Computers & Education: X Reality最新文献

As an intangible cultural heritage, traditional handicrafts are significant in artistic education. Due to limited approaches to communicating traditional handicrafts and appreciating content, it cannot be easy to carry out effective skill inheritance in an art education situation in a modern teaching environment. This study uses mixed reality technology to develop a serious game for learning traditional handicrafts. The objective is to improve students' attitudes by promoting a digital teaching environment. This research uses traditional Chinese mortise and tenon joints for the case study. The effects of serious games using MR technology and traditional teaching methods were compared through quasi-experiments on students' academic performance, learning motivation and situational interest. The results show that serious games can have advantages in acquiring and retaining knowledge, stimulating students' learning motivation and situational interest. This study aims to support cultural heritage education methods.

Exploring the usability of educational virtual reality (VR) is essential. Research in this area can explain the adoption of VR as a new technology, contribute to examining paths toward effective learning, and provide recommendations for effective educational design. This study investigated usability in a sample of N = 64 university students learning about simplified construction engineering topics from an interactive VR field trip. Two research objectives were pursued. First, the level of achieved usability was examined using a mixed-methods approach, including data from semi-structured interviews and a survey on system usability and satisfaction. Second, the relationships between several connected variables (ease of use, usefulness, presence, and cognitive load) and system usability and satisfaction were investigated quantitatively. With respect to the first research objective, system usability and satisfaction were evaluated positively in the interviews and rated highly in the surveys. These results indicate that VR field trips, which are increasingly replacing excursions, are regarded as an appropriate instructional method. Concerning the second research objective, ease of use, usefulness, presence, and extraneous load were found to predict system usability. Further, the factors of usefulness, presence, and intrinsic cognitive load helped explain the variance in satisfaction. These findings highlight that the variables connected to system usability and satisfaction in VR learning vary. In addition to these and other theoretical implications, practical implications and recommendations for educational design are discussed.

The current study explores the use of computer vision and artificial intelligence (AI) methods for analyzing 360-degree spherical video-based virtual reality (SVVR) data. The study aimed to explore the potential of AI, computer vision, and machine learning methods (including entropy analysis, Markov chain analysis, and sequential pattern mining), in extracting salient information from SVVR video data. The research questions focused on differences and distinguishing characteristics of autistic and neurotypical usage characteristics in terms of behavior sequences, object associations, and common patterns, and the extent to which the predictability and variability of findings might distinguish the two participant groups and provide provisional insights into the dynamics of their usage behaviors. Findings from entropy analysis suggest the neurotypical group showed greater homogeneity and predictability, and the autistic group displayed significant heterogeneity and variability in behavior. Results from the Markov Chains analysis revealed distinct engagement patterns, with autistic participants exhibiting a wide range of transition probabilities, suggesting varied SVVR engagement strategies, and with the neurotypical group demonstrating more predictable behaviors. Sequential pattern mining results indicated that the autistic group engaged with a broader spectrum of classes within the SVVR environment, hinting at their attraction to a diverse set of stimuli. This research provides a preliminary foundation for future studies in this area, as well as practical implications for designing effective SVVR learning interventions for autistic individuals.

The recent advancement in immersive technologies opens up opportunities for the way individuals perceive and engage with information in public spaces to be innovated. This article discusses a study that investigates the application of Virtual Reality (VR) as an instrument for communicating engineering heritage in museum environments with the aim to enhance visitor experience. The study adopted Shannon’s communication theory as the main principle for contextualising heritage objects within virtual environments. This approach can benefit curators in informing the way the intended meaning, value, and context behind museum artefacts to be delivered through visual narratives and aesthetics. In this study, three VR scenarios have been developed using the Unreal engine to investigate the aspects of learning, interaction, and immersion during the virtual experience. One-way ANOVA approach was used to determine the significant differences between the proposed factors in the study. The study found that the absence of interaction in the immersive scenario reduced the mean score leading to a lack of constructive guidance during navigation. Whereas using Gamified and narrated approaches significantly increased the mean value of the participants compared to the control group. While many researchers argue that the utilisation of VR could improve the users’ level of presence, the study outcomes suggest that there are certain conditions that should be structured during the development process to facilitate better engagement with virtual content. To achieve these conditions, gamification and storytelling strategies have been found to be effective in delivering an interactive immersive experience for engaging with heritage artefacts and contents.

Virtual reality (VR) offers a forum for a person to immerse themselves in an artificial world. Despite the emergence of VR as a teaching tool, a strong base to understand the pedagogical impact of VR within post-secondary education is absent. Furthermore, there is minimal literature on how VR can be used pedagogically with medical and rehabilitation professional students. This pilot research project sought to answer “how do students perceive that VR should be used within occupational therapy curricula after trialling a variety of educational modules?” Study participants were Masters of Occupational Therapy Students who trialed four different educational modules using four different technological solutions. After each trial they completed a questionnaire specific to the learning and then completed an overall survey about how VR should be considered for future use in the curriculum. Findings showcased that students preferred a higher level of immersion and interaction. They showed less preference for the lower technological and less immersive learning opportunities. Students shared that they would welcome VR solutions to learn about assessment, anatomy and musculoskeletal function, neuroanatomy and neurological foundations and for cases as a preparation for clinical fieldwork experiences. Future research is required to evaluate the impact of a larger scale roll out of specific learning approaches.

