Computers & Education: X Reality最新文献

The rapid evolution of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR) technologies are revolutionising various fields, including education and gaming industries. However, studies on how to enhance immersive game-based learning with AI and VR technologies remain scant. Given this, the article presents the creation of “LearningverseVR,” an immersive game-based learning platform developed using generative AI and VR technologies, which is based on “Learningverse,” a metaverse platform developed by the lead author and her research team. The “LearningverseVR” platform uses Unity as the client and Python, Flask and MySQL as the backend. Unity's multiplayer service provides multiplayer online functionality, supporting learners to engage in immersive and interactive learning activities. The design framework of the platform consists of two main components: Game-based learning with generative AI and immersion with VR technologies. First, generative AI is used to create NPCs with diverse personalities and life backgrounds, and enable learners to interact with NPCs without scripted dialogues, creating an interactive and immersive game-based learning environment. Secondly, such a learning experience is enhanced by leveraging the Large Language Model (LLM) ecosystem with VR technology. The creation of the “LearningverseVR” platform provides novel perspectives on digital game-based learning.

We developed an American Sign Language (ASL) learning platform in a Virtual Reality (VR) environment to facilitate immersive interaction and real-time feedback for ASL learners. We describe the first game to use an interactive teaching style in which users learn from a fluent signing avatar and the first implementation of ASL sign recognition using deep learning within the VR environment. Advanced motion-capture technology powers an expressive ASL teaching avatar within an immersive three-dimensional environment. The teacher demonstrates an ASL sign for an object, prompting the user to copy the sign. Upon the user’s signing, a third-party plugin executes the sign recognition process alongside a deep learning model. Depending on the accuracy of a user’s sign production, the avatar repeats the sign or introduces a new one. We gathered a 3D VR ASL dataset from fifteen diverse participants to power the sign recognition model. The proposed deep learning model’s training, validation, and test accuracy are 90.12%, 89.37%, and 86.66%, respectively. The functional prototype can teach sign language vocabulary and be successfully adapted as an interactive ASL learning platform in VR.

This paper delves into the vibrant domain of VR digital gaming through the critical lenses of metacognition and learner autonomy. It introduces an integrated framework designed to illuminate the interplay between these two pivotal concepts within the VR digital gaming environment. Central to this framework are distinct regulatory mechanisms that empower learners by allowing them to navigate and take control of their learning journeys. The framework interprets metacognitive processes from elements of adaptivity, control, and feedback, while exploring autonomy through the dimensions of location, formality, pedagogy, and locus of control. This framework is grounded in the recognition that enabling learners to exert control over their technologically mediated learning environments is a fundamental issue in building a language learning community. The paper not only sheds light on the theoretical underpinnings of metacognition and autonomy but also offers practical implications for their application in VR digital gaming. It delineates the evolving roles of teachers and learners within this dynamic educational landscape, highlighting how these roles are being reshaped to accommodate and leverage the affordances of VR digital gaming for enhanced language learning.

As the utilization of virtual reality (VR) in engineering education increases, researchers are increasingly focused on enhancing teaching and learning within VR environments. Cognitive engagement among the participants is a fundamental outcome in any learning environment, where social interaction often plays a pivotal role. This study contributes to VR teaching and learning research by investigating the association between social presence indicators and modes of cognitive engagement in a desktop collaborative virtual reality (VR) learning environment based on the social presence theory and the cognitive engagement definition of the Interactive-Constructive-Active-Passive framework. The study participants logged into the VR platform to collaboratively solve simulated engineering statics problems. The transcripts of students' interaction videos were coded based on codebooks for both social presence and cognitive engagement. The study revealed that social presence indicators are significantly associated with the three modes of cognitive engagement (active, constructive, and interactive). Additionally, interactive open communication emerged as the primary social presence element utilized by students during cognitive engagement with peers in the learning environment. This study's findings have implications for research and practice in enhancing students' cognitive engagement through their social interactions within VR learning environment.

Recent developments have sparked research on xReality (XR), which includes virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR). However, little is known about how diverse types of XR technology are used in English teaching and learning. To this end, this paper presents a systematic review and analyzes 36 Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) articles published between 2013 and 2023 that are indexed in the Web of Science. This study aims to comprehensively explain the trends related to the integration of XR into English teaching and offer practical implications for institutions, researchers, and educators. The review results show that the frequency of published articles peaked in 2022. In addition, most studies used quantitative data collection methods and focused on general English, English speaking, or writing. The papers reviewed were categorized into two research areas: exploration and application of XR. The results reveal that integrating XR benefitted English learners in terms of motivation, satisfaction, engagement, and the development of language skills and knowledge. Some challenges of XR integration in English education are also discussed.

