iLRN2021 7th International Conference of the Immersive Learning Research Network

Presentations

Look at It This Way: A Comparison of Metaphors for Directing the User's Gaze in eXtended Reality Training Systems
Filippo Gabriele Pratticò, Federico De Lorenzis, Fabrizio Lamberti
Politecnico di Torino, Italy
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Interest is raising around extended reality training systems (XRTSs), which started to be considered as a credible option to train companies' workforce. Even though there is a growing body of literature on best practices and techniques to be adopted for teaching individuals how to perform a variety of operations (e.g., for assembly and maintenance procedures), there are also training situations which have gone mostly unexplored yet. In this paper, we propose and evaluate three different metaphors to face the key challenges associated with training procedures involving parallax-dependent tasks, i.e., tasks in which the instructor needs to make the trainee reach a target observation point and guide his/her attention towards a given point of interest at the same time. Effects observed through a user study that was run in a testbed environment indicated that metaphors based on 3D avatars and frustum visualization can provide important advantages over video-based techniques.


Asymmetrical Game Design Approaches Solve Didactic Problems in VR Engineer Trainings
Ulrike Meyer(1), Jonathan Becker(1), Thomas Müller(2), André Jeworutzki(1), Susanne Draheim(1), Kai von Luck(1)
1: University of Applied Sciences Hamburg, Germany; 2: EnBW
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The use of VR in training groups for wind turbine engineers can cause didactic and practical problems. Integrating the whole group into the lesson and retaining attention and motivation while only one or two trainees wear a VR head mounted display (HMD) can be challenging for the trainer. Whereas VR HMDs isolate the users, engineering on wind turbines is a group effort. The problem is exacerbated when trainees need to use remote access to participate in the lesson, as can be the case under pandemic restrictions. We propose to use methods from asymmetrical game design and constructivist didactics to integrate participants without VR headsets into VR trainings for engineers.


Immersive Virtual Soft Skills Learning and Training of Employees: A Scoping Review
Tone Lise Dahl
SINTEF AS, Norway
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Soft skills training is considered important for employees to be successful at work. Several companies are offering immersive virtual soft skills training with head-mounted displays. The main contribution of this paper is to provide an overview of the research literature within the field of using immersive virtual soft skills learning and training of employees. The results of this preliminary scoping review show that there is a lack of research literature and empirical studies within this topic.

Presentations
 
The Missing Link: Blockchain for Digital Credential Tracking & Reporting
Steven Ring
Lehigh Career and Technical Institute, United States of America
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Blockchain based digital credentialing will be introduced, and demonstrated how it can be used to track the progress of students in career and technical education (CTE). In addition to tracking progress in CTE, blockchain based digital credentialing also has the potential to track standards and help close a gap in school-to-career transition through possible alignment with Department of Labor Apprenticeship Programs. The information in this presentation will be targeted towards those in workforce development, industry training, and CTE. In addition to the requirements for a recorded video presentation, I plan on using the additional time to screen share the presentation and engage in questions and answers with the audience. At the conclusion of the presentation and Q&A session, the audience will have a better understanding of what blockchain is, how it can be used in education and workforce development to track progress, verify authenticity, and be used to target training. Additionally, we will go over benefits such as alignment of standards and authenticity in the credentialing aspect, and demonstrate how this is beneficial to students and future employers through choice, empowerment, and can lead the way towards more equitable outcomes.
 
 
Augmented Reality Supported Quality Assurance Demonstrator For Industry Use Cases
Nischita Sudharsan
Siemens AG, Germany
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The prototype was developed for a pressing plant where personnel need to assess the quality of large pressed parts. This could be, for instance, to check if holes are punched correctly or if special markings are present at the right positions. The prototype was developed on Hololens 2 using Unity 3D.
Challenge: Personnel inspecting the parts for anomalies take 15-20 minutes. 2D reference material slows down the process of inspection as the user needs to go back and forth to understand where to look and check for intricate anomalies. This process is error-prone, especially when there are too many items to be checked in succession on large parts.
Solution: The AR application reduces inspection time to under 5 minutes. The exact overlaying of a 3D model of the pressed part on the physical object, enables identifiers to be positioned over specific areas of interest. This enables the personnel to focus very quickly on check points, rather than remember or refer to external information. This is then followed by an instructional sequence which helps in validating the precision and quality. The app also provides for media shown directly at check points which facilitate reference based checks. With simple and intuitive gestures, the anomalies can be registered, consequently removing the need to “learn” how to use the app. Protocoling of the results, by taking photos/videos or simple UI features, is done directly through the app communicating with a server. The added feature of user management allows for storing of protocols based on the user currently logged in. This can then be revisited by the same or another user.
As part of future research, we aim to optimize the application to include tracking, modification and automation of content within the app.