Share Paper: Going beyond Zoom: Using spatial audio virtual spaces to increase interaction in online synchronous sessions

  1. Peter Leong, University of Hawaii-Manoa, United States
  2. Sarah Espinosa, University of Hawaii-Manoa, United States
  3. Melissa Peterson, University of Hawaii-Manoa, United States
Tuesday, June 21 3:00 PM-4:00 PM Riverside Ballroom

Abstract: Are you tired of being in the "Hollywood Squares" of Zoom meetings? Looking for a more immersive way to interact virtually with your students? The immersive and interactivity afforded by 3-dimensional (3D) virtual worlds such as Second Life, OpenSim or Minecraft would greatly benefit learners especially in light of what we've experienced during the pandemic. However, many educators are intimidated by the high skill and technical requirements of using these 3D virtual spaces. Recently, browser-based 2D spatial audio virtual spaces such as Gather.Town and Topia.io make it very easy for both faculty and students to interact virtually. These browser-based virtual ...