Enhanced data sessions this semester with physical co-presence were mostly cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
We did hold one special enhanced data session. In November 2020, fourteen researchers divided equally between Aalborg and a city in another country, used CAVA360VR (Collaborate, Annotate, Visualise, Analysis 360 video in Virtual Reality) in a mixed VR/non-VR/streaming arrangement to conduct three enhanced data sessions over the course of a day's workshop. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, most participants were isolated in different locations in the two countries. Four of the researchers, split between the two cities, used VR mode, while seven used non-VR mode to participate simultaneously. One of the VR users live streamed (Zoom) the data session to three other researchers (macOS users), who could see the shared scene and hear everyone else, as well as interact verbally with the streamer, but not with the others co-present in CAVA360VR. Three sets of 360-degree video data were presented with additional transcripts and graphics (and an extra 2D camera video clip in one case). A new practice was developed in which all the participants could leave the common virtual 'room' and enter their own private room (or breakout room) before returning to the common room to share their observations with each other (in a round), as is routine in a physically co-present data session. In each private room, a participant could engaged with the video with full functionality independently of everyone else, a set of affordances simply not available in a traditional data session.
Our enhanced data sessions will resume we hope in late Spring 2021. Please check back later for the programme.