Complex Adaptive Systems Research Articles

An innovative approach in middle school science courses: effects of collaborative augmented reality activities on motivation, cognitive load, and satisfaction

ABSTRACT This study examines the effects of collaborative augmented reality activities supported by the 5E teaching model on students’ motivation, cognitive load, and satisfaction levels in a science course. In this context, explanatory design, one of the mixed research methods, was used in this study. The research process was conducted with 18 sixth-grade (5 girls and 13 boys) students studying in a private school for four hours a week for four weeks in a science course. In the quantitative dimension of the study, the effects of collaborative augmented reality activities were examined using one group pretest-posttest design through questionnaires and scales, and student views were evaluated through semi-structured interviews as a result. The quantitative data analysis used the Wilcoxon signed-rank test and descriptive statistics methods. Qualitative data were analyzed through the content analysis method. As a result of the study, it was observed that collaborative augmented reality activities positively affected students’ motivation and satisfaction levels in the science learning process. In addition, collaborative augmented reality activities contributed to balancing the cognitive load. In this regard, it can be asserted that students’ learning processes can be made more effective using collaborative augmented reality activities, especially in teaching complex science subjects.

Voluntary Turnover Rate Fluctuations, Human Resource Practices, and Innovation: A Within‐Organization Investigation

ABSTRACTOrganizations constantly navigate voluntary employee departures to facilitate organizational effectiveness. To date, most studies on the implications of voluntary turnover rate have been conducted at the between‐organization level, comparing organizations with varying levels of voluntary turnover rates. Building upon complex adaptive system (CAS) theory, we develop within‐organization theorizing regarding the implications of voluntary turnover rate fluctuations for organizational innovation. We propose a U‐shape threshold model, where the relationship between voluntary turnover rate fluctuations and innovation takes a negative form when voluntary turnover rate fluctuations are within the normal range for an organization, and a positive form when voluntary turnover rate fluctuations surpass a critical threshold reflecting far‐from‐equilibrium conditions. Furthermore, we investigate how organizations may utilize human resource (HR) practices to shift the critical threshold. Specifically, we argue that increased reliance on interaction‐facilitating HR practices (employee participation and group‐based pay) lowers the threshold, while increased reliance on interaction‐inhibiting HR practices (individual‐based pay) raises the threshold. With firm‐fixed effects modeling, we found general support for our hypotheses using a large‐scale, multi‐level, longitudinal dataset from Statistics Canada (7110 workplace‐year observations from 1980 workplaces). We provide a novel theoretical lens to understand the nature and management of collective turnover.

Collective leadership development in the civic arena

PurposeAs a collective paradigm of leadership emerges in the literature, many community leadership programs still align with leader-centric perspectives. The Kansas Leadership Center’s Leadership Transformation Grant is an exemplar of developing collective leadership in the civic arena. The purpose of this article is twofold: (1) to present the findings of a community-engaged, qualitative research study on the impact of collective leadership development on the practice of civic leadership and (2) to discuss relevant implications learned from reflections on the methodology for the practice of community-engaged research.Design/methodology/approachThis study is a form of engaged research (Van de Ven, 2007) and is consistent with the principles of community-based research (Strand, Marullo, Cutforth, Stoecker, & Donohue, 2003). I took an exploratory approach to this study because the knowledge intersection of collective leadership, civic leadership and leadership development is still emerging and understudied. I explored the individual, group and systems levels as three components of a complex adaptive system (Uhl-Bien, Marion, & McKelvey, 2007). To better understand the dynamic relationship between individual, group and system in this grant team, I employed a three-phase study including methods of deliberative civic engagement, open-ended survey and interview.FindingsFindings illustrate the effectiveness of the grant program on developing a shared language and leadership framework and clarifying leadership goals for participants. Implications include the importance of collective leadership development opportunities that center adaptive challenges and convene participants across levels of leadership and sectors. Additionally, the findings highlight the need to consider authority, identity and culture as central components of the practice of leadership. Reflections on the community-engaged methodology demonstrate the value of learning about leadership practices from the community practitioners to inform community leadership development interventions. Implications include approaching research as iterative and pushing back on academic norms that provide tension in engaged work.Originality/valueLittle research crosses all three boundaries of collective leadership, leadership development and civic leadership literature. This intersection focuses on understanding how collective leadership can contribute to enhancing the practice of civic leadership. The current study is situated within this knowledge gap and explores (1) the experiences of members of a civic group who have (2) participated in leadership development that (3) aligns with a collective leadership paradigm and are (4) trying to make progress on an adaptive challenge.

