Abstract
Immersion could be defined as a subjective impression of participating in a comprehensive, realistic experience [1]. However, immersion should not be treated as a unique property, as it is achieved from a complex interaction of representational fidelity and learner interaction, holding a dependency on other aspects of the environment [2, 3]. The use of immersive environments which create a feeling of ?presence? naturally allows for more complex social interactions and designed experiences [4]. A particular use of these technologies is in educational settings, where they can enhance learning experiences, foster participation, collaboration, creativity and engagement; creating huge opportunities for integration and research. Effective immersive learning experiences can be created with multiple media using myriad techniques and employing a wealth of knowledge that spans many disciplines. This includes but is not limited to computer science, user experience and media design, the learning sciences, architecture, game development, artificial intelligence, biology, medicine, and thousands of disciplinary and occupational content areas wherein immersive learning and training may be relevant. The Immersive Learning Research Network (iLRN) is ?an international organization of developers, educators, and research professionals collaborating to develop the scientific, technical, and applied potential of immersive learning? [5]. The vision of the network is to develop a comprehensive research and outreach agenda that encompasses the breadth and scope of learning potentialities, affordances and challenges of immersive learning environments. The first international conference iLRN 2015 held in Prague, Czech Republic, attracted a number of high-quality contributions. As a follow-up, this special issue was organised as an open call to seek a wider set of contributions from the research community, including extended versions of iLRN 2015 best papers.
Highlights
The articles contributed to this Special Issue present a sample of diverse technologies used by educators and researchers in the creation of immersive environments
They illustrate some of the multiple opportunities for their use within the learning environment, regardless of the topic; to illustrate this, the special issue presents case studies applied to a variety of fields including politics, law and medicine
The authors present a platform for transferring existing web-based Virtual Patients (VP) simulations to multi-user virtual environments (MUVEs), using web-based models created with OpenLabyrinth (OLab), and transferring them to 3D virtual representations in OpenSimulator (OpenSim) with the aim of exploiting the immersion and engagement potential of 3D virtual learning environments, and enhancing the medical training provided
Summary
The use of immersive environments which create a feeling of ‘presence’ naturally allows for more complex social interactions and designed experiences [4]. A particular use of these technologies is in educational settings, where they can enhance learning experiences, foster participation, collaboration, creativity and engagement; creating huge opportunities for integration and research.
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