Toronto Metropolitan University Open Journals
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The Epistemics of the Body: User Experience and Self-Perception in Non-Fictional First-Person VR
No full textThis presentation is about the relationship between the factors of space, story and body in non-fictional VR projects with the user as a first-person protagonist. What used to be called immersive journalism, i.e., the attempt to offer the user physical experiences of factual journalism, has now become much more film-oriented in the last years. Most projects, therefore, tell stories that have a relation to reality and allow the protagonists to enter real-life narratives.
The paper starts by focusing on the state of the art of research from the direction of media and information science. Mel Slater has been investigating VR projects with others since 2005, naming factors such as place illusion or plausibility illusion; in later writings, he expanded this to include the body-oriented sense of embodiment (SoE) (Slater et al. 2009, 2010a, 2010b, 2012).
These methodological explanations are supplemented by the immersion effect of the story itself. Domenic Arsénault pointed out there are three levels of narrative immersion in VR (Arsénault 2005). From this, an integrative matrix is developed. In the following, four current examples are presented that were used for the research project. The results of a small, non-representative study with 24 participants are presented afterwards. The findings include, among other things, that both the space and the story in first-person VR are related to the user\u27s body, while the installation of a working plausibility illusion is rather insignificant. The user reads, experiences and understands the projects with the senses, perceptions and cognition of the whole body, as it seems, which makes it possible to speak of an epistemic of the body
Reconstruction 360 Workshop: Interpreting History on a 360° Platform
No full textReconstruction 360 is a transmedia application produced by South Carolina ETV (SCETV), the state PBS affiliate. The project interprets the Reconstruction era for the general public, students, and educators who use a range of desktop and mobile devices. It employs an
immersive 360° video platform, historical vignettes and short-form documentaries to examine humanities themes related to Reconstruction and deepen the public’s understanding of this crucial period of American history.
We will begin with an introduction to the project and a description of those involved in its development, including producers, funders and scholars. Subsequently, we will briefly discuss the reasoning and logic behind using the 360° platform, documentary media and composite history scenes as engagement tools to interpret a difficult and frequently misunderstood era of American history. After our introduction, we will ask the group to convene in break-out rooms to work together in small groups to explore Reconstruction 360. We will then bring everyone back for conversation
Corona Haikus: Evolutive Agency Design in Participatory Interactive Narratives
No full textWhen I moved from linear documentary production to the newly emerging field of interactive storytelling in early 2000, I was excited by the potentialities of the Web, especially the possibility of co-creation in factual storytelling. Looking back, I can clearly see that what attracted me was the exploration of how factual narratives could make use of two unique affordances of digital media: user agency and interactivity. More than twenty years later, I am still experimenting with ways to use interactivity to facilitate co-creation of reality and move away from the representational tendency of linear documentaries (Gaudenzi 2013).
In this paper, I will use the Corona Haikus project (2020) to question the current understanding of user agency in participatory interactive narratives. I have chosen such project because I have personally been involved in it as a co-author, but also as a participant, and therefore I have both co-designed its user’s agency, and experienced it as a user. I will argue that agency in interactive documentary (i-doc) should be considered as a space of user empowerment that does not always have to affect the interactive narrative itself, because it can also be placed outside of the narrated story. The Corona Haikus example will be used to demonstrate that, in participatory narratives, deep individual and societal impact can be designed by mixing different types of mini-agencies and by orchestrating them as a journey of empowerment that is gradual and evolutive. Reflexive and evolutive agencies will be defined and presented as new ways to approach impact design in interactive narratives
\u27The Whiteness of the Mediterranean Diet\u27 Overlooks Existing BIPOC Solutions
No full textIn an age of increased cultural awareness, Dr. Kate Garner Burt\u27s timely article about \u27The whiteness of the Mediterranean Diet\u27 builds a strong case for diversifying nutrition research. However, to truly improve cultural humility in the nutrition field and beget anti-racist dietary research, future explorations must move beyond mischaracterizations of existing dietary resources and give voice to other cultural models of healthy eating. This opinion piece will dig deeper into the assumptions presented by Dr. Burt and the existing Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) solutions that have been overlooked
Engaging patients in the HIV care continuum through referral-making behaviours and patterns: A descriptive cross-sectional study
No full textIntroduction: HIV continuum of care consists of five steps needed to effectively treat and prevent the spread of HIV. Linkage to and retention of patients to this Continuum of Care is a global priority. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the quality of this Continuum, as people living with HIV, have had to shelter reducing their access to services. As well, HIV agencies have had to close, reduce hours, and shift personnel. Purpose and Methods: The purpose of this descriptive cross-sectional study was to examine the person-centered referral-making behaviors and patterns used by providers to engage patients in the care continuum. Three classes of linkage behaviors among 285 providers in 34 community agencies in New York City were identified using latent class analysis. Results: These linkage behaviors include High (48%); Moderate (34%); and Low (18%). Both High and Moderate consisted of a blend of active and passive strategies and tracking systems. The High included more active strategies such as escorting patients to appointments. Linkage class membership was significantly associated with frequency of linkages to primary care (p=.020). COVID-19 disruptions demonstrate how the Care Continuum has been undermined by insufficient organizational resources. Conclusion: Findings suggest, addresses gaps in linkages should enhance the overall Continuum of Care provided to individuals diagnosed and living with HIV
