Telepresence Robots for Remote Participation in Higher
Education
Junrui Hu, Gisela Reyes-Cruz, Horia Alexandru Maior, Joel Fischer
Telepresence robotics enable people to synchronously communicate
and interact at a distance. The Covid-19 pandemic caused in-person
teaching and research activities to migrate online in almost all
society sectors (including higher education). In hybrid learning
environments, telepresence robots have the potential to increase
the effectiveness of distance learning by enhancing user presence,
allowing students to remain physically embodied and socially connected. However, to be accepted, trusted, and adopted in higher
education, more work is needed to investigate the specific requirements of telepresence robotics in these settings. In this paper, we
present the results of a mixed methods study exploring how the
use of a telepresence robot in a simulated learning and research
environment affects trust in and user experience of telepresence
robots used in higher education. We aimed to understand users’
attitudes and requirements for the use of telepresence robots in academic teaching and research. Our findings suggest that the level of
trust is contingent upon the user, the performance of the robot, and
the credibility of the developing organisation. We additionally map
out the current challenges encountered by the use of telepresence
robots in these settings and provide suggestions to improve user
experience by highlighting new software and hardware capabilities.
Access the paper here.