This paper focuses on new learning modes that combine physical and virtual learning spaces and techniques. Synchronous distance technique combined with new dramaturgy and narrative techniques create new learning modes for distance learning. In a series of courses called "Networking Multimedia" students are trained on pedagogical use of video conferencing, integrating several different media tools.The research was based on analysis and evaluation of a large number of video recordings from previous exams and questionnaires among the students. Typical exam projects varied from playing games, give interactive instruction, interactive music performance to virtual marriages, combined ISDN and IP-based videoconferencing and multiple remote control of PCs over the world. During these courses, we have seen that relatively simple techniques can be used for producing programs with a high level of participation and presence – and for the best projects, the technology becomes transparent.

A rich sense of togetherness can be achieved in distributed audiences by using scenography, dramaturgy, story telling (narratives), conscientiously applied on a foundation of advances in media technology. This paper describes the findings from a series of full-scale performances, nicknamed the "Point 25". This event was launched as a joint venture between The Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm (KTH) and Stanford University in Palo Alto, CA within the Connected Performance Spaces Project (a.k.a COPS), funded by WGLN (Wallenberg Global Learning Network). Each performance consisted of two performing nodes (each hosting two musicians) and two audience nodes, respectively located in the universities' performance spaces, separated by 10 000 km and nine time zones. The physical scenography was based on a hexagonal boundary with a number of large projection screens, cameras, microphones, speakers et cetera. In this common “performer-audience” scene, there were designated "hot" capture areas for the performers to work in, assisted by auxiliary video feeds for real-time transitions and immersive blending. On each side of the intercontinental performance, there was a ”presence producer” in action, changing the characteristics of the interactive spaces for the performers, thus exploring new narrative tools and developing new experiences for the audience. This type of event implies that enriched convergence between media-related disciplines, will move the boundaries of what is possible to do today. To work together inevitably leads to a deeper understanding of each others’ research areas, and ultimately to what we refer to as concept calibration – a starting point for breaking new ground within presence production. It shows that it is possible to build communities between humans separated both by large distances as well as previously disjunctive fields of research, arts and performance

What is it actually like to share your office space - all day, every day - in realtime collaboration with your peer professionals, located in distributed geographical locations - in our case also involving multiple countries – yet interconnected with audiovisual technology. This empirical study aims to examine how telepresence affects various communication modes at the workplace; teamwork, reflective, leisure activities and so forth. The research team members have identified some key factors that together contribute to a sense of presence, each of them affecting the level of trust and co-existence between two or more parties. Secondly, the report attempts to address the overall notion of communication quality as such; what actually constitutes communication quality in a telepresence context, to what extent is this quality measurable in technical terms, how does the user's perceived sense of quality correlate to measurements, and how does communication quality affect the sense of presence, bonds of trust and feeling of togetherness for members of a virtually co-located, yet geographically separated, working group. This study was carried out by a joint team of researchers at Høgskolen i Lillehammer, Høgskolen i Gjøvik, both in Norway and Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan in Stockholm, Sweden during 2004-2007.

Based on ten years teaching a Masters level course in presence design and production, an interdisciplinary team of teachers present a series of reflections. The topic of mediated presence requires that both teacher and student indulge intheory and practice from a range of disciplines. The course pedagogy described in this paper focuses team-based design, learning by doing, prototyping and scenarios. The intended learning outcomes (ILO) cover spatial and temporal strategies for producing presence, along with critical design concepts: how to establish trust in mediated environments and the formation of a tacit communication contract between participants. The analysis of the reflective home assignment which concludes the course, shows that the intended learning outcomes were reached; the students show a fundamental understanding of how the presence experience relates to a combination of spatial and technical design. Through their prototypes and scenario constructs, the students further demonstrate necessary skills to successfully design, prepare and carry out a variety of presence situations extrapolated from their gained knowledge. 

Shared mediated spaces provide viable alternatives for meetings and interactions. The development of collaborative mediated workspaces and shared negotiation spaces will have a fundamental impact on all human practices. Previous design-led research, has identified spatial design concepts, such as mediated gaze, and spatial montage, which, if unaddressed, may be said to impose friction, and thus impact negatively on the experience of mediated presence. The current paper discusses a set of conceptual tools for presence design, in relation to a prototype that is currently being developed by an interdisciplinary academic work group: The Mediated Sketching Table. The prototype combines analogue and digital interaction tools and technologies including HTML5 and WebRTC. Here, we present our initial observations when using the prototype and discuss possible ways to overcome design friction in the prototype. We acknowledge that mediated presence cannot be ensured by design or technology alone. However, by monitoring various design features, presence designers can seek to reduce the friction that otherwise inhibits mediated presence, mutual trust, knowledge-sharing, and teamwork efficiency.