PanoramaViewer – A Framework for Educational Collaborative Virtual Field Trips

Virtual field trips (VFTs), which use 360° technologies in particular, have developed into powerful learning tools in recent years. Compared to real field trips, VFTs save time and effort, and compared to other media such as books or websites, VFTs offer a much more authentic learning experience by means of greater visual detail. At present, however, VFTs are typically only based on single-user applications. As a result, the potential positive effects arising from the collaborative aspects of a joint VFTs are not fully exploited. Multi-user environments for VFTs for multiple participants are only occasionally mentioned in the literature. Accordingly, we have implemented a multi-user framework for 360°-based VFTs. In this paper, we describe the basic requirements for such a framework, the technical implementation framework and the results of an evaluation study of a prototypical VFT to a recently built stormwater overflow basin in Germany. As part of the evaluation study, data on presence, motivation, emotion and cognitive load was collected from the study participants (N=7) by using a questionnaire based on standardized instruments. In addition, qualitative feedback and a semi-structured interview with the lecturer were analyzed. Despite its prototypical state, the framework shows its potential by achieving acceptable values for the learning requirements surveyed and leading to positive assessments overall from both lecturers and participants. Accordingly, the study results might be viewed in favor of further development of the framework in order to allow the learning-relevant effects of collaborative VFTs to be investigated further.