Who’s that? - Identity Self-Perception and Projection in the Use of Telepresence Robots in Hybrid Classrooms

Aug 21, 2026

Robotic Telepresence (RT) supports students who cannot attend in-person classes by enabling remote presence and interaction in hybrid classrooms. The study addresses how RT design and use can shape identity self-perception and projection, with downstream effects on social dynamics and inclusion. Qualitative findings from 12 observations and interviews analyze which design and usage aspects strengthen identity projection and which constrain it. Results culminate in telepresence robot design and use recommendations for classroom contexts.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages5

Reading Time13 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Related Work

Robotic Telepresence

Abstract

"Who’s that?" Identity Self-Perception and Projection in the Use of Telepresence Robots in Hybrid Classrooms Houda Elmimouni [helmimo@iu.edu](helmimo@iu.edu)[ ](helmimo@iu.edu)Indiana University Bloomington, IN, USA Amy Kinney [amyelkinney@outlook.com](amyelkinney@outlook.com)[ ](amyelkinney@outlook.com)Indiana University Bloomington, IN, USA Elizabeth C. Brooks [lbrooketh@gmail.com](lbrooketh@gmail.com)[ ](lbrooketh@gmail.com)Indiana University Bloomington, IN, USA Hannah Li [lihann@iu.edu](lihann@iu.edu)[ ](lihann@iu.edu)Indiana University Bloomington, IN, USA Selma Šabanović [selmas@indiana.edu](selmas@indiana.edu)[ ](selmas@indiana.edu)Indiana University Bloomington, IN, USA ABSTRACT Robotic Telepresence (RT) is a promising medium for students who are unable to attend in-person classes. It enables remote students to be present in the classroom and interact with their classmates and instructors. However, it can be limiting to their identity selfperception and projection, which may have repercussions on the social dynamics and inclusion within the classroom. We present preliminary findings of a qualitative analysis of 12 observations and interviews with RT attendees. We examine RT design and use aspects that either supported identity self-perception and projection or limited it. Finally, we present telepresence robots design and use recommendations for the classroom context. CCS CONCEPTS • Human-centered computing → Collaborative and social computing systems and tools; Accessibility technologies. KEYWORDS Robotic telepresence, telerobot, Beam, remote participation, robotmediated communication, hybrid classroom, identity ACM Reference Format: Houda Elmimouni, Amy Kinney, Elizabeth C. Brooks, Hannah Li, and Selma Šabanović . 2023. "Who’s that?" Identity Self-Perception and Projection in the Use of Telepresence Robots in Hybrid Classrooms. In Companion of the 2023 ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction (HRI’23 Companion), March 13–16, 2023, Stockholm, Sweden. ACM, New York, NY, USA, 5 pages. [https://doi.org/10.1145/3568294.3580090](https://doi.org/10.1145/3568294.3580090) 1 INTRODUCTION A large number of students do not attend classes because of illnesses, injuries and physical disabilities (temporary or chronic), and more recently, due to COVID illness or quarantine. In some of Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for components of this work owned by others than the author(s) must be honored. Abstracting with credit is permitted. To copy otherwise, or republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission [and/or a fee. Request permissions from permissions@acm.org](and/or a fee. Request permissions from permissions@acm.org). HRI ’23 Companion, March 13–16, 2023, Stockholm, Sweden © 2023 Copyright held by the owner/author(s) . Publication rights licensed to ACM. ACM ISBN 978-1-4503-9970-8/23/03. . . $15.00 [https://doi.org/10.1145/3568294.3580090](https://doi.org/10.1145/3568294.3580090) these cases where the absence from school is extended, the student lags behind instruction, and feels more isolated. This consequently negatively impacts the student’s learning, social life, and health. Some schools and instructors have made efforts to provide alternatives to in-person attendance such as online courses, and video conferencing. However, such solutions do not offer the social experience a student needs and gains while interacting with peers in the school environment, as human knowledge depends on being situated in a real-world environment. Robotic Telepresence (RT) is a promising medium as it mimics a face-to-face setting. Thus, many social cues are available when telep

FAQs

What problem does Robotic Telepresence in hybrid classrooms aim to solve?

It provides remote students a way to be present and interact with classmates and instructors when they cannot attend in person. It aims to support participation and inclusion in the school environment.

How does the study evaluate identity in RT design and use?

Through qualitative analysis of 12 observations and interviews with RT attendees. It examines design and usage aspects that either support or limit identity self-perception and projection.

What outputs does the study provide for classroom use?

Preliminary findings identifying relevant affordances and limitations, followed by design and use recommendations for telepresence robots tailored to classroom contexts.

Aug 21, 2026

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