Comparing Group Discussion in Virtual and Physical Environments

2009 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 286-293 ◽  
Author(s):  
Doron Friedman ◽  
Yuval Karniel ◽  
Amit Lavie Dinur
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Environments ◽  
Virtual World ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Physical World ◽  
Political Discussion ◽  
Collaborative Virtual Environments ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Physical Environments ◽  
Similarities And Differences

One of the main promises of collaborative virtual environments (CVEs) is that they would decrease the need for travel and face-to-face meetings. In this study we aim at comparing the dynamics and content of group discussions in desktop virtual environments with physical-world discussions. We have conducted an experiment in which four groups of 7–12 participants each carried out a political discussion on the same topic; specifically, global warming. Two groups conducted the experiment in a face-to-face setting and two other groups conducted a similar discussion inside the virtual world SecondLife ( http://www.secondlife.com ). Virtual-world discussions were found to include shorter sentences on average, have a smaller number of themes discussed, discuss a smaller number of themes in depth, and require a longer time for discussion threads to form. In this paper we provide a quantitative analysis of the similarities and differences between virtual-world and physical-world discussions.

Group Discussion in a Blended Environment in Engineering Education

TEM Journal ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 508-516
Author(s):  
Deepti Mishra ◽  
Gonca Gokce Menekse Dalveren ◽  
Frode S. Volden ◽  
Carly Grace Allen
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Education ◽  
Group Process ◽  
Eye Gaze ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Verbal Cues ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Seating Arrangement ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Group Members

Group work is a necessary element of engineering education and group members need information about one another, group process, shared attention and mutual understanding during group discussions. There are several important elements for establishing and maintaining a group discussion such as participant’s role, seating arrangement, verbal and non-verbal cues, eye gaze, gestures etc. The present study investigates these elements for identifying the behavior of group members in a blend of traditional face-to-face discussion along with computer supported cooperative work (CSCW) setting. The results of this study have shown that, speaking duration is the key factor for identifying the leadership in a group and participants mostly used eye gazes for turn taking. Although this study is a mix of face-to-face and CSCW discussion setting, participants mostly behave like faceto- face group discussion. However, unlike the previous studies involving face-to-face discussion, the relation between seating arrangement and amount of attention is not apparent from the data during this study.

scholarly journals Students’ Perceptions of Social Presence in Blended Learning Courses in a Tanzanian Medical College

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (09) ◽  
pp. 107
Author(s):  
Mustapha Almasi ◽  
Chang Zhu
Keyword(s):  
Blended Learning ◽  
Social Presence ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Open Communication ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Affective Expression ◽  
Medical College ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
Motivation And Learning

Social presence in a blended learning involves construction of learning through student sharing, interaction and support thus improving students’ motivation, and learning. This study examines students’ perceptions of social presence (SP) in blended learning courses (BL) in a medical college in Tanzania. Three research questions are addressed: are there significant differences in the reported scores of social presences among students based on gender, age and year of study? How is social presence encouraged in the BL medical courses? How is social presence associated with students’ learning in the BL medical courses? Following a mixed method, Social Presence Scale and Focus Group Discussion were in data collection. BL in these courses included face-to- face lectures, student online and face-to-face group discussions, laboratory practices, team-based learning (TBL), and online exams. The study involved 144 medical students. Survey results showed no significant differences in the reported scores of social presences based on their characteristics. However, affective expression and open communication were more valued than group cohesion elements of SP. Qualitative results show that social presence was encouraged through provision of group assignments, teacher online activities, and students’ group discussions. Through social presence and interaction, students learnt various concepts, examination questions in both online and in face-to-face discussions. The conclusion is that students’ characteristics are not crucial, however, group discussion and social presence influence their learning.

A changing environment: the virtual world meets the physical world

1999 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 303-306
Author(s):  
William Mitchell
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Environments ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Virtual World ◽  
Physical World ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Changing Environment ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
And Function ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

With the coming of computers and the Internet, the relationship of the physical and virtual worlds has shifted. Virtual environments will not replace physical ones, but the nature, location, and function of the latter will change, creating both challenges and opportunities for architects.