Studies suggest that Sense of Embodiment (SoE) enabled by VR promotes embodied and active learning. However, it is unclear what features of VR learning environments tap into the concept of embodied learning. For example, interaction techniques, movement and purely observational scenarios in VR can all play a role in facilitating embodied learning. To understand how these mechanisms impact learning, we conducted 2 studies with a total of 64 participants who had no prior experience in the training task. Participants were taught how to use a table saw in 4 conditions and were tested on their task performance in a fully interactive VR assessment. The conditions were analyzed in pairs; 2 conditions with different interaction techniques, 2 conditions with differing ability to move and a cross-study analysis comparing conditions with purely observational learning to interactive learning. We used a mixed methods approach; Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), pairwise comparison of the learning outcomes in each condition as well as thematic analysis of the interview results. We found that some types of “hands-on” interactions can have a detrimental impact on learning and that observational learning can be as impactful as a fully interactive experience. Based on participant interviews, we explored how these mechanisms of the learning environment can impact participants’ learning ability.

Integration of extended reality (XR) in education is becoming popular to transform the traditional classroom with immersive learning environments. The adoption of immersive learning is accelerating as an innovative approach for science and engineering subjects. With new powerful interaction techniques in XR and the latest developments in artificial intelligence, interactive and self-directed learning are becoming important. However, there is a lack of research exploring these emerging technologies research with kinesthetic learning or “hands-one learning" as a pedagogical approach using real-time hand interaction and agent-guided learning in immersive environments. This paper proposes a novel approach that uses machine learning agents to facilitate interactive kinesthetic learning in science and engineering education through real-time hand interaction in the virtual world. To implement the following approach, this paper uses a chemistry-related case study and presents a usability evaluation conducted with 15 expert reviewers and 2 subject experts. NASA task load index is used for cognitive workload measurement, and the technology acceptance model is used for measuring perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness in the evaluations. The evaluation with expert reviewers proposed self-directed learning using trained agents can help in the end-user training in learning technical topics and controller-free hand interaction for kinesthetic tasks can improve hands-on learning motivation in virtual laboratories. This success points to a novel research area where agents embodied in an immersive environment using machine learning techniques can forge a new pedagogical approach where they can act as both teacher and assessor.

Developing countries, including Mexico, face the challenge of integrating technology to enhance education and improve learning outcomes. Despite evidence in many settings of the benefits of using virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) as learning tools, their potential use is still understudied in many developing regions. The objective of the present study is to evaluate the impact of a web-based eXtended Reality (XR) learning tool, PhysXR, among college-level students enrolled in a Mexican University. PhysXR is a web-based learning application designed to present users with information focused on Newtonian mechanics. This tool presents users with interactive experiences ranging from VR to AR environments and supports a physics simulator for experiments on physical phenomena of dynamics and kinematics. Overall, learning methodologies implemented using PhysXR follow the competency-based learning model implemented in Mexican Education Institutions, and include Learn by Doing and Problem Based Learning (PBL). In order to evaluate the PhysXR tool, 99 students were recruited and randomized to either experimental (VR and AR conditions using PhysXR) or control groups. Outcomes included student's learning and motivation, assessed using the John Keller's Attention, Relevance, Confidence and Satisfaction (ARCS) learning motivation model. Results from this study indicate that the use of the PhysXR tool, both VR and AR approaches, generates a significant improvement in learning gains and motivation compared with traditional methods, highlighting the potential of cross-platform capabilities that web-based XR technology could offer, as well as the use of real time physics simulations for learning.

The integration of mixed reality technologies in higher education has gained momentum in recent years, offering promising opportunities for enhanced learning experiences. This systematic review aims to give an overview of the current evidence for the effectiveness of mixed reality use in higher education. By considering the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, the review has examined studies related to university students and explored all aspects of the PICOS model. A broad search of databases like IEEE Xplore, ProQuest, and Scopus was performed, selecting experimental studies published in English from 2017−−2021. PRISMA was chosen as a well-regarded systematic review approach, and the PICO model is specifically aimed at exploring the efficacy of an approach, hence its inclusion. The review includes 12 studies, half randomised control trials and half non-randomised. Quality assessment was performed using the Cochrane Collaboration ROB 2 and the ROBINS-I tools. The majority of these mixed reality studies concentrated more on 3D manipulation, visualisation, and understanding of the 3D object layers and components than procedural learning using HoloLens. Of the selected studies, 53% were in the medical and health sciences, particularly in anatomy, followed by 34% in engineering education, which suggests that these fields are more open to the use of MR for educational purposes than theoretical disciplines such as the humanities and social sciences. Of the 12 studies, nine used augmented reality via head-mounted displays, and five used mobile mixed reality. These studies show that mixed reality has the potential to enhance learning experiences in higher education. Although there are challenges to overcome, MR offers opportunities for innovation in pedagogical practises and curriculum development.

Virtual Reality (VR) has gained popularity in education, but its potential in language learning, specifically for teaching a minor language like Maltese, has been understudied. To address this gap, a mixed-methods study was conducted to explore the effectiveness of VR in language learning and identify the advantages and challenges of teaching Maltese as a second language (ML2) with a focus on improving language skills. Qualitative research involved a focus group, while quantitative analysis utilized an online survey with a Likert scale and 25 Maltese teachers as participants. The results revealed that younger respondents were more inclined to believe in the significant impact of VR on improving learning outcomes compared to older respondents. VR was found to effectively engage students in immersive environments and enhance the learning context with entertainment features. However, challenges related to costs, bulky headsets, and technical issues were also uncovered. Although VR tools are not currently utilized in teaching Maltese, this research explored their potential effectiveness in ML2 instruction and provided suggestions for effective integration into language teaching. The findings provide quantitative evidence supporting the effectiveness of VR tools in education and their potential to facilitate ML2 learning. Most participants expressed a positive perception, emphasizing the importance of integrating VR technology into Maltese teaching practices to create more engaging and immersive learning experiences for ML2 learners.