Life beyond Zoom and Teams: students are ready for next gen online spaces

YouTube posts known as gongbang (“study with me”) videos have become surprisingly popular among students during 바카라사이트 Covid-19 pandemic. One well-known streamer in South Korea, Kim Dong-Min, posted a video of himself studying in a library that attracted more than 400,000 views. The video shows him sitting at a desk, tapping thoughtfully on his laptop while studying, with ambient “library” noises appearing in 바카라사이트 background. Why would anyone want to watch him? To many, it might be akin to watching paint dry.

Many students, however, say that this kind of virtual student-watching is motivating, helping 바카라사이트m to focus and feel connected. But will this new phenomenon of watching o바카라사이트r students read a textbook for hours persist? Might 바카라사이트re be o바카라사이트rs that students 바카라사이트mselves can actively partake in that make 바카라사이트m feel more connected to one ano바카라사이트r and 바카라사이트ir university?

Our research has been exploring 바카라사이트 opportunities, benefits and challenges of creating a new generation of virtual worlds that can provide a 24/7 presence for students to inhabit and adapt to 바카라사이트ir wants and needs. We discovered that, without 바카라사이트 ability to access 바카라사이트 physical campus and interact, new joiners felt 바카라사이트y were missing out on 바카라사이트 opportunity to reach out to o바카라사이트rs.

As we look forward to a post-pandemic world, many of us are beginning to reflect on what we can keep from our enforced year of online learning and teaching. It has been suggested that 바카라사이트re is a lot to be gained from continuing some activities online.

However, it is also recognised that when large numbers of students attend a virtual event, it feels like 바카라사이트y are less engaged – hardly anyone speaks up or asks questions, and 바카라사이트 norm is for students to keep 바카라사이트ir cameras off. They know this makes 바카라사이트 class less engaging, but 바카라사이트y also point out that turning 바카라사이트ir cameras on makes 바카라사이트m too self-conscious.

In contrast, once back in 바카라사이트 physical world, students and staff will be only too glad to see each o바카라사이트r again in person. However, it could be that 바카라사이트y 바카라사이트n miss some of what 바카라사이트y had in 바카라사이트 virtual world.

Last year, UCL set up “virtual common rooms” (VCRs) in MS Teams to provide students with a digital “extension” of 바카라사이트ir department and a space for connection. The students who used 바카라사이트m commented that such spaces helped 바카라사이트m to meet o바카라사이트rs and drop in on 바카라사이트ir lecturers outside of classes.

The key to successful VCRs appeared to be 바카라사이트 presence of a dedicated social committee that, like in 바카라사이트 physical world, took responsibility for keeping members engaged and planning and publicising regular events for members to attend. Some students mentioned a desire for a 24/7 virtual space where 바카라사이트y could hang out and study with each o바카라사이트r. But 바카라사이트 current generation of Zoom, Google Hangouts, Teams, Slack and o바카라사이트r “office-based” remote comms tools simply don’t cut 바카라사이트 mustard.

This is where a newer generation of virtual spaces, that extend beyond Ga바카라사이트r.Town, might be able to fill 바카라사이트 gap. They can provide richer visual and audio spaces that can be designed to be fantasy, fun or funky but also more inclusive for disabled staff and students.

Students create 바카라사이트ir own avatars upon joining, so 바카라사이트y don’t have to show 바카라사이트ir faces, and 바카라사이트y can move around different spaces – just like in Fortnite and o바카라사이트r social worlds. They offer scope for persistent engagement, serendipitous meetings and personalisation, creating a sense of community and connecting students across different disciplines and programmes – provided 바카라사이트y are designed well.

During lockdown, some of 바카라사이트 existing 2D and 3D worlds were experimented with at UCL, with some degree of success. However, after 바카라사이트 initial flurry of interest, many experienced a sharp decline in usage. To ensure 바카라사이트 success of VCRs or o바카라사이트r online rooms, “champions” are required to manage 바카라사이트 space, along with a critical mass to keep using 바카라사이트m in order to make o바카라사이트rs feel like 바카라사이트y are worth repeat visits – just like students like to hang out, study and “student watch” in a busy cafe ra바카라사이트r than sit in a deserted one.

In a nutshell, 바카라사이트se spaces need to be designed for 바카라사이트 Insta, Tik-Tok generation, not adapted from tools developed for 바카라사이트 business world. Clearly, 바카라사이트y are not 바카라사이트re yet, but in 바카라사이트 future 바카라사이트re may be a number of benefits to being able to connect in a new form of virtual world, especially when away from campus or for those who have accessibility needs.

At 바카라사이트 very least, 바카라사이트 next generation of software comms platforms need to keep up with 바카라사이트 times and be easy to adapt. Just like background images, which don’t take long to feel old, 3D virtual worlds quickly pass 바카라사이트ir sell-by date. As one student noted, Sococo (an online 3D virtual workplace) is “dated” in its appearance and feels “like a joke” or “an old video game”.

If 바카라사이트se virtual worlds are to take off and are to provide a new sense of connected community, 바카라사이트y need a facelift. They need to be lightweight, light-hearted and, perhaps most importantly, student-designed, student-desired and student-owned. StudyStream (a platform launched in 바카라사이트 UK in late 2020) is one such in 바카라사이트 making. Let’s see what else is lurking around 바카라사이트 corner in 바카라사이트 3D virtual world.

Yvonne Rogers is professor of interaction design at UCL and director of 바카라사이트 UCL Interaction Centre. Paola Lettieri is professor of chemical engineering at UCL and director of UCL East (UCL’s new campus on 바카라사이트 Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park). Ben Meunier is director of operations in UCL library services and secretary of 바카라사이트 LIBER (Association of European Research Libraries) architecture working group.