A Collaborative Pointing Experiment for Analyzing Bodily Communication in a Virtual Immersive Environment

2012 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Divesh Lala ◽  
Toyoaki Nishida
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Environments ◽  
Motion Capture ◽  
Virtual World ◽  
Experimental System ◽  
Collaborative Virtual Environments ◽  
Collaborative Task ◽  
Markerless Motion Capture ◽  
Immersive Environment ◽  
Pointing Gesture ◽  
Body Expression

Virtual environments are a medium in which humans can effectively interact; however, until recently, research on body expression in these worlds has been sparse. This has changed with the recent development of markerless motion capture. This paper is a first step toward using this technology as part of an investigation into a collaborative task in the virtual world. In this task, participants used a pointing gesture as a means to both complete the task and communicate with their partner. The results gained from the experiment were inconclusive, but did show that the effectiveness of the experiment depends largely on the algorithm used to detect gesture and thereby influence the virtual world. Additionally, the benefits of the experimental system are shown. This research shows the potential of examining body expression in collaborative virtual environments.

scholarly journals Pemberdayaan Sampah Plastik di Desa Handil Terusan Menjadi Ecobric

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (6) ◽  
pp. 1566-1572
Author(s):  
Miranti Rasyid ◽  
Alifa Sukma Al-Insyirah
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
Community Service ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Plastic Waste ◽  
Service Program ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Interview Method ◽  
Depth Interview ◽  
Long Time

Permasalahan yang diangkat dalam Program Pengabdian kepada Masyarakat Kondisi Luar Biasa tahun 2020 adalah pemanfaatan sampah menjadi ecobrick yang bertujuan untuk mengembangkan potensi desa melalui pemanfaatan plastic yang dapat didaur ulang menjadi bahan kerajinan atau benda yang dapat bermanfaat untuk kehidupan sehari-hari. Program pengabdian kepada masyarakat ini menggunakan metode wawancara kepada pihak desa melalui pertemuan tatap muka. Langkah-langkah pelaksanaan program pengabdian masyarakat dengan melakukan depth interview, analisis hasil wawancara, melakukan focus group discussion, pengumpulan sampah plastik, perakitan ecobrick. Hasil dari program pengabdian masyarakat ialah Sampah plastik yang membutuhkan waktu lama untuk terurai dapat bermanfaat untuk menjadi benda bermanfaat bernilai ekonomis dan menjadi potensi desa.   The issue raised in the Extraordinary Conditions Community Service Program 2020 is the use of waste into ecobricks which aims to develop village potential through the use of plastic that can be recycled into craft materials or objects that can be useful for everyday life. This community service program uses the interview method to the village party through face-to-face meetings. The steps for implementing the community service program are conducting in-depth interviews, analyzing interview results, conducting focus group discussions, collecting plastic waste, assembling ecobricks. The result of the community service program is that plastic waste that takes a long time to decompose can be useful to become useful objects that are economically viable and become village potential.

The Virtual World Framework: Collaborative virtual environments on the web

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Burns ◽  
David Easter ◽  
Rob Chadwick ◽  
David A. Smith ◽  
Carl Rosengrant
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Environments ◽  
Virtual World ◽  
Collaborative Virtual Environments ◽  
The Web

The Gender Gap in Political Discussion Group Attendance

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 315-338 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edana Beauvais
Keyword(s):  
Gender Gap ◽  
Voting Behavior ◽  
Discussion Groups ◽  
Political Discussion ◽  
Political Rights ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Women's Participation ◽  
Small Group Discussions ◽  
Discursive Politics

AbstractAlthough women and men enjoy formally equal political rights in today's democracies, there are ongoing gaps in the extent to which they make use of these rights, with women underrepresented in many political practices. The gender gap in democratic participation is problematic because gendered asymmetries in participation entail collective outcomes that are less attentive to women's needs, interests, and preferences. Existing studies consider gender gaps in voting behavior and in certain forms of nonelectoral politics such as boycotting, signings a petition, or joining a protest. However, almost no work considers gendered variation in discursive politics. Do women participate in small, face-to-face political discussion groups at the same rate as men? And does gender intersect with other identities—such as ethnicity—to impact attendance at political discussion groups? I use data from the Canadian Election Study 2015 Web Survey to answer these questions. I find that women are significantly less likely to attend small-group discussions than men and that ethnicity intersects with gender in some important ways. However, I find no evidence that other social attributes—poverty or the presence of young children in the home—suppress women's participation in political discussion groups more than men's.

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