Supply chain agility in humanitarian organisations: examining the role of self-organisation, information integration and adaptability in South Sudan

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to propose and validate a theoretical model to investigate the relationship between self-organisation, information integration, adaptability and supply chain agility in humanitarian organisations. Design/methodology/approach A theoretical model was developed from extant studies and assessed through a structured questionnaire survey of 86 humanitarian organisations operating in South Sudan. The data were analysed using partial least square structural equation modelling. Findings The study found that self-organisation has a discernible positive influence on supply chain agility not only directly but also indirectly through adaptability. Further, information integration does not significantly influence supply chain agility directly but is fully mediated by adaptability. Together, the antecedent variables account for 53.9% variance in supply chain agility. Research limitations/implications This study contributes to providing an empirical understanding of a humanitarian supply chain as a complex adaptive system and hence the need to incorporate self-organising and adaptive dimensions in supply chain management practice. Furthermore, it confirms the centrality of the complex adaptive system feature of adaptability when building supply chain agility through self-organisation and information integration. Practical implications The findings provide a firm ground for managerial decisions on investment in self-organisation and information integration dimensions so as to enhance adaptability and improve supply chain agility in humanitarian organisations. Originality/value This study is distinctive in the sense that it uses the complex adaptive system variables to empirically validate the relationships between self-organisation, information integration, adaptability and supply chain agility in humanitarian organisations in the world’s youngest developing economy with a long history of conflict and humanitarian intervention. The mediating influence of adaptability examined in this study is also novel.

‘COMPLEXITY-AWARE’ MONITORING AND EVALUATION OF DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS — ANCHORING THEM IN COMPLEXITY SCIENCE

As governments and multilateral institutions launch projects and programs to support climate change mitigation and adaptation, the challenge lies in determining their effectiveness. The high complexity of climate-change programs often makes it difficult to determine their effectiveness through standard monitoring and evaluation procedures. ‘complexity-aware monitoring’ is a qualitative approach to monitoring, recently introduced by international development programs. This increasing awareness of complexity in the evaluation sector opens up a window of opportunity for complexity science to support climate change mitigation and adaptation programs. This paper’s contribution is a hands-on methodology for live monitoring and evaluation of development programs. The methodology is rooted in existing literature on social–ecological systems, as pioneered by Ostrom, and in quantitative methods from complexity science. To illustrate the methodology, an existing climate mitigation project in Madagascar, funded, monitored and evaluated by the Green Climate Fund, is discussed.

EXPRESS: Impact of Dynamic Operations Complexity on Performance: the Role of National Culture

We build on the national culture, complex adaptive systems, and operations complexity literature to develop hypotheses about the moderating role of national culture on the negative relationship between dynamic operations culture and operational complexity. Monthly performance data were collected from 179 plants in a multinational corporation’s global plant network that spans all national culture clusters. We use random effects time series modeling to incorporate the transitory nature of this relationship and control unobserved heterogeneity over time. The results indicate that the relationship between dynamic operations complexity and operational performance is moderated by every dimension of national culture except gender egalitarianism and institutional collectivism. We contribute to the literature on complexity by introducing the dynamic operations complexity construct and showing the moderating effect of national culture. We contribute to the national culture literature by comprehensively examining the role of national culture supporting the national culture divergence thesis. Managerial implications relate to locating new plants in regions whose national culture is supportive of key goals and allocating tasks and products accordingly.

Opioid-specific harm reduction in the emergency department: how staff provide harm reduction and contextual factors that impact their capacity to engage in harm reduction practice

