Computers & Education: X Reality最新文献

Many expectant parents do not prepare enough for childbirth, and not getting a tour of the birthing hospital is causing them unnecessary stress. We enhanced childbirth education with an online virtual reality program for the users to experience what it might be like to give birth in a hospital. In this paper, we report a study that included observational user testing with a virtual reality headset and autonomic testing with the device of the user's choice. Data was collected with a pre-questionnaire, observations from the user tests, a semi-structured interview with the expecting parents, a post-questionnaire, and a follow-up questionnaire. The program improved learning outcomes and offered realistic and concrete birthing examples. Usability was good with the virtual reality headsets, while other devices need more research.

Undeniably, technology has become an integral part of education across all disciplines. Over the past decades, significant technological advancements, such as the normalization of computers and the popularization of mobile devices, have transformed and revolutionized our learning paradigms. Education has transitioned from the bricks-and-mortar, teacher fronted, and textbook-based teaching to out-of-class, student-centered, and inquiry-based learning. Since 2020, emerging technologies such as the Metaverse and artificial intelligence have shown great potential in expanding learning opportunities, ranging from the location of learning and teaching, the student-teacher machine interactions, to different modes of instruction and learning. In particular, the Metaverse has the power to transform the way peer feedback is provided, which is an essential aspect of effective education. This position paper aims to shed some light on the intersection of peer feedback and the Metaverse. It starts with a review of the classic sociocultural learning theory and the historical use of technology to support peer feedback, followed by an introduction to the definition and features of the Metaverse technology. Then, the paper proposes a tentative model about how the Metaverse can be utilized to facilitate peer feedback. It ends with important questions for educators and learners to contemplate in order to make the most of this new technology in improving the provision and uptake of peer feedback.

Research on immersive virtual reality's (VR) impact on K-12 education, particularly experiential learning, has increased. However, there is a paucity of research providing insight into teacher and student perspectives on integrating virtually situated learning experiences (VSLE) into curricula and classrooms. This article reports on the pedagogical and practical benefits and challenges of using an immersive VSLE to support experiential learning across three K-12 schools. Focus groups with teachers and students revealed pedagogical benefits but also constraints related to classroom environments, teacher demands, and the VSLE's scale and interactivity. The findings were synthesized into an expanded conceptualisation of Situated Experiential Education Environments, incorporating nuanced pedagogical and practical considerations raised by participants.

In recent scholarly literature, there has been a growing focus on the integration of augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and digital games to assist language learning. However, little has been written on reviewing the adoption of gamified AR or VR in facilitating the enhancement of specific language skills. Addressing this research gap, the present study conducted a systematic review of vocabulary learning within AR and VR gamification context. Following the predefined inclusion criteria and literature selection process outlined by the PRISMA framework, 23 articles were selected from a pool of 97 studies for final analysis. The major findings revealed that: (1) Form and meaning of vocabulary took precedence in gamified AR-assisted vocabulary learning or VR-assisted vocabulary learning, adopting intentional learning as the primary approach; (2) A significant majority of studies employed researcher-coined vocabulary tests as the measurements for assessing vocabulary knowledge, with translation, multiple-choice questions, and word-matching serving as the most common tasks; (3) The reviewed studies demonstrated that gamified AR and VR both prioritize interactivity as the core digital affordance in the context of vocabulary learning. Gamified AR owned unique features, including bridging reality and virtuality, promoting collaborative learning, and visualizing content, while gamified VR was more inclined toward immersion and facilitating self-regulated learning; (4) Three aspects of problems, namely technology-related, student-related, and teacher-related, emerged with the application of gamified AR or VR. Based on these results, the current study engaged in a comprehensive discussion and suggested a tripartite co-construction mechanism for learning materials, involving students, teachers, and researchers, integrating both gamified AR and VR.

This review paper aims to search the landscape of Extended Reality or XReality technology in light of Artificial Intelligence or AI. Through an examination of the Web of Science or WoS, a total of 29 studies were selected for review. We extracted information on the XReality with AI trends in the studies and further classified the pedagogical impact of the studies using the E3XReality framework suggesting that XReality technology may fall into three levels (three Es for XR hence E3XR): 1) Ethics (making sure we do and receive no harm in learning), 2) Educational effectiveness (making sure learning is effective to our goals and outcomes), and 3) Eudaimonia (making sure learning is both effective and ethical). Using open and axial coding, we find that a survey of perceptions or review of the literature was most often made, followed by the study of technical and pedagogical interventions. VR followed by MR was noted the most in the reviewed studies and surprisingly no mention of AR in the silo was made. The use of AI with XReality was mostly done to provide actionable insight, followed by insight and control. The analysis of studies against the conceptual framework E3XReality suggested that current work is largely at the education state and more work is needed to transition to a more sophisticated state of Eudaimonia. Further, several challenges were obtained from the 29 reviewed studies. The contribution of this paper is to offer an extensive synthesis of challenges as well as future recommendations for using XReality with AI in education.

This study explored the effects of IVR interactivity on learners’ sense of agency, cognitive load, and learning outcomes. The research questions were: 1. “How does interactivity influence the learners’ sense of agency?” and 2. “How does interactivity influence the learners’ cognitive load and learning outcomes?” A mixed-methods experimental design was applied. Safety training interventions, including individually performed IVR scenarios, were held for 68 participants in groups of two to four persons in two work organizations. Single- and repeated-measure questionnaires were the main source of the quantitative data. Qualitative data collection by video recordings and stimulated recall interviews was carried out on 23 persons in total. The results indicate that high interactivity enables a stronger sense of agency for the learners and yields learning benefits by supporting generative cognitive processing. Based on the results, interactivity and learner involvement may be particularly important for achieving affective training goals. Considering the sociocultural and individual factors in training design and pre-briefing the learners are also recommended.

In our study, we harnessed multimodal data to develop a predictive model aimed at assessing the development of representational flexibility (RF) in autistic adolescents engaged in virtual reality (VR)-based cognitive skills training. Recognizing VR's potential to enhance RF through immersive 3D simulation tasks, we addressed the research gap in analyzing learners' digital interactions within this environment. This data mining study integrated diverse data sources—including behavioral cues, physiological responses, and direct interaction logs—collected from 178 training sessions with eight autistic adolescents. This comprehensive dataset, encompassing both audio and screen recordings, was analyzed using advanced machine learning techniques. Through decision-level data fusion, particularly employing the random forest algorithm, our model demonstrated enhanced accuracy in predicting RF development, surpassing single-source data approaches. This research not only contributes to the effective use of VR in educational interventions for autistic adolescents but also showcases the potential of multimodal data fusion in understanding complex cognitive skills development.

Advances in mixed reality (MR) have led to the extensive use of technological forms in education and training, and there is evidence of MR's pedagogical effectiveness. Owing to its ability to foster learning, research on MR and its application in education are considered technological breakthroughs. Design education requires an environment that supports creative activities to help students improve their learning outcomes, making it an appropriate field to explore the incorporation of MR. This study developed a virtual learning environment based on Microsoft HoloLens 2, creating an MR educational setting that enhances design students' learning experience by combining a physical and a virtual environment. Additionally, the study evaluated the impact of MR environment interventions on the creative process and the effect of design students' creativity on the results. Employing an experimental research design, 24 design students were divided into control and experimental groups, each with an equal number of participants. Both groups completed a creative task, with the control group using a traditional creative environment and the latter using an MR creative environment. The experimental results showed that the MR environment is feasible for use in design education. Additionally, the creative outcomes of the experimental group were better than those of the control group, and the students who used the MR environment rated their creative experience more positively. For example, MR intervention stimulated students' personal engagement and learning motivation by providing them with more intelligent and multisensory 3D interactive information. The study also revealed that students' creative processes and outcomes benefited from the MR environment. We explored the advantages of MR educational environments in terms of expanding the environmental dimension in education and valuing the promotion of learners' capabilities, as well as the application of its future developments in education and beyond.

As extended reality (XR) technologies become more accessible and technologically capable, exploring the potential of these rich mediums for technologically mediated communication is intriguing. In the commercial sector, technology corporations promise consumers that these XR technologies, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and mixed reality (MR) will shape the future of social interaction. They claim that these technologies will allow users to get closer to their loved ones and connect on deeper levels. The effort of these corporations to reassure us that XR technologies will strengthen human connections has highlighted the importance of the concept of social presence. Social presence is the perception that the user is, in fact, together with another person, though they are interacting through a technological medium in disparate locations (Kreijns et al., 2022). Social presence research has focused on various technological mediums, like television and text messaging, and contexts, such as distance education and business communication. However, as XR technologies have become more readily available (Ziker et al., 2021), there is a need for more research into the affordances of these new mediums. Many companies claim that their XR products offer rich communicative benefits, but many of their claims are difficult to assess. Therefore, this paper proposes a system for evaluating the capacity of XR technologies to contribute to social presence. First, this paper will delve into the research on social presence and the role of technology in its mediation. Then, the author presents a baseline scenario to help gauge the degree to which technologies can promote social presence. Finally, the author will provide a basic conceptual framework for examining XR technologies and their capacity to facilitate social presence. The paper concludes by discussing future directions for social presence research with XR technologies.

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.