Alone but not isolated: social presence and cognitive load in learning with 360 virtual reality videos.

Introduction: This study aimed to identify any differences in social presence and cognitive load among three types of 360 virtual reality (VR)-based videos lectures. We hypothesized that social presence would be higher when interactions among peers are visible in a 360 VR video lectures while the cognitive load would be also increased. Methods: A total of 48 college students were randomly assigned to one of the three study groups to view an assigned 360 VR video lecture. The three groups were: (1) an instructor-only video viewing group, (2) a classroom lecture video viewing group, and (3) a classroom lecture and activity video viewing group. The video lectures were differently designed depending on the levels of peer visibility and the interactions between the instructor and peers. The participants watched one of the three types of assigned video lecture and subsequently completed two sets of questionnaires regarding social presence and cognitive load. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was conducted with a planned contrast analysis for the type of video lectures. Results: We found that, contrary to the hypotheses, students in the group 1 (instructor-only video) showed higher social presence scores than students in the groups 2 and 3. However, no significant differences were found in the cognitive load scores. Discussion: The results show that 360 VR video lectures with an instructor-only are more effective at enhancing users' social presence than 360 VR video lectures with both the instructor and class-peers. We suggest creating 360 VR video lectures with the presence of the course instructor to offer learners the sense of actually participating in a lecture.

E-learning cultural competence for public health workers: A feasibility and pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the development, feasibility, and preliminary efficacy of a seven-module e-learning for enhancing cultural competence of public health workers. DESIGN: The study was based on the framework of the new Medical Research Council; a mixed methods design was used. SAMPLE: A four-week pilot cluster-randomized controlled trial was conducted with 39 public health workers and 74 migrants in South Korea. Feasibility and preliminary efficacy were assessed according to initiation, retention, adherence, usability, acceptability, individual and organizational cultural competence, and migrant trust and satisfaction. Quantitative data were collected at baseline, 4 weeks, and 12 weeks. Focus group interviews were conducted with eight public health workers at 12 weeks. RESULTS: Initiation, retention, and adherence rates were high. Participants agreed on acceptability, but exhibited mixed results on usability. Participants were satisfied with "well-structured content," "authentic case stories and videos," "increased interest in migrant care," and "opportunity for self-reflection." However, "flawless and trouble-free system," "screen design for easy navigation," "instructor's expertise," and "more situational cases and videos" were desired. Statistically significant differences were observed for individual cultural competence, migrant trust, and satisfaction. CONCLUSION: Generally, the intervention seems feasible and has preliminary efficacy, yet usability improvement is necessary for full-scale randomized controlled trials.