BackgroundEmergency Departments (ED) staff, including nurses and physicians, are most directly involved in the care of people who use unregulated substances, and are ideally positioned to provide harm reduction interventions. Conceptualizing the ED as a complex adaptive system, this paper examines how ED staff experience opioid-specific harm reduction provision and engage in harm reduction practice, including potential facilitators and barriers to engagement.MethodsUsing a mixed methods approach, ED nurses and physicians completed a self-administered staff survey (n = 99) and one-on-one semi-structured interviews (n = 15). Five additional interviews were completed with clinical leaders. Survey data were analyzed to generate descriptive statistics and to compute scale scores. De-identified interview data were analyzed using a reflexive thematic analysis approach, which was informed by the theory of complex adaptive systems, as well as understandings of harm reduction as both a technical solution and a contextualized social practice. The final analysis involved mixed analysis through integrating both quantitative and qualitative data to generate overarching analytical themes.ResultsStudy findings illustrated that, within the context of the ED as a complex adaptive system, three interrelated contextual factors shape the capacity of staff to engage in harm reduction practice, and to implement the full range of opioid-specific harm reduction interventions available. These factors include opportunities to leverage benefits afforded by working collaboratively with colleagues, adequate preparation through receiving the necessary education and training, and support in helping patients establish connections for ongoing care.ConclusionsThere is a need for harm reduction provision across all health and social care settings where people who use unregulated opioids access public sector services. In the context of the ED, attention to contextual factors including teamwork, preparedness, and connections is warranted to support that ED staff engage in harm reduction practice.

Unraveling Complexity: Exploring Agricultural Systems as Complex Adaptive System with a Focus on the Konya Closed Basin

The study of complex adaptive systems (CAS) has garnered significant attention across interdisciplinary research, particularly within the realms of social and natural sciences. This paper delves into the multifaceted nature of CAS, exploring its definitions, components, and properties, drawing from various scholarly perspectives. It examines the agricultural sector as a prime example of a CAS, highlighting the interactions, adaptations, and emergent behaviors within farming communities. Using the Konya Closed Basin in Türkiye as a case study, the paper elucidates how agricultural landscapes exemplify the complexities inherent in CAS, underscoring the intricate interplay between human activities, environmental dynamics, and socio-economic factors. By recognizing these interactions, decision-makers can create more efficient and resilient strategies for managing water resources, enhancing crop production, and reducing the effects of climate variability. This comprehensive approach emphasizes the role of adaptation, self-organization, and emergent behaviors in promoting sustainable farming practices and maintaining ecological balance over the long term. Through this analysis, the paper contributes to a deeper understanding of CAS and its implications for sustainable agricultural development and resource management.

Unveiling the intellectual nexus between Peirce’s synechism and Goldratt’s theory of constraints: insights for management and organization studies

Purpose Charles Sanders Peirce (1839–1914), recognized as the father of philosophical pragmatism, has been described as a philosopher’s philosopher. Eliyahu Moshe Goldratt (1947–2011), considered the father of the management philosophy theory of constraints (TOC), has been described as being, first and foremost, a philosopher. The TOC body of knowledge is mainly preserved as concrete methodologies used in the management discipline. By examining the foundational elements of synechism and the TOC, the purpose of this study is to investigate the intellectual connections between the arguments and legacies of Goldratt and Peirce. Although this connection is worthy of much further investigation, the research emphasizes the possible implications from a management philosophy perspective. Design/methodology/approach Based on a “review with an attitude,” the authors first examined the foundations of Goldratt’s TOC through the lens of Peirce’s synechism. Next, the authors then examined how the study of Peirce combined with a selection of contemporary research in the management and organizational studies domain could point out a direction toward completing Goldratt’s unfinished intellectual work to establish a unified science management while addressing some of the current gaps in the TOC body of knowledge. Findings Major findings show that synechism’s growth may extend TOC knowledge, improving managerial practice in organizations. Findings on the convergent ideas of both also reveal that Goldratt valued all synechism categories, emphasizing the importance of not overlooking Firstness. Furthermore, the study analyzes the abductive inference demonstrated in the two use cases, introducing an additional metaphor to the management of organizational systems inspired by Peirce’s philosophical concepts. The research concludes that incorporating TOC and synechism principles can enhance management and organizational practices and enrich management philosophy and theories. Research limitations/implications This pioneering research opens promising opportunities to draw parallels between Peirce and Goldratt. Interdisciplinary collaboration will enhance the rigor and validity of integrating synechism and TOC. Experts in organizational behavior, systems theory and complexity science can provide valuable insights into this debate, while practitioners and consultants could help identify barriers and opportunities for integrating synechistic principles. Practical implications The study proposes a novel abductive approach using Peirce’s cable metaphor as an initial framework to build a unified science of management based on evolutionary stages: TOC, common sense and connectedness. Originality/value This research reinforces the argument that contemporary management practices need philosophical thinking. The authors argue that re-evaluating the foundations of management thought enriches the decision-making process in organizations and the understanding of contemporary theories in management and organizational studies.

