Charles van der Mast

Do self-statements enhance the effectiveness of virtual reality exposure therapy? A comparative evaluation in acrophobia.

There is a clear need for more detailed analysis of the role of cognitive self-statements in virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET). To date, no research on this topic has been done. The primary aim of this study was to investigate whether coping self-statements would enhance the effectiveness of VRET. In a randomized crossover design, 26 patients with acrophobia (DSM-IV diagnosis of specific phobia) were randomly assigned to two sessions of VRET followed by two sessions of VRET plus coping self-statements, or the other way around: first two sessions of VRET plus coping self-statements followed by two sessions of VRET. Results showed that VRET, regardless of addition of coping self-statements, decreased anxiety of heights, decreased avoidance of height situations, and improved attitudes towards heights. However, at 6-month follow-up, most gains during treatment were not fully retained.

The therapist user interface of a virtual reality exposure therapy system in the treatment of fear of flying

The use of virtual reality (VR) technology to support the treatment of patients with phobia, such as the fear of flying, is getting considerable research attention. Research mainly focuses on the patient experience and the effect of the treatment. In this paper, however, the focus is on the interaction therapists have with the system. Two studies are presented in which the therapist user interface is redesigned and evaluated. The first study was conducted in 2001 with the introduction of the system into the clinic. The original user interface design was compared with a redesign that was based on interviews with therapists. The results of a user study with five therapists and 11 students showed significant usability improvement. In 2008 a follow-up study was conducted on how therapists were now using the redesigned system. Using a direct observation approach six therapists were observed during a total of 14 sessions with patients. The analysis showed that: 93% of the exposures had similar patterns, therapists triggered 20 inappropriate sound recordings (e.g. the pilot giving height information while taking off), and more complex airplane simulation functions (e.g. roll control to make turns with the airplane) were only used by a therapist who was also a pilot. This resulted in a second redesign of the user interface, which allowed therapists to select flight scenarios (e.g. a flight with extra long taxiing, a flight with multiple taking off and landing sessions) instead of controlling the simulation manually. This new design was again evaluated with seven therapists. Again, results showed significant usability improvements. These findings led to five design guidelines with the main tenet in favour of a treatment-focused user interface (i.e. specific flying scenario) instead of a simulation-focused user interface (i.e. specific airplane controls).

Team projects in distance education: a case in HCI design

Until recently it was difficult to incorporate team projects in distance education. Nowadays, however, new technology is available which allows for distance teamwork. In this paper we will describe a project-oriented course on human-computer interaction. The course is meant for computer science students in distance education. A serious restriction is caused by the fact that the students study at home, where they usually only have a slow connection to Internet at their disposal. We will focus on the way we structured the course to make distance teamwork possible. Furthermore the tools we offered the students will be discussed. Finally, in the paper we will present the first experiences gained in a pilot project with 12 computer science students.

Creating the Multimedia Project Experience Database

In this paper we present experiences and results of an inductive case study to identify the most fundamental project problems that are specific to the field of multimedia, with the aim of designing a framework for an online accessible multimedia project experience database. To identify the problems, we conducted 32 interviews on about 25 multimedia experts, gathering their experiences and opinions about success factors, knowledge numbers, management, communication, meetings, infrastructure, tools, etcetera. The results of these sessions are used in the design of a multimedia experience database from which multimedia experts can learn.

Performer: an instrument for multidisciplinary courseware teams to share knowledge and experiences

One of the traditional problems in courseware development that is recognized as hard to solve, is the communication and co-operation between various disciplines in project teams that are working on a courseware product [Alber (1996) Multimedia: a management perspective. California: Wadsworth; Boyle (1997) Design for multimedia learning. UK: Prentice-Hall; Chambers & Whiting (1990) Communications of the ACM, 23(6), 332]. It is only recently that research about using computers in education also focuses on the project team operational processes [van Aalst & van der Mast (1998) In A. Sutcliffe, J. Ziegler, & P. Johnson (Eds.), Designing effective and usable multimedia systems. Proceedings of the IFIP Working Group 13.2 Conference. Stuttgart: Kluwer]. Most existing research addresses the added value of the product for the end-user (the learner), or development methods for courseware products. However, in our view both of these (important) aspects partly rely on the way in which the various courseware development disciplines can communicate and co-operate. In other words, facilitating and improving these processes is likely to result in higher quality courseware that is more satisfactory to learners. We present an instrument that facilitates courseware development teams in sharing each others knowledge and experiences. Statistical measurements have shown significantly more positive experiences within the development teams, on a number of multidisciplinary themes.

