Too Close for Comfort? Investigating Virtual Professor Distance and Student Learning in VR

This study investigates how virtual professor proximity influences student comprehension and attention in an immersive learning environment. 27 participants experienced three lectures in virtual reality (VR) under varying spatial conditions: close distance (personal space intrusion), optimal distance (user defined preferred proximity), and far distance (outside social interaction proximity). Attention was tracked via eye movement, and comprehension was evaluated through multiple-choice tests. Results show that close distance reduced comprehension despite increased gaze toward the professor, likely due to discomfort and attentional overload. Far distance increased visual distraction, while the optimal distance supported comfort, engagement, and performance. Our findings offer actionable design guidelines for avatar placements in virtual learning systems to optimize user experience and cognitive effectiveness.