Virtual Classroom Extension for Effective Distance Education

We present the design, implementation, and initial results of a system for remote lecture attendance based on extending on-campus classrooms to accommodate remotely located students. A remote student is modeled with a real-time video sprite. The sprites are integrated into a geometric model that provides a virtual extension of the classroom. The virtual extension is rendered and projected onto the back wall of the classroom. The remote students are displayed at a natural location within the field of view of the instructor, who can conveniently get a sense of their body language and of their facial expression. The system has been deployed in a first classroom and a pilot study indicates that the system promises to deliver quality education remotely. The system relies exclusively on commodity components, therefore it can be deployed in any classroom to allow any course to offer distance education seats. Keywords I.3.6.d Interaction techniques, I.3.7.g Virtual reality, I.3.2.a Distribute...

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2008
• Where: CGA
• Authors: Radu Dondera, Chun Jia, Voicu Popescu, Cristina Nita-Rotaru, Melissa Dark, Cynthia S. York
• Keywords: CGA 2008, Classroom, Computational Geometry, Remote Students, Virtual Extension