Women’s empowerment under the lens of global health equity: Literature review of challenges, best practices, and societal impact
No full textIntroduction: Women’s empowerment refers to strengthening the social, economic, and educational powers of women. Numerous global initiatives have been implemented to enable women to make decisions about their health and lives. The purpose of this literature review was to review women’s health barriers, related best practices, and their impacts on women\u27s empowerment in the global context. Methods: We comprehensively searched databases: PubMed, CINAHL, and Google Scholar and key program websites. To expand our review, we used a snowball strategy to scan articles, documents, reports, and research outputs of global programs and best practices to overcome barriers. Also, we screened publications posted on websites of organizations working on women’s empowerment and monitoring the Sustainable Development Goals progress. Results: Findings suggest significant advancements have been made in the status of women\u27s health over the past two decades. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has aggravated health barriers, impeding, and even reversing progress, which has resulted in widening women’s inequity in access to health care services worldwide. Conclusions: Findings suggest that successful and sustainable programs should have a multisectoral, multilevel and multistakeholder, diversified interventions approach with social empowerment, as well as the need for legislative enforcement against discrimination and harmful practices towards women
Evidence-based practice and undergraduate nursing curriculum: Trends and perspectives
No full textEvidence-based practice is recognized as key to improving the quality of health care, increasing patient safety, controlling costs, and improving outcomes for people with healthcare and nursing needs. Despite its advantages, the use of evidence in healthcare settings is not yet a standard of healthcare in the world. How can students learn and develop skills to use evidence-based-practice (EBP) in current nursing curriculum and how can researchers work with students and clinical professionals to increase EBP? Changes in nursing education will require close collaboration with clinical contexts because learning about evidence takes place outside the classroom
Examining students’ knowledge of infant feeding: A non-experimental descriptive study
No full textIntroduction: Breastfeeding rates in Canada are suboptimal, putting mothers and their infants’ health at risk. Understanding breastfeeding knowledge and attitudes in the university student population is important as many are likely to become parents in the future. University students’ knowledge and attitudes regarding infant feeding has been studied internationally; however, no studies including both female and male students have been conducted in Canada. The purpose of this study was to determine breastfeeding experiences, education, knowledge, infant feeding attitude and perceptions of the difference in mode of infant feeding among university students which can be used to inform future health promotion campaigns and school curriculum. Methods: A non-experimental, descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in which data from university students was collected to identify knowledge and attitude toward breastfeeding identify differences in knowledge of breast and bottle feeding. Results: Findings suggest 65% (n=117) of university students had no previous knowledge of breastfeeding practices. Conclusion: Breastfeeding information within the high school curriculum is needed to support evidence-informed preconception infant feeding choices and increase future parents\u27 understanding of how breastfeeding works to assist them in meeting their future infant feeding goals and increase breastfeeding rates.
Tele-rehabilitation interventions for individuals living with dementia during the COVID-19 pandemic: Mixed-method systematic review
No full textBackground: Considering COVID-19, individuals living with dementia are more vulnerable, and tele-rehabilitation can be incorporated into dementia care. Objective: To analyse the evidence of the availability and effectiveness of tele-rehabilitation interventions for individuals living with dementia in the community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A mixed-method systematic review was conducted. Cochrane, ProQuest, PubMed and Google Scholar databases were searched using keywords that include dementia, tele-rehabilitation, and COVID-19. Article quality was assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal tool. Results: Thirteen articles were included. Finding suggest, most tele-interventions were being implemented in European and high-income countries. These interventions included: videoconferences, telephone-based interventions, television-based assistive technology, and human-robot. Conclusion: Despite the lack of rigorous studies, tele-rehabilitation is effective in improving cognition, behavioural and psychological symptoms, quality of life, and social connectedness. Rigorous methodologies, i.e., randomised control trials, are recommended
"Walk in your own shoes!": Dismantling the Promise of VR Non-Fiction as the Ultimate Empathy Machine and Fathoming the Potential of Dis-Immersion as Critical Intervention
No full textThis contribution focuses on \u27new narratives\u27 dealing with the global issue of migration which however stands only as a paradigm of other forms of systemic injustice and discrimination. Taking paradigmatic projects -- Clouds over Sidra (2015) and This Room (2017) -- I will set off to look behind the promise of interactive, immersive narratives to let users \u27walk in someone else\u27s shoes\u27.
This article explores in how far the specific affordances of VR affect the engagement with content and the potentially transformative impact the producers are aiming at. Are we dealing with an exploitive gaze, are we drawn into a \u27human rights spectacle\u27, or do new forms of narrative enable response-able witnessing?
The theoretical framework brings together recent theories of VR non-fiction, drawing on the tradition of documentary theory and approaches to interactive storytelling, as well as findings in social psychology, especially conceptualizations of immersion, empathy, and presence in VR environments.
Addressing problematic socio-cultural, socio-political and media-ethical constellations (the risk of \u27improper distance\u27, of dehistoricizing and depoliticizing complex issues, of reinscribing hegemonic points-of-view and of imposing one\u27s own truth over the actual experiences of \u27others\u27, colonizing their feelings) I suggest a form of critical dis-immersion, arguing that the potential of new narratives does not consist in its amplification of visual illusion and immediate affective response but rather in its ability to model a different concept of subjectivity, questioning established regimes of gaze and perspective of the \u27self\u27 in relation to others