Voice user interfaces (VUI) have been increasingly used in everyday settings and they are growing in popularity. These interfaces have predominantly eyes-free and hands-free interactions. This kind of experiences continues to be an inceptive field compared to other input methods such as touch or using the keyboard/mouse. Thus, it is important to identify tools used to evaluate the usability of VUIs. This article presents a systematic review, in which we analyzed 57 articles and describes nine questionnaires used for evaluating the usability of VUIs, assessing the potential suitability of these questionnaires to measure different types of interactions and various usability dimensions. We found that these questionnaires were used to evaluate the usability of voice-only and voice-added VUIs: AttrakDiff, ICF-US, MOS-X, SUISQ-R, SUS, SASSI, UEQ, PARADISE and USE, where the SUS questionnaire is the most commonly used. However, its items do not directly assess voice quality, although it evaluates the general user interaction with a system. All the questionnaires include items related to three usability dimensions (effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction). The questionnaire with the most homogeneous coverage regarding the number of items in each aspect of usability is the SASSI questionnaire. It is a normal practice to use multiple questionnaires to obtain a more complete measurement of usability. We perceive the necessity to increase usability research about the differences between the voice interaction with diverse display types (voice-first, voice-only, voice-added) and the dialog types (command-based and conversational), and how usability affects the user expectations about the VUIs.

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the traditional teaching and learning process, moving students' educational hands-on activities carried out in the classroom to home activities that include the use of online tools. Here we describe an after-class online coding club conducted for a month, where elementary (primary) school students programmed and tested games running on the BBC Micro: bit microcontroller board. By developing gaming mini-projects, the students learned computing topics such as logic, sensors, random number generation, game development and programming, and how small physical computing mini-projects were conducted. In this paper, we describe how students and an instructor developed and tested games made for the Micro: bit, running an online simulator and physically using the Micro: bit at home. The paper shows lessons learned on developing games with the BBC Micro: bit in the coding club, and challenges that students encountered in the game development with the BBC Micro: bit. Future work includes multisensory educational gaming projects with the BBC Micro: bit.

Background: Chemistry and biology students often have difficulty understanding molecular structures. Sonification (the rendition of data into non-speech sounds that convey information) can be used to support molecular understanding by complementing scientific visualization. A proper sonification design is important for its effective educational use. This paper describes a participatory design (PD) approach to designing and developing the sonification of a molecular structure model to be used in an educational setting. Methods: Biology, music, and computer science students and specialists designed a sonification of a model of an insulin molecule, following Spinuzzi’s PD methodology and involving evolutionary prototyping. The sonification was developed using open-source software tools used in digital music composition. Results and Conclusions: We tested our sonification played on a virtual reality headset with 15 computer science students. Questionnaire and observational results showed that multidisciplinary PD was useful and effective for developing an educational scientific sonification. PD allowed for speeding up and improving our sonification design and development. Making a usable (effective, efficient, and pleasant to use) sonification of molecular information requires the multidisciplinary participation of people with music, computer science, and molecular biology backgrounds.

El objetivo de esta investigación, cuyo enfoque fue descriptivo y transversal, se enfocó en conocer la opinión de estudiantes universitarios sobre su experiencia al utilizar Google Drive para trabajar de manera colaborativa. El tema abordado con dicha estrategia colaborativa fue la elaboración del planteamiento del problema de una investigación, apartado constituido por la contextualización del tema, su justificación y las preguntas y objetivos de investigación. Los participantes fueron alumnos inscritos en las asignaturas Metodología y Práctica de la Investigación de la licenciatura en Negocios Internacionales (LINI) y Metodología de la Investigación de la carrera de Médico Cirujano Partero (MCP) del ciclo escolar 19-B (antes de la pandemia covid-19) en el Centro Universitario del Sur (CUSur). Los resultados demuestran que Google Drive resultó de gran ayuda para desarrollar cada una de las tareas indicadas. De hecho, los alumnos identificaron como atractivo su uso, pues al poder compartir y modificar documentos en la nube pudieron vencer las barreras de los horarios y de la presencia física.

A virtual assistant is an artificial intelligence software designed to perform various tasks and assist users in their daily activities. This technology is integrated into devices like smartphones, providing users with convenient, hands-free access. Popular virtual assistants include Amazon Alexa, Apple's Siri, Google Assistant, and Microsoft's Cortana. Today, virtual assistants are very popular in other contexts, such as education, because virtual assistants can function as customer service 24 hours a day, seven days a week, thus, for example, avoiding professors and service staff having to answer repetitive and easy-to-answer questions. In this work, we present an extended summary of the development of a virtual assistant for university professors. We are using a user-centered design approach to develop such a tool, as we want to involve end users from the beginning of the process. We hope to bring together several participants to obtain more valuable contributions

An immersive interface is designed to improve communication for individuals with hearing impairments and speech disabilities. This interface integrates advanced speech-to-text and TTS technologies, facilitating real-time communication for educational settings. The speech-to-text technology transcribes the teacher's spoken words into text, displayed on an immersive augmented reality headset. Additionally, TTS technology vocalizes the student's typed responses through a virtual keyboard, enabling verbal communication with the teacher and peers. By focusing on cooperative learning and social computing, this study explores how to implement a conversational user interface, ensuring trustworthiness and reliability. Preliminary design insights and strategic implementation efforts aim to demonstrate the interface's potential as a transformative communication tool in assistive technology. The research highlights the collaborative aspects of educational environments, showing how augmented reality can enhance student social interaction. This research uses advanced technology to support, mediate, and enhance human social interactions, creating more inclusive and effective educational experiences.