IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication Jun 2018

Understanding Virtual Reality: Presence, Embodiment, and Professional Practice

Jason Tham University of Minnesota ; Ann Hill Duin University of Minnesota ; Laura Gee University of Minnesota ; Nathan Ernst University of Minnesota ; Bilal Abdelqader University of Minnesota ; Megan McGrath University of Minnesota

Abstract

Introduction: Virtual reality (VR) has gained popularity across industries for its ability to engage users on a level unprecedented by print or 2-D media; however, few guidelines exist for the use of VR technologies in technical and professional communication (TPC) curricula. To address this need, this experience report details the study of a recognizable and adopted set of VR devices to promote understanding of the ways in which emerging VR technologies provide new approaches to pedagogy. Literature review: Drawing from literature in computer science, communication studies, and anthropology, as well as embodiment and phenomenology, the authors provide a historical account of VR development. About the study: Using three concurrent case studies and qualitative interviews, the authors share their deployment of three low-end to high-end VR devices: Google Cardboard, Google Daydream View, and HTC Vive. Using a modified heuristic, the authors assess the functions, features, and uses of the devices; showcase current or potential deployments; and for triangulation, provide a user study of two devices. Results/discussion: VR immersion can provide students with a deeper understanding of course content; immersion in future workplaces can give students an initial vision of their project and profession; concepts can be seen from new vantage points; and user themes include felt experience, sense and sensibility, agency and autonomy, and constant identities. Together, these themes provide an entry into discussions of designing VR content for technical and professional communication. Conclusion: The authors discuss limitations to VR integration and provide resources so practitioners might implement VR in engaging and relevant ways.

Journal
IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
Published
2018-06-01
DOI
10.1109/tpc.2018.2804238
CompPile
Search in CompPile ↗
Open Access
Closed
Topics
writing pedagogy professional writing digital rhetoric body and rhetoric book reviews
Export
BibTeX RIS

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (4)

  1. Shivener et al. (2025)
    Capturing the Experiences of Simulated Writing for Novice Virtual Reality Users
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  2. Tham (2024)
    Researching With Virtual Reality: Exploring the Methodological Affordances of V…
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  3. Wuebben et al. (2023)
    360° Video for Research Communication and Dissemination: A Case Study and Guidelines
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  4. Heinonen et al. (2021)
    Information Design for Small Screens: Toward Smart Glass Use in Guidance for In…
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication

Cites in this index (0)

No references match articles in this index.

Also cites 13 works outside this index ↓
  1. dourish (2001)
    10.7551/mitpress/7221.001.0001
    Where the Action Is The Foundations of Embodied Interaction  ↗
  2. 10.19079/metodo.2.2.47
     ↗
  3. 10.1163/156916212X632934
     ↗
  4. 10.1145/1778765.1778829
     ↗
  5. 10.1109/CT.1997.617676
     ↗
  6. kilteni (2012)
    The sense of embodiment in virtual reality
    Presence  ↗
  7. 10.1016/S1389-0417(02)00056-6
     ↗
  8. 10.1016/S1364-6613(99)01397-2
     ↗
  9. 10.1111/j.1460-2466.1992.tb00812.x
     ↗
  10. 10.1111/j.1468-2885.2004.tb00302.x
     ↗
  11. 10.1111/j.1083-6101.1997.tb00072.x
     ↗
  12. 10.5840/idstudies19932312
     ↗
  13. 10.1016/B978-0-12-384925-0.00003-1
     ↗
CrossRef global citation count: 124 View in citation network → Build reading path →

Related Articles

  1. Pedagogy Apr 2022
    Contributors ↗
    rhetorical criticism writing pedagogy creative writing writing across the curriculum teacher development collaborative writing assessment writing program administration technical communication professional writing digital rhetoric literacy studies gender and writing disability studies literary studies book reviews editorial matter
  2. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication Mar 2022
    Equipping Technical Communicators for Social Justice Work: Theories, Methodologies, and Pedagogies: Rebecca Walton and Godwin Y. Agboka: [Book Review] ↗
    Priyanka Ganguly
    cultural rhetorics writing pedagogy teacher development technical communication professional writing race and writing body and rhetoric book reviews
  3. The Peer Review Jun 2021
    Gentle Excavations: Mindfully Shifting to an Explicitly Antiracist Writing Center ↗
    Kristi Girdharry; Kristi Girdharry
    rhetorical criticism first-year composition writing pedagogy teacher development writing program administration writing centers peer tutoring professional writing multilingual writers grammar and mechanics race and writing gender and writing body and rhetoric book reviews editorial matter
  4. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication Dec 2015
    Instructional Design for Stem-Based Collaborative, Colocated Classroom Composition ↗
    Brad Mehlenbacher; Meagan Kittle Autry; Ashley Rose Kelly
    genre theory writing pedagogy collaborative writing technical communication professional writing scientific writing digital rhetoric online writing instruction book reviews
  5. Computers and Composition Jun 2026
    “Article laundry” or “tutor in pocket?”: Multilingual writers’ generative AI-assisted writing in professional settings ↗
    Qianqian Zhang-Wu
    writing pedagogy teacher development professional writing qualitative research digital rhetoric artificial intelligence multilingual writers