Applying telepresence to education

This paper explores the application of telepresence principles to the design and development of selected education applications. The applications are described, and the main implications for telepresence principles are explored. The work reported suggests that the overriding concentration on quality as the most important determinant of presence may be misplaced. Indeed there may be situations where high fidelity systems may actually reduce learning effectiveness. To fully understand and model such complex situations requires conceptual frameworks to help bridge theory practice, a varied range of technologies from which to choose, and a set of design principles or heuristics to help build the most effective systems.