Improving the CBT Development Process Through Knowledge Sharing: An Empirical Study

In this paper, techniques from the research field of knowledge management are used to improve the maturity of the Computer Based Training (CBT) development process at an IT-oriented organization involved in producing courseware. The project team is facilitated with a knowledge-sharing solution that enables them to unambiguously define their project process, and link templates and best practices to the activities in that process. In addition, a virtual discussion room is provided for them to share new insights. Results from measurement experiments indicate more positive project experiences with projects that used the knowledge-sharing solution.In this paper, techniques from the research field of knowledge management are used to improve the maturity of the Computer Based Training (CBT) development process at an IT-oriented organization involved in producing courseware. The project team is facilitated with a knowledge-sharing solution that enables them to unambiguously define their project process, and link templates and best practices to the activities in that process. In addition, a virtual discussion room is provided for them to share new insights. Results from measurement experiments indicate more positive project experiences with projects that used the knowledge-sharing solution.

Ubi-designer: a web-based toolkit for configuring and field-testing UbiComp prototypes

Technology is now available for creating affordable sensor networks and infrastructures for ubiquitous computing environments. In the area of ambient assisted living, context-awareness is considered to be a key factor towards creating acceptable solutions that support elderly people in living independently in their homes as long as possible. Unfortunately, at the present state of technology, the design of context-aware products and services requires substantial technical knowledge. Consequently, product designers are often dependent on engineers for implementing prototypes and consequently prototyping their design concepts is a costly and time-consuming process. This paper presents a web-based toolkit that supports product designers in prototyping and configuring interactive context-aware services in multiple homes. The toolkit has been designed and tested in close collaboration with interaction designers. Using the toolkit, designers can make fast design iterations and eventually lower development cost.

Prototyping supermarket designs using virtual reality

An experiment is described to compare the protyping of store designs using three different media. The first medium is the traditional use of architectural drawings, the second medium is a representation of store designs made using a virtual reality software package, the third is the evaluation of real existing stores. The preliminary results indicate that prototyping with virtual reality improves the spatial/logistics, but not yet the commercial characteristics of the store designs.

A portable program to present courseware on microcomputers

Abstract In computer assisted instruction, certain main functions which have to be carried out by the computer can he distinguished. The performance of these functions will have different software and hardware requirements in different educational environments and both the requirements and the technology to implement them will change over time. It is therefore advantageous to make CAI systems as adaptable as possible. One approach to this is to divide the systems into independent modules each designed to achieve good portability both for software and for hardware. This paper describes such a module which is part of the Modular CAI System Delft. The program makes it possible to present on different types of microcomputers courseware designed using other modules of the system. The program is implemented in Pascal to yield maximum portability on modern microcomputers. Its future and portability are discussed.

A PORTABLE PROGRAM TO PRESENT COURSEWARE ON MICROCOMPUTERS

In computer assisted instruction, certain main functions which have to be carried out by the computer can be distinguished. The performance of these functions will have different software and hardware requirements in different educational environments and both the requirements and the technology to implement them will change over time. It is therefore advantageous to make CAI systems as adaptable as possible. One approach to this is to divide the systems into independent modules each designed to achieve good portability both for software and for hardware. This paper describes such a module which is part of the Modular CAI System Delft. The program makes it possible to present on different types of microcomputers courseware designed using other modules of the system. The program is implemented in Pascal to yield maximum portability on modern microcomputers. Its future and portability are discussed.