Collaborative Research: VOSS: Linking Collaborative Virtual Presence and Performance: Scale Development and Validation

North Carolina State University, Raleigh NC

Investigators

Abstract

This project focuses on the application of collaborative virtual environments (CVEs) used to support virtual work. A metric of the quality of a CVE is the degree to which it creates a sense of virtual presence (a sense of "being there") by the user. Designers of VEs consider presence to be a desirable attribute and goal, coupled with a longstanding belief that it is related to performance. However, there is limited empirical evidence to support these views, particularly in relation to collaborative decision processes. The link between presence and performance in a CVE is particularly relevant in a corporate context because many enterprises have yet to determine if there is sufficient return on the financial and human resource investments required to develop or license CVEs. This project first seeks to theoretically define the foundational construct of collaborative virtual presence (CVP). Then, via a series of team-based experiments involving two CVEs, the project aims to develop and validate a scale to perceptually measure CVP and correlate it to physiological data. Finally, the project aims to assess the relationship between CVP and performance. Understanding the role of presence in collaborative processes in CVEs is an important foundational step toward the development of revolutionary technologies for enabling effective team interactions that are fundamental to innovation and education.