Virtual Research Arena: Presenting Research in 3D Virtual Environments

The paper presents Virtual Research Arena – a framework for creating awareness about educational and research activities, promoting cross-fertilization between different environments and engaging general public. In the paper, we present initial results of an explorative case study where we apply the framework. The study includes a practical exercise in cooperation technology course and the first Virtual Science Fair in Trondheim, Norway. The data collected during the study are analyzed to explore the technological, educational, social and other issues of using 3D Collaborative Virtual Environments for visualizing research projects and promoting research to the general public. We also present how the current studies fit into our previous research on supporting learning communities in 3D collaborative virtual environments. The paper concludes with outlining future development of the Virtual Research Arena.