Comparing Avatar and Face-to-Face Collaboration in VR Education: Concept and Preliminary Insights

Abstract

Virtual education is gaining prominence, providing opportunities for dynamic interactive content, such as Digital Twins, and novel collaboration modalities, including options for remote classrooms. In this work, we present a concept that leverages Digital Twins for interactive group work in engineering education through the use of Virtual Reality technology. We propose an experimental investigation to compare diverse collaboration alternatives facilitated by Virtual Reality, specifically face-to-face and avatar-based interaction. Preliminary findings are discussed, along with their implications for the design and implementation of future experiments in this emerging field.