Many believe that immersive virtual reality (IVR) possesses transformative potential for a plethora of human activities that are mediated via technology, including education. In light of this, it is critically important to understand the determinants that influence learning in IVR environments and the interrelations among these determinants. For that matter, a model was developed that encapsulated ten potential factors influencing learning outcomes. Three hundred and thirty-four university students interacted with a purpose-built application that presented ancient Greek inventions through the use of head-mounted displays. Data analysis, adhering to a structural equation modeling approach, indicated that a multitude of factors exerted a positive influence on learning outcomes. These included the perceived quality of graphics, the perceived quality of feedback and content, and the perceived degree of interaction. Moreover, intrinsic motivation and the immersive experience that IVR provides also demonstrated a positive impact. Conversely, the perceived cognitive load and symptoms of simulator sickness manifested a negative impact. Interestingly, these factors did not appear to inhibit learners' motivation or their positive feelings. Age did not have any effect, while gender seemed to have an impact only on immersion. The implications of the results are also discussed.

Google Cardboard (GC) has emerged as an affordable and user-friendly virtual reality (VR) viewer with significant potential as a pedagogical tool in educational settings. This article presents a systematic review of 35 empirical studies that investigate the application of GC as a VR technology for educational purposes. The review examines various aspects including the teaching subjects, educational levels, mobile applications, operating systems, advantages, and challenges associated with GC implementation, and identifies key areas for future research. The findings highlight that GC offers an accessible and user-friendly VR experience, making it well-suited for most of educational contexts. Its compatibility with both Android and iOS operating systems, along with its ability to motivate learners and facilitate immersive learning experiences, are notable advantages. However, challenges related to display quality, screen refresh rate, cybersickness, and technical issues must be addressed to maximize the effectiveness of GC. Furthermore, the review implicates that providing adequate training and support to users, developing pedagogical frameworks, and exploring subject-specific applications are crucial for successful integration into educational practices. Future research directions involve enhancing user experience, establishing comprehensive guidelines, improving user training and support mechanisms, investigating subject-specific benefits, and evaluating the long-term effects and learning outcomes associated with GC implementation.

Thesis supervision is a crucial teaching activity in higher education that plays a vital role in assisting students in completing their studies. The outbreak of COVID-19 has necessitated the transitionto remote, synchronous interactions for supervising academic papers. However, existing tools for conducting these remote sessions often fall short of meeting the requirements of both teachers and students. This paper focuses on an investigation into the utilization of virtual reality (VR) technology for conducting remote thesis supervision meetings at Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU), a Sino-British institution located in Suzhou, China. Through a year-long qualitative inquiry involving two teachers and five students who participated in the project both in Liverpool and Suzhou, this research examines how actual collaborative work is conducted during remote supervision via a research-developed tool. The results of this study emphasize the need for improvements in the current design to better align with the practical requirements of teachers and students during such meetings. Furthermore, this research provides insights into the design considerations for VR applications tailored to specific use cases and offers a set of implementation details to guide the development of VR-based remote collaboration tools for thesis supervision meetings.

Despite the increasing integration of virtual reality (VR) into classrooms globally, there is a dearth of empirical evidence concerning perceptions and behavioural intentions of pre-service teachers to employ the technology in Nigerian classrooms, particularly within the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) framework. Consequently, this study examines pre-service perceptions and behavioural intentions to use VR. To accomplish this objective, we engaged pre-service teachers who voluntarily participated in this study by filling out an online survey for data collection. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analyzed using variance-based structural equation modelling, SmartPLS, and Atlas.ti, respectively. This data triangulation provided a comprehensive understanding of pre-service teachers' perceptions and behavioural intentions to use VR. Our findings, among others, reveal that perceived usefulness strongly predicts pre-service teachers' readiness and behavioural intention to use VR. This finding contributes to the ongoing discourse on how teachers, particularly trainee teachers, make decisions to integrate emerging technologies like VR in their classrooms, thereby offering valuable insights for policy formulation to enhance teacher training programs, especially regarding technology integration in Nigerian classrooms. It also emphasizes the importance of equipping teachers to address challenges related to adopting innovative technologies.

The preservation of cultural heritage is a basilar to support the feeling of identity and community. In this context, cultural tourism emerges as an effective strategy that, when combined with participatory activities, may increment tourist perceptions, contributing simultaneously to the acquisition of knowledge associated with cultural heritage. This literature review aimed to explore how mobile augmented reality applications using games, narrative, or craft design and convey knowledge associated with the cultural heritage of a particular place. In addition, it was intended to understand how their evaluation protocol is administered, as well as how can this genre of applications influence the tourist experience. The literature search was operationalized in the Scopus, Web of Science and ACM Digital Library electronic databases and used studies from 2018 until November 16, 2022. In total, 16 studies were analyzed in this literature review. The results demonstrate that the integration of game, narrative, and craft in augmented reality mobile applications for cultural heritage is diverse, with narrative being the most prevalent. Regarding how the evaluation phase is conducted, despite using each study using different protocols, the data collection instruments can be patterned, highlighting the use of independent questionnaires and scales. Nevertheless, the findings of this literature review suggest that augmented reality mobile applications with participatory activities can positively influence the touristic experience, constituting a powerful element of engagement and immersion, guaranteeing that some creative and technical aspects are ensured.