Higher education personnel’s perceptions about telepresence robots

Leoste, Janika; Virkus, Sirje; Talisainen, Aleksei; Tammemäe, Kalle; Kangur, Katrin; Petriashvili, Izabella

doi:10.3389/frobt.2022.976836

Cited by 10 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…There is a growing interest in using TPRs in different educational contexts because of their great potentials to enhance and improve educational experiences for remote learners and provide support for teachers. There are several examples where robotic telepresence systems can be successfully used in education, for example, helping students who otherwise cannot attend classes because of illness, disabilities or distance and allowing teachers to teach classes remotely (Khadri, 2021; Leoste et al , 2022). However, only 12 papers (6.2%) belonged to the research area of education and educational research in the Web of Science database.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A remote user can log into the robot to control it via computers, tablets or smartphones while experiencing the on-site surroundings on the screen. At the same time, the users’ face is projected directly onto the robot’s screen, allowing on-site persons’ face-to-face interaction with the user, creating a remote telepresence (Leoste et al , 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thus, telepresence offers new solutions for remote communication and collaboration and increases the value in the delivery of various services (e.g. in health care, education, culture) (Leoste et al , 2022; Vaughn et al , 2015; Zhang, 2021). However, TPRs still remain as novelty for early adopters (Reis et al , 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Telepresence robots from the perspective of psychology and educational sciences

Virkus

Leoste²,

Marmor³

et al. 2023

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Purpose Telepresence robots (TPRs) are an emerging field of application and research that have received attention from various disciplines, including computer science, telehealth and education. The purpose of this study is to conduct a bibliometric analysis of publications on TPR in the Web of Science database from 1980 to 2022 to gain a better understanding of the state of research on TPRs and explore the role of pedagogical and psychological aspects in this research. Design/methodology/approach The analysis of research publications on TPRs was made on the basis of papers published in the Web of Science database from 1980 to 2022. The following research questions were proposed: What are the main tendencies in publication years, document types, countries of origin, source titles, publication authors, affiliations of authors and the most cited articles related to TPRs? What are the main topics discussed in the publications from the perspective of psychology? What are the main topics discussed in the publications from the perspective of educational sciences? Findings The results indicate that it is in the computer science where most of the existing research has been conducted, whereas the interest in the psychology and educational science has been relatively low. The greatest regional contributor has been the USA, whereas the effort in the European Union lags behind. Research publications in psychology in the Web of Science database related to TPRs can be grouped into three broad thematic categories: features of TPRs, degree of social presence compared to physical presence or other mediated technologies and opportunities for using TPRs. The results suggest that from the perspective of psychology, TPRs are one of the approaches that could enable greater social presence in remote communication. Most of the analysed papers in educational sciences investigated the opportunities of using TPRs in various educational fields. However, while the findings of the studies indicated significant potential of TPRs for education, their acceptance for wider use is still challenged. Research limitations/implications The limitations of this research are that this study only analysed research papers in the Web of Science database and therefore only covers a limited number of scientific papers published in the field of psychology and educational sciences on TPRs. In addition, only publications with the term “telepresence robots” in the topic area of the Web of Science database were analysed. Therefore, several relevant studies are not discussed in this paper that are not reflected in the Web of Science database or were related to other keywords. Originality/value The field of TPRs has not been explored using a bibliographic analysis of publications in the Web of Science database from the perspective of psychology and educational sciences. The findings of this paper will help researchers and academic staff better understand the state of research on TPRs and the pedagogical and psychological aspects addressed in this research.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Telepresence robots from the perspective of psychology and educational sciences

Virkus

Leoste²,

Marmor³

et al. 2023

ILS

Self Cite

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“…Physical challenges involve positioning and mobility of TPRs, restricted gaze cues and head movement, distracting motion and a mechanical appearance, which can hinder their effectiveness. These challenges are also mentioned in previous literature reviews (Velinov, 2021;Häfner et al, 2022;Leoste et al, 2022aLeoste et al, , 2022b. While these challenges are real, they are inherent to the nature of TPR technology and may require innovative design solutions to overcome.…”

Section: Challenges Of Implementing Telepresence Robots In Educationmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…4.2.4.1 Connectivity challenges. A prevalent issue that hampers the functionality of TPRs is the unreliable Wi-Fi connection (Leoste et al, 2022b). TPRs rely on a stable and high-speed internet connection to establish real-time communication between the remote operator and the robot.…”

Section: Telepresence Robots In Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring the power of telepresence: enhancing education through telepresence robots

Kasuk,

Virkus

2023

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Purpose This study aims to enhance the understanding of the current research landscape regarding the utilisation of telepresence robots (TPRs) in education. Design/methodology/approach The bibliometric and thematic analysis of research publications on TPRs was conducted using papers in the Scopus database up to 2023. The final analysis focused on 53 papers that adhered to the selection criteria. A qualitative analysis was performed on this set of papers. Findings The analysis found a rising trend in TPR publications, mostly from the USA as conference papers and journal articles. However, these publications lacked technology integration frameworks, acceptance models and specific learning design models. TPRs have proven effective in various learning environments, fostering accessible education, better communication, engagement and social presence. TPRs can bridge geographical gaps, facilitate knowledge sharing and promote collaboration. Obstacles to implementation include technical, physical, social and emotional challenges. Publications were grouped into four thematic categories: didactic methods of using TPRs, TPRs for educational inclusivity, TPR as a teacher mediator and challenges in using TPRs. Despite the significant potential of TPRs, their broader adoption in education is still facing challenges. Research limitations/implications This research solely analysed research papers in the Scopus database, limiting TPR publications with the keywords “telepresence robots”, “learning”, “teaching” and “education”, excluding studies with different other keywords. Originality/value This study enhances understanding of TPR research in education, highlighting its pedagogical implications. It identifies a gap in the inclusion of technology integration frameworks, acceptance models and learning design models, indicating a need for further research and development.

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