?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Adc&rft.title=Virtual+Institutes%3A+Between+Immersion+and+Communication+&rft.creator=Sachs-Hombach%2C+Dr+Klaus&rft.creator=Schirra%2C+Dr.+J%C3%B6rg+R.J.&rft.creator=Schneider%2C+Dr.+Jochen&rft.subject=Human+Computer+Interaction&rft.description=In+the+two+expressions+%22virtual+reality%22+and+%22virtual+community%22%2C+the+term+%22virtual%22+has+different+meanings.+A+virtual+reality+is+a+depiction+or%2C+more+generally+speaking%2C+a+sensuous+representation+of+reality+that+allows+-+mainly+by+means+of+interactivity+-+to+experience+various+features+of+reality+without+actually+being+in+contact+with+the+reality+depicted.+Therefore%2C+any+interactive+depiction+that+is+able+to+imitate+reality+to+such+an+extent+that+a+high+degree+of+sensory-motor+immersion+becomes+possible+is+called+a+virtual+reality+(Heim+1998%2C+6f).+Since+reality+is+always+much+more+complex+than+its+depiction+and+full+of+unpredictable+surprises%2C+hardly+ever+a+user+has+doubts+about+the+difference+between+the+depiction+and+the+thing+depicted.+Nevertheless%2C+there+are+good+reasons+for+preferring+the+imitation+to+the+reality%3A+at+least%2C+the+imitation+is+usually+not+as+dangerous+as+reality+sometimes+turns+out+to+be.+Accordingly%2C+quite+different+platforms+for+virtual+institutes+may+be+used+emphasizing+either+the+immersion+aspect+or+the+communication+aspect.+The+decision+for+a+platform+depends+on+the+goals+pursued+with+the+institute%3A+text-based+chat+systems+allow+virtual+communities+to+flourish%2C+single-user+VRML+scenes+convey+a+highly+immersive+3D+impression+to+its+users.+This+is+particularly+true+for+virtual+institutes+realized+as+a+3D+environment%2C+as+well+as+for+corresponding+virtual+communities+since+3D+environments+are+adequate+for+certain+tasks+only.+As+an+overall+framework+for+the+evaluation+it+is+helpful+to+distinguish+three+major+application+areas%3A+research%2C+presentation%2C+and+communicative+work.+The+Virtual+Institute+for+Image+Science+(VIB)%2C+which+we+would+like+to+describe+in+the+following+(3)+as+a+case+study%2C+is+almost+exclusively+designed+for+the+third+task%3A+communicative+working.+It+intends+to+provide+a+working+space+persons+can+share+for+joint+projects+despite+being+physically+separated.+Before+describing+the+VIB+in+more+detail+we+would+like+to+give+an+overview+of+virtual+institutes+between+the+poles+of+realistic+immersion+and+of+communication+in+a+community+(2).+The+discussion+of+the+case+study+leads+to+some+more+general+considerations+about+the+balance+virtual+institutes+must+find+along+that+bi-polar+dimension+(4).+In+the+concluding+remarks+we+focus+on+the+technical+tools+for+virtual+communities+in+3D+presently+available.+%0A&rft.publisher=Deutscher+Universit%C3%A4tsverlag%2C+Wiesbaden&rft.contributor=Marotzki%2C+W.&rft.contributor=Schneider%2C+J.&rft.contributor=Strothotte%2C+Th.&rft.date=2003&rft.type=Book+Chapter&rft.type=NonPeerReviewed&rft.format=application%2Fpdf&rft.identifier=http%3A%2F%2Fcogprints.org%2F4921%2F1%2FVI.pdf&rft.identifier=++Sachs-Hombach%2C+Dr+Klaus+and+Schirra%2C+Dr.+J%C3%B6rg+R.J.+and+Schneider%2C+Dr.+Jochen++(2003)+Virtual+Institutes%3A+Between+Immersion+and+Communication.++%5BBook+Chapter%5D+++++&rft.relation=http%3A%2F%2Fcogprints.org%2F4921%2F