Mixed Assessment of Virtual Serious Games Applied in Architectural and Urban Design Education

Effectiveness of embodied evaluation of mobile applications: A qualitative study

As a consequence of technological advances, the number of devices has increased, with the emergence of different smartphones, tablets, and smartwatches present in both personal and professional activities. As a result, mobile applications have been developed, and with them comes the need for techniques and methods that provide support for conducting evaluation and prototyping since the current approaches are limited and cannot support the complexity and the need for understanding the context. The overall goal of the study is to evaluate the applicability of adopting a situated and embodied approach to mobile application usability testing. The aspects of postmodern and phenomenological approaches were taken into consideration. The study was conducted using the technique of digital ethnography, in particular the re-enactment technique, combined with qualitative research techniques to capture the evidence that the situated and embodied approach allows for capturing the perceptions and experience of the participants about the use of the application under evaluation. As motivation, there is the theoretical and methodological evolution and contribution and the proof that the postmodern and situated approach allows us to evaluate the usability of mobile applications in a complete way, considering the context and the user experience. The results show aspects of experience, reflections, perceptions, contingencies, practices, and meanings that go beyond the complexity of interactions and context with the use of the application, reinforcing the effectiveness of the use of the situated prototyping approach.

Identification and comparison of the main variables affecting early university dropout rates according to knowledge area and institution

The dropout rate in universities is a widely studied issue that concerns both universities and public organizations. Most studies focus on quantifying the phenomenon and identifying the variables involved. This paper uses a multidisciplinary approach to parameterize the factors that define the entry profile of undergraduates at the national level in Spain in collaboration with three universities in different regions and with different disciplines. The aim is to reduce the dropout rate in the first year of study towards a degree. The research questions focus on the weighting of personal variables about students by tutors and whether there are differences in the weighting systems for the main variables as differentiated by discipline, university and/or region. The document is organized to describe the method and context of the study, present the main results, show the application of the survey instrument in a case study, and provide conclusions. The method is based on the two fundamental factors, including the influence of certain student characteristics at matriculation and the importance of a positive experience in the first year of the degree. The study is focused on two elements that inspire the current proposal: the need to identify and rapidly detect students who, due to their entry characteristics, are at a greater risk of dropout and the importance of guaranteeing a good start in the first year of the degree. The study uses a multidisciplinary approach and combines qualitative and quantitative methods to gather data. The study also uses a survey instrument that measures the risk of student dropout based on the weighting of personal variables by tutors. The results of the study have allowed us to categorize the main variables of the student profile that affect the risk of dropout and establish them as aspects to be monitored by the tutors in the first weeks. Furthermore, it has been shown that although there are no significant differences in the averages of dropout risk calculated with either global or specific weighting systems (by centre or studies), there is a tendency observed by the tutors that the weighted averages generated by disciplinary focus are closer to identifying the student's real risk of dropping out.

Introducing Immersive Virtual Reality in the Initial Phases of the Design Process—Case Study: Freshmen Designing Ephemeral Architecture

Immersive Virtual Reality (IVR) has proven to be an important tool for the exploration and communication of architectural projects prior to their real construction; however, there have been few scientific advances of its use in the understanding, exploration, and definition of architectural space by architecture students in their initial design processes. The purpose of this research is to determine how the use of IVR incorporated in the initial phases of the architectural design process improves, among students, the achievement of three specifics design competencies, and to know the evaluation that professors make of the advantages and disadvantages of the use of this tool in the design process. A mixed methodology was applied, considering participatory observations and surveys of students and teachers concerning the initial architecture workshop on architectural careers. It was found that the three analyzed competencies are better achieved with the use of IVR due to its high utility in the perception of space on a real scale and in its interior experimentation, both referred to as important advantages by students and teachers. It is concluded that the application of the interactive and immersive VR is a pedagogical tool that allows students to get feedback from their own spatial experience to correct and improve their designs, while teachers find the tool useful in the initial phases of architectural design.

Towards Smart City Governance. Case Study: Improving the Interpretation of Quantitative Traffic Measurement Data through Citizen Participation

Citizens play a core role in sustainable cities as users of the services delivered by cities and as active participants in initiatives aimed at making cities more sustainable. This paper considers the role of citizens as information providers and discusses the conditions under which citizens can participate in the development of sustainable cities. The objective of this study is to document the sustainability of an urban transit system and evaluate its compliance, with citizen participation as a major contributor. The methodology used is intensive field visits, interviews, and a mixed analysis of Sant Andreu de Palomar District in Barcelona city. The circulating vehicles are quantitatively monitored, qualitative problems are detected, and the typology of vehicles and other aspects identified and detailed in the study are indicated. All this information is contrasted with that of the technological sensors in the sectors. The results indicate that vehicles in the current pattern of urban density planned under incorrect sensor operation influence sustainable behavior through agglomerative clustering. This paper provides recommendations for future urban sustainability assessment research, including the employment of mixed-methods research, among other strategies. This article is intended to assist policymakers and traffic engineers in evaluating the sustainability of urban transportation infrastructure projects considering citizens as sensors.

Gamification and Hazard Communication in Virtual Reality: A Qualitative Study

An effective warning attracts attention, elicits knowledge, and enables compliance behavior. Game mechanics, which are directly linked to human desires, stand out as training, evaluation, and improvement tools. Immersive virtual reality (VR) facilitates training without risk to participants, evaluates the impact of an incorrect action/decision, and creates a smart training environment. The present study analyzes the user experience in a gamified virtual environment of risks using the HTC Vive head-mounted display. The game was developed in the Unreal game engine and consisted of a walk-through maze composed of evident dangers and different signaling variables while user action data were recorded. To demonstrate which aspects provide better interaction, experience, perception and memory, three different warning configurations (dynamic, static and smart) and two different levels of danger (low and high) were presented. To properly assess the impact of the experience, we conducted a survey about personality and knowledge before and after using the game. We proceeded with the qualitative approach by using questions in a bipolar laddering assessment that was compared with the recorded data during the game. The findings indicate that when users are engaged in VR, they tend to test the consequences of their actions rather than maintaining safety. The results also reveal that textual signal variables are not accessed when users are faced with the stress factor of time. Progress is needed in implementing new technologies for warnings and advance notifications to improve the evaluation of human behavior in virtual environments of high-risk surroundings.

A Systematic Review of Current Strategies and Methods for BIM Implementation in the Academic Field

Since the international governmental institutions required and/or recommended (according to the regulations of each country and continent) all public works to be certified in the BIM (Building Information Modeling) methodology, public and private institutions and universities have sought to integrate BIM into their production and educational processes. This requires the university academic environment to focus its efforts on training students in this methodology, as they will need to apply it in any future work activities related to architecture and construction. This article seeks to analyze which methods are being used by higher education institutions around the world to integrate BIM implementation in AEC (architecture, engineering, and construction) degrees and to determine if a set of regulatory guidelines exists that could serve as a common foundation for institutions to improve this integration process. To this end, a systematic literature review was carried out on WOS and SCOPUS by applying the PRISMA statement methodology. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were selected based on keywords, abstracts, and full content of the articles. In the end, 23 articles were thoroughly studied, the integration and evaluation methods analyzed, and results obtained. The analysis shows a consensus on the need to develop common academic guidelines across university centers that define a strategy for curriculum modifications and teaching and learning strategies. Finally, future lines of research are identified.