enhancing spatial reasoning. This study investigates how VR can support the learning of 3D transformations by developing an immersive virtual environment (IVE) designed to improve spatial visualization. The environment allows students to explore 3D objects within a coordinate system, interactively apply transformations, and visualize the relationship between transformation sequences and graphical API code. A mixed-methods study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of this VR-based approach. Quantitative results indicate a significant improvement in spatial ability. Qualitative feedback revealed that students found the VR environment engaging and intuitive. The ability to manipulate objects dynamically and observe transformations from multiple perspectives contributed to deeper conceptual understanding. These findings suggest that VR-based learning environments can enhance spatial skills and comprehension of 3D transformations in computer graphics education. Future work will explore long-term skill retention, instructional scaffolding, and alternative assessment methods to optimize VR-based learning.
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    Advancing XR Education: Towards a Multimodal Human-Machine Interaction Course for Doctoral Students in Computer Science
    (The Eurographics Association, 2025) Silva, Samuel; Marques, Bernardo; Mendes, Daniel; Rodrigues, Rui; Kuffner dos Anjos, Rafael; Rodriguez Echavarria, Karina
    Nowadays, eXtended Reality (XR) has matured to the point where it seamlessly integrates various input and output modalities, enhancing the way users interact with digital environments. From traditional controllers and hand tracking to voice commands, eye tracking, and even biometric sensors, XR systems now offer more natural interactions. Similarly, output modalities have expanded beyond visual displays to include haptic feedback, spatial audio, and others, enriching the overall user experience. In this vein, as the field of XR becomes increasingly multimodal, the education process must also evolve to reflect these advancements. There is a growing need to incorporate additional modalities into the curriculum, helping students understand their relevance and practical applications. By exposing students to a diverse range of interaction techniques, they can better assess which modalities are most suitable for different contexts, enabling them to design more effective and human-centered solutions. This work describes an Advanced Human-Machine Interaction (HMI) course aimed at Doctoral Students in Computer Science. The primary objective is to provide students with the necessary knowledge in HMI by enabling them to articulate the fundamental concepts of the field, recognize and analyze the role of human factors, identify modern interaction methods and technologies, apply HCD principles to interactive system design and development, and implement appropriate methods for assessing interaction experiences across advanced HMI topics. In this vein, the course structure, the range of topics covered, assessment strategies, as well as the hardware and infrastructure employed are presented. Additionally, it highlights mini-projects, including flexibility for students to integrate their projects, fostering personalized and project-driven learning. The discussion reflects on the challenges inherent in keeping pace with this rapidly evolving field and emphasizes the importance of adapting to emerging trends. Finally, the paper outlines future directions and potential enhancements for the course.