Hope Has Augmented Reality Applications in Science Education Improved Academic Achievement? An Experimental Study

This research was conducted using the random pretest-posttest control group pattern of real experimental design, which is a subset of experimental research designs in the field of quantitative research. The study group consisted of students aged thirteen and fourteen in the eighth grades of private secondary schools affiliated with the Ministry of National Education in Turkey. Twenty students were selected for the experimental group, and twenty students were selected for the control group in an unbiased manner. However, in order to form homogeneous groups, the past academic records of the students of both experimental and control groups were examined before the students were randomly selected. Then, the random selection phase was started. An achievement test was developed for both the control and experimental groups to be used in the research. Additionally, augmented reality flashcards developed by FenAR related to solid, gas, and liquid pressures were used in the experimental group. The collected data were analyzed using the SPSS 25 package program. At the beginning of the study, it was determined that students' academic achievements were similar. Significant achievement was obtained in the experimental group, where augmented reality was used, compared to the class taught with a constructivist approach. Augmented reality, used as an educational tool, provided students with the opportunity to make abstract concepts more concrete and visually experience them. It can be concluded that especially complex science topics, when taught with augmented reality, become more understandable through 3D modeling and interactive simulations.

A need for systems thinking and the appliance of (complexity) science in healthcare

Hospitals represent complex adaptive systems where interactions and relationships of different components both affect and shape the way they work simultaneously. Pressures on hospitals determine how they behave and many of the problems seen in the NHS and indeed other health services can be viewed through the lens of complexity science and systems thinking. ‘Flow’ of patients through the hospital can be seen as an indicator of how well the hospital ‘system’ is working. The better flow is, the more patients can be treated and the less time is spent waiting in the various queues that accrue around the hospital,In this article, we explore the impact of these disciplines on patient flow and examine how short-term and overly simple solutions can exacerbate problems in the health service, despite the best intentions of those working in it. Many of today’s problems can be described in terms of ‘system archetypes’ and ‘game theory’. Understanding this may lead to improvement in how services are redesigned to solve these problems.

Unraveling the Hemolytic Toxicity Tapestry of Peptides using Chemical Space Complex Networks.

Peptides have emerged as promising therapeutic agents. However, their potential is hindered by hemotoxicity. Understanding the hemotoxicity of peptides is crucial for developing safe and effective peptide-based therapeutics. Here, we employed chemical space complex networks (CSNs) to unravel the hemotoxicity tapestry of peptides. CSNs are powerful tools for visualizing and analyzing the relationships between peptides based on their physicochemical properties and structural features. We constructed CSNs from the StarPepDB database, encompassing 2004 hemolytic peptides, and explored the impact of seven different (dis)similarity measures on network topology and cluster (communities) distribution. Our findings revealed that each CSN extracts orthogonal information, enhancing the motif discovery and enrichment process. We identified 12 consensus hemolytic motifs, whose amino acid composition unveiled a high abundance of lysine, leucine, and valine residues, while aspartic acid, methionine, histidine, asparagine and glutamine were depleted. Additionally, physicochemical properties were used to characterize clusters/communities of hemolytic peptides. To predict hemolytic activity directly from peptide sequences, we constructed multi-query similarity searching models (MQSSMs), which outperformed cutting-edge machine learning (ML)-based models, demonstrating robust hemotoxicity prediction capabilities. Overall, this novel in silico approach uses complex network science as its central strategy to develop robust model classifiers, to characterize the chemical space and to discover new motifs from hemolytic peptides. This will help to enhance the design/selection of peptides with potential therapeutic activity and low toxicity.

