Panagiotis Apostolellis

University of Virginia | UVa · Department of Computer Science

Museums have been long recognized as legitimate places for out-of-school learning, offering unique experiences for large student groups. However, the challenges of assessing learning and engagement outcomes using technological interventions for large audiences, often undermine the value of these practices. To address the need for understanding how...

Considering the shift of museums toward digital experiences that can satiate the interests of their young audiences, we suggest an integrated schema for socially engaging large visitor groups. As a means to present our position, we propose a framework for audience involvement with complex educational material, combining serious games and virtual en...

One of the most popular audiences of museums is classroom-size groups of students, in the context of school field trips. However, students do not get adequate involvement during interactive group experiences, which might affect their impression and learning gained from the visit. In this paper, we present our findings from a recent study in middle...

Museums are rich and complex learning experiences, using a variety of interactive approaches to engage their audiences. However, the largely unstructured nature of free-choice learning calls for alternative approaches that can effectively engage groups of school age students with diverse cultural backgrounds. In this paper, we present our findings...

In informal learning spaces employing digital content, such as museums, visitors often do not get adequate exposure to content, or they passively receive instruction offered by a museum docent to the whole group. This research aims to identify which elements of co-located group collaboration, virtual environments, and serious games can be leveraged...

Computational thinking (CT) is increasingly seen as a core literacy skill for the modern world on par with the long-established skills of reading, writing, and arithmetic. To promote the learning of CT at a young age we capitalized on children's interest in play. We designed RabBit EscApe, a board game that challenges children, ages 6-10, to orient...

In this paper, we evaluate a new generation 5DOF tracker, the Leap Motion Controller, and the mouse for performing integral and separable 3D manipulation tasks in a stage lighting application. Based on the hypothesis that the Leap would outperform the mouse for the integral tasks of position and rotation while the mouse will prove better for the se...

In informal learning spaces employing digital content, such as museums, visitors either do not get adequate exposure to content or get information through passive instruction offered by a museum docent to the whole group. This research aims to identify which elements of co-located group collaboration, virtual environments, and serious games can be...

We designed a collaborative navigation interface in which one user (the controller) guides a second, remote user (the navigator) through a 3D game environment. Both sides of the interface use commercially available gaming hardware. The controller uses full-body gestures to send navigation cues to the navigator, who travels through the environment u...

Informal or free-choice learning has become a well-established means of disseminating knowledge to school classrooms over the last years. Various technology-enhanced public spaces, like science centers and cultural heritage museums, are nowadays equipped with state-of-the-art digital dome theaters, where groups of people (mainly children) attend ed...

Informal learning in public spaces like museums, science centers and planetariums is increasingly popular during the last years. Recent advancements in large-scale displays allowed contemporary technology-enhanced museums to get equipped with digital domes, some with real-time capabilities like Virtual Reality systems. By conducting extensive liter...

Informal learning in public spaces like museums and location-based entertainment venues is increasingly popular during the last years. Especially in technology-enhanced museums such properties as Virtual Reality, Game-Based Collaboration, and Immersive Displays are considered to bear significant educational value. After extensive literature review...

As the interest of the public for new forms of media grows, museums and theme parks select real time Virtual Reality productions as their presentation medium. New interactive and immersive shows are opening all around the world. Based on three-dimensional graphics, interaction, sound, music and intense story telling they mesmerize their audiences....