| Budget Amount *help |
¥3,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,300,000)
Fiscal Year 2002: ¥1,700,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,700,000)
Fiscal Year 2001: ¥1,600,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,600,000)
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| Research Abstract |
Work was carried out on attractive virtual spaces to be used to create attractive environments for e-learning, in particular and attractive communications spaces in general. Such spaces are to be constructed using an M^2COTS (mass-market commodities off the shelf) approach as far as computer and communications equipment and software are concerned. In this study, special emphasis has been placed on the use of wireless LAN's and cellular telephony. An initial formal model for attractive virtual spaces was developed. This abstract model is an extrapolation of a real internet/ Web-based virtual space. The context for the development and application of such spaces is e-learning. The basic idea underlying the model is that one can establish a functional relationship between internal system parameters of the virtual space and certain human-oriented factors, such as, willingness-to-pay, level-of-satisfaction, etc. Such a functional relationship resembles so-called utility functions. Using such
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functions we may say that a virtual space is attractive with respect to the critical paramelers chosen and a specific utility function if for a set of values of these parameters, the function is maxmized. The utility functions will be determined experimentally by testing a given space with human subjects, for example, students in an e-learning trial. By controlled experiments in which the students reactions will be recorded and analyzed, empirical values of the utitilly function for selected points in the space will be obtained. Then, by use of regression or other function building techniques, a function may be found that agrees with the experimentally obtained values. Maximum values of this function may be obtained by various techniques, for example, genetic algorithms. This would then yield the values of the selected parameters that will make the virtual space attractive. Initial informal experiments were carried out which suggest parameters for further dctailed experimentation. Wireless LAN's and first gencration wireless videophones were used in this work. At this time, experiments are being planned to help determaine viable utility functions and their maxima Less
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