Generational persona and entrepreneurial behavior among millennial entrepreneurs: the mediating role of adaptability tendencies

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between generational persona, adaptability tendencies and entrepreneurial behavior. The paper also aims at testing the mediating role of adaptability tendencies in the relationship between generational persona and entrepreneurial behavior among millennial entrepreneurs in an African setting.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopts a quantitative methodological approach with a cross-sectional, questionnaire survey and correlational design where hypotheses were statistically tested using Structural Equation Modelling based on survey data (n = 382) from millennial entrepreneurs in Kampala Uganda.FindingsDrawing on the sample of 382 millennial entrepreneurs in Kampala, findings show that both generational persona and adaptability tendencies are positively and significantly associated with entrepreneurial behavior. Results further indicate that adaptability tendencies partially mediates the relationship between generational persona and entrepreneurial behavior among millennial entrepreneurs.Research limitations/implicationsThis study focused only on millennial entrepreneurs in Kampala Uganda ignoring other equally important groups of entrepreneurs like the baby boomers, generation Xers, generation Y and others. As such, the findings of this research do not entirely apply to all entrepreneurs in the country and this may have affected the generalizability of the results. Therefore, future studies can be done on the entrepreneurial behavior focusing on all entrepreneurs from all generations. Also, the study used a quantitative approach, future studies should consider a mixed methodology, which may give a more holistic understanding of entrepreneurial behavior.Practical implicationsIn practice, millennial entrepreneurs may use the results of the study to see how they can improve their performance for their businesses to benefit. Specifically, they ought to focus on adaptability, and generational persona to exhibit those entrepreneurial behaviors which will generally lead to the improvement of their businesses.Originality/valueTo the authors’ knowledge, this study provides a shred of initial empirical evidence on the relationship between generational persona, adaptability tendencies and entrepreneurial behavior using evidence from a low developed African country Uganda. Mostly, this study provides initial evidence of the mediating role of adaptability tendencies in the relationship between generational persona and entrepreneurial behavior. This study incorporates the Generational Cohort Theory and the Complex Adaptive Systems Theory into an applied theoretical framework that explains entrepreneurial behavior. More still, this study answers the call for more empirical studies on entrepreneurial behavior.

Self-organization in computation and chemistry: Return to AlChemy.

How do complex adaptive systems, such as life, emerge from simple constituent parts? In the 1990s, Walter Fontana and Leo Buss proposed a novel modeling approach to this question, based on a formal model of computation known as the λ calculus. The model demonstrated how simple rules, embedded in a combinatorially large space of possibilities, could yield complex, dynamically stable organizations, reminiscent of biochemical reaction networks. Here, we revisit this classic model, called AlChemy, which has been understudied over the past 30 years. We reproduce the original results and study the robustness of those results using the greater computing resources available today. Our analysis reveals several unanticipated features of the system, demonstrating a surprising mix of dynamical robustness and fragility. Specifically, we find that complex, stable organizations emerge more frequently than previously expected, that these organizations are robust against collapse into trivial fixed points, but that these stable organizations cannot be easily combined into higher order entities. We also study the role played by the random generators used in the model, characterizing the initial distribution of objects produced by two random expression generators, and their consequences on the results. Finally, we provide a constructive proof that shows how an extension of the model, based on the typed λ calculus, could simulate transitions between arbitrary states in any possible chemical reaction network, thus indicating a concrete connection between AlChemy and chemical reaction networks. We conclude with a discussion of possible applications of AlChemy to self-organization in modern programming languages and quantitative approaches to the origin of life.

Can large language models help predict results from a complex behavioural science study?

We tested whether large language models (LLMs) can help predict results from a complex behavioural science experiment. In study 1, we investigated the performance of the widely used LLMs GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 in forecasting the empirical findings of a large-scale experimental study of emotions, gender, and social perceptions. We found that GPT-4, but not GPT-3.5, matched the performance of a cohort of 119 human experts, with correlations of 0.89 (GPT-4), 0.07 (GPT-3.5) and 0.87 (human experts) between aggregated forecasts and realized effect sizes. In study 2, providing participants from a university subject pool the opportunity to query a GPT-4 powered chatbot significantly increased the accuracy of their forecasts. Results indicate promise for artificial intelligence (AI) to help anticipate-at scale and minimal cost-which claims about human behaviour will find empirical support and which ones will not. Our discussion focuses on avenues for human-AI collaboration in science.

