Extended Reality, Pedagogy, and Career Readiness: A Review of Literature

Abstract

AbstractRecently, there has been a significant spike in the level of ideation with, and deployment of, extended reality (XR) tools and applications in many aspects of the digital workplace. It is also projected that acceptance and use of XR technology to improve work performance will continue to grow in the coming decade. However, there has not been a robust level of adoption and implementation of XR technology, to include augmented reality (AR), mixed-reality (MR), and virtual reality (VR) within academic institutions, training organizations, government agencies, business entities, and community or professional associations. This paper examines the current literature to determine how XR and related technologies have been explored, evaluated, or used in educational and training activities. As part of the literature review, we paid special attention on how XR tools, applications are being deployed to increase work and career readiness, performance, and resiliency of students, adult learners, and working professionals. Results from the study showed that XR applications are being used, often at pilot-testing levels, in disciplines such as medicine, nursing, and engineering. The data also show that many academic institutions and training organizations have yet to develop concrete plans for wholesale use and adoption of XR technologies to support teaching and learning activities.KeywordsExtended realityXRTechnology-enhanced learningAffordancePedagogySkills developmentCareer readiness