Classroom Technology and Motion Sickness

Abstract

This study was spurred by reports of a presentation software application causing symptoms of motion sickness in classroom and training environments. Many educators use presentation applications to help convey ideas and concepts related to course learning objectives. Thus, presentations that make learners ill can have a serious consequence on learning. Two experiments were conducted to investigate the influence of classroom presentations with different optic flow characteristics on symptoms of motion sickness. In Experiment 1, college-aged students were exposed to either a low optic flow (LOF) presentation or a high optic flow (HOF) presentation. In Experiment 2, students were exposed to either a HOF presentation or a moderate optic flow (MOF) one. In both experiments, students completed a Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ) (Kennedy, Lane, Berbaum, and Lilienthal, 1993) before and after instruction to assess severity of motion sickness. In addition, in both experiments, students completed a quiz that assessed learning. Wilcoxon Matched-Pairs Signed Rank Tests were conducted to determine differences in ranking of PRE- and POST-SSQ scores. Differences in quiz scores between groups were assessed using independent samples t-tests. In Experiment 1, participants who viewed a HOF presentation experienced a significant increase in simulator sickness symptoms, while those who viewed a LOF presentation did not. In Experiment 2, participants in both HOF and MOF groups experienced a significant increase in simulator sickness symptoms. In both experiments, no differences in quiz scores between groups were found. These results suggest that moderate to high amounts of optic flow can cause an increase in symptoms of motion sickness in individuals who view animated instructional presentations.