Active video games in fully immersive virtual reality elicit moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and improve cognitive performance in sedentary college students

Background:Active video games are a new method for increasing physical activity(PA).Fully immersive virtual reality(VR)is a hardware device on which an active video game can run.Active(video games in)VR(AVR),might increase immersion,game engagement,and moderate-to-vigorous PA(MVPA),thereby yielding greater exercise-related benefits,e.g.,cognitive performance.Methods:We examined the induction of MVPA via an AVR and a sedentary VR(SVR)as well as the effects of VR play on cognitive performance,which was monitored using 2 different methods.Each of 29 sedentary college students attended three 20-min laboratory sessions(AVR,SVR,or control)in a randomized order;during the control session,they sat quietly doing nothing.A fully immersive headset was used for the 2 video game sessions.We monitored and computed participants’PA using hip-wom accelerometers(wGT3 x-bt;ActiGraph,Pensacola,FL,USA)and a heart rate band(Polar H7;Polar,Kempele,Finland).After each session,the participants completed a mnemonic similarity test(MST)to measure recognition memory.They also filled out a motion sickness questionnaire and an abbreviated game experience questionnaire.Results:The AVR session induced a significantly greater heart rate and more time spent in MVPA than did either of the other 2 sessions regardless of the PA monitoring method.AVR elicited greater game experience questionnaire-assessed sensory and imaginative immersion,challenge,and positive affect than did SVR.The mnemonic similarity test recognition score was marginally higher post-AVR session than it was post-SVR session.Conclusion:AVR elicited MVPA without a significant increase in motion sickness and induced a better game experience and better borderline cognitive performance than did SVR.     

All the (Natural) World's a Stage: Museum Theater as an Educational Tool

This paper describes a range of theatrical events developed by the Education Unit of the Natural History Museum, London. Theater is used to target non‐traditional audiences, thereby helping meet the museum's educational mandate in innovative ways. The museum's galleries have recently hosted a variety of characters, traditional and contemporary, historical and fictional, in a number of dramatic formats: ensemble pieces, role‐playing, puppetry, dance, mime, and acrobatics. The examples described here provide the occasion for exploring related issues, such as the museum's overall objectives for the program, the responses of visitors, and the spatial and temporal limitations to the design process.     

Examining the boundaries of HPT through the lens of communities of practice

Despite its existence for over six decades, the practice of human performance technology (HPT) has not been widely accepted within organizations. Varying levels of confusion surround the understanding of HPT, which has been influenced by myriad fields and disciplines. Although HPT is focused on improving performance at the organizational, team, and individual levels, it does not own the practice of performance improvement. The goal of optimal performance across various functions and levels within an organization is not confined to HPT but extends to process improvement, human resource development, organizational development, knowledge management, and several other areas. Therein lies the problem: A lack of consideration about the boundaries that delineates the field has ramifications for both the research on and the practice of HPT. This study examines the domains and disciplines that HPT proponents consider central to the field.