The Technology Immersive Presence Scale (TIPS) Proof of Concept: Creating a Student Accessible Measure of Presence in Virtual Environments

The primary aim of this manuscript is to describe the process of developing a reliable and valid instrument for measuring all users, including students with disabilities, sense of presence in a virtual environment. Presence can be described as feeling a part of another place other than where you are. A seven-step process is discussed and was utilized to validate item and response formats. Original items were written based on the proposed population and the intended presence construct. Focus groups and experts were conducted to validate the instruments’ ability to address the concept of presence. Further focus groups were utilized to verify language and references were accurate to participants. Finally, a pilot study consisting of 30 participants aged eight and older was conducted to test the instrument for initial reliability. The 30 participants used a device with a virtual environment and then completed the Technology Immersion Presence Scale (TIPS). Initial results indicate the TIPS is a reliable and valid measure of presence for most users with and without disabilities from age 8 to 65. Implications of validating TIPS are discussed.