Education in the Digital Age: Learning Experience in Virtual and Mixed Realities

In recent years Virtual Reality has been revitalized, having gained and lost popularity between the 1960s and 1990s, and is now widely used for entertainment purposes. However, Virtual Reality, along with Mixed Reality and Augmented Reality, has broader application possibilities, thanks to significa...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of educational computing research 2021-09, Vol.59 (5), p.795-816
Main Authors: Allcoat, Devon, Hatchard, Tim, Azmat, Freeha, Stansfield, Kim, Watson, Derrick, von Mühlenen, Adrian
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
College Students
Computer Simulation
Computer Uses in Education
Conventional Instruction
Educational Benefits
Educational Experience
Emotional Response
Foreign Countries
Instructional Effectiveness
Learner Engagement
School Personnel
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Summary:In recent years Virtual Reality has been revitalized, having gained and lost popularity between the 1960s and 1990s, and is now widely used for entertainment purposes. However, Virtual Reality, along with Mixed Reality and Augmented Reality, has broader application possibilities, thanks to significant advances in technology and accessibility. In the current study, we examined the effectiveness of these new technologies for use in education. We found that learning in both virtual and mixed environments resulted in similar levels of performance to traditional learning. However, participants reported higher levels of engagement in both Virtual Reality and Mixed Reality conditions compared to the traditional learning condition, and higher levels of positive emotions in the Virtual Reality condition. No simulator sickness was found from using either headset, and both headsets scored similarly for system usability and user acceptance of the technology. Virtual Reality, however, did produce a higher sense of presence than Mixed Reality. Overall, the findings suggest that some benefits can be gained from using Virtual and Mixed Realities for education.
ISSN:0735-6331
1541-4140
DOI:10.1177/0735633120985120