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vSocial: a cloud-based system for social virtual reality learning environment applications in special education

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Abstract

Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) are spaces designed to educate student groups remotely via online platforms. Although traditional VLEs have shown promise in educating students, they offer limited immersion that overall diminishes learning effectiveness. In this paper, we describe vSocial, a cloud-based virtual reality learning environment (VRLE) system that can be deployed over high-speed networks using the High Fidelity “social VR” platform. vSocial provides flexible control of group learning content and compliance with established VLE standards with improved immersive user experience for both instructor(s) and students. For our vSocial development, we build upon the use case of an existing special education VLE viz., iSocial that trains youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder by implementing the Social Competence Intervention (SCI) curriculum. The vSocial can be used to: (a) implement multiple learning modules using wearable VR technologies, (b) integrate cognitive state sensing devices, and (c) organize learning session data securely using web applications hosted on cloud resources. Our experiment results show that the VR mode of content delivery in vSocial better stimulates the generalization of lessons to the real world than non-VR lessons, and provides improved immersion when compared to an equivalent desktop version. Further, usability study results show that users can successfully use the web application features in vSocial for group learning activities with ease-of-use and consistency.

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Acknowledgments

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Award Numbers: CNS-1647213 and CNS-1659134. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

The following students have contributed in various parts of vSocial development: Srinivas Jangati, Chiara Zizza, Adam Starr, Devin Hudson, Guanghan Ning, Youngyu Deng, Jaclyn Benigno and Laura Avery.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA

    Sai Shreya Nuguri, Prasad Calyam, Roland Oruche, Aniket Gulhane, Samaikya Valluripally, Janine Stichter & Zhihai He

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  1. Sai Shreya Nuguri
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  2. Prasad Calyam
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  3. Roland Oruche
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Correspondence to Prasad Calyam.

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Nuguri, S.S., Calyam, P., Oruche, R. et al. vSocial: a cloud-based system for social virtual reality learning environment applications in special education. Multimed Tools Appl 80, 16827–16856 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11042-020-09051-w

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