Cognitive microfoundations and social interaction dynamics. The implications of complexity for institutional theory

AbstractThis paper investigates the intersection of cognitive sciences and social network theory and its counterpart, the complexity sciences, aiming to shed light on the compatibility and potential integration of these frameworks into institutional theory. Institutional scholars have for long selectively adopted notions linked with the cognitive sciences and complexity sciences, such as the notion of path dependence, without exploring the broader implications of systematically integrating such perspectives into institutionalism. This paper aims to advance such a comprehensive theoretical integration, by investigating the effective combination of these approaches and their significant implications. It shows how the complexity sciences contribute to dissolving the barriers between the cognitive and social realms and illustrates how this impacts notions of human agency and reflexivity. Theoretical integration also involves acknowledging considerable diversity in individual human agency, which in turn prompts a reconsideration of how notions of institutional stability, change, diffusion and adaptation are understood. Furthermore, the paper addresses the epistemological challenge presented by the complexity sciences, before it highlights the general relevance of institutional theory in analyzing complex social phenomena. Finally, the paper explores implications for research methodology, proposing that a fusion of institutional theory and the complexity sciences provides a metatheoretical framework for assessing the contextual suitability of different theoretical and methodological approaches.

Circular supply chains as complex adaptive ecosystems: A simulation-based approach

Circular Supply Chains (CSCs) are self-sustained ecosystems designed to pursue Circular Economy principles. Compared to linear supply chains, they involve new classes of stakeholders performing circular activities and multiple resource streams (e.g. virgin materials, by-products, end-of-life products, waste) moving forward and back the original and different supply chains. Therefore, CSCs are characterized by increasing complexity that call for proper coordination mechanisms. In this regard, we propose a theoretical framework, based on the theory of Complex Adaptive Systems, capturing the static and dynamic dimensions of CSC complexity which characterize the archetype of a CSC and then we develop a novel agent-based model to simulate the effect of competition and collaboration mechanisms on CSC performance across different CSC archetypes. The results of numerical simulations suggest which mechanism to adopt for the coordination of certain CSC archetypes: while competition is always detrimental, local collaboration is effective for CSCs with closed loop structures, and global collaboration is instead required in presence of open and hybrid loop structures.

The rapid prosperity of China’s Pearl River Delta from the perspective of social–ecological coupling: implications for sustainable management

Systems theory and complex science, especially knowledge of social–ecological interdependencies, are urgently needed in planning and decision-making on sustainable urban development due to the intensification of the contradiction between human development and nature conservation. Here, we present an analytical framework, the “social–ecological coupling trajectory”, that integrates the social–ecological coupling, multi-stability, causal feedbacks and sustainable management through understanding the evolution of the urban social–ecological system (SES). This framework is applied to a typical urban SES, i.e., China’s rapidly prosperous Pearl River Delta (PRD). Our results indicate that the SES evolution in the PRD is a phased process, which is accompanied by a continuous decline in major ecosystem services (ESs) and the disproportionate decline of ecological management performance. Further analysis shows that social and economic policies have a decisive role in driving the evolution of SES and the cumulative effect of sustained human interference is directly linked to the disproportionate increase in sustainability challenges. The findings of critical slowing down and evolution patterns of SES in the PRD may provide evidence for the threshold recognition and regime shift prediction in SES. In sum, this study expands the theoretical framework and empirical knowledge of SES evolution and provides a pathway for sustainable development of regions seeking prosperity from the social–ecological coupling perspective.

Exploring interventions for improving rural digital governance performance: A simulation study of the data-driven institutional pressure transmission mechanism

Considering the technological and institutional nature, along with the inherent complexity, of the rural digital governance context, a data-driven institutional pressure transmission (D-IPT) mechanism is developed in this study. This mechanism aims to facilitate effective regulation of villagers' behaviours, thereby improving rural digital governance performance. Firstly, we proposed a conceptual model based on complex adaptive systems theory and institutional theory to demonstrate how this mechanism can ensure an improvement of the emergent rural digital governance performance. Subsequently, we translated the conceptual model into a computational representation, thereby constructing a theory-informed simulation model. A behavioural dataset consists of 1,255,206 rural households from 119 villages over a span of 18 months was used to instantiate and validate the simulation model based on a specific scenario. Then, we designed five simulation experiments to investigate interventions aimed at harnessing the D-IPT mechanism more effectively to improve the rural digital governance performance. The results show that interventions targeting interaction efficiency, interaction frequency, and institutional environment configuration significantly affect the role of the D-IPT mechanism in enhancing rural governance performance. Finally, we discussed the theoretical and practical implications of the D-IPT mechanism.

Virtual Reality Immersive Simulations for a Forensic Molecular Biology Course—A Quantitative Comparative Study

Molecular biology is a complex, abstract, subject