Evaluating the modes of communication: A study of collaborative design in virtual environments

Abstract

With the recent developments in communication and information technologies using Collaborative Virtual Environments (CVEs) in design activity has experienced a significant increase. In this paper, a collaborative learning activity between the University of Sydney (USYD), and the Istanbul Technical University (ITU), Global Teamwork, is presented. This paper explores the use of asynchronous and synchronous communication modes during design activity in a remote context. The paper continues with an evaluation study of the Global Teamwork based on the students' comments and a protocol study, focusing on the communication modes provided by the CVEs used. The paper concludes with insights into the applications of virtual environments in collaborative design teaching. COPYRIGHT: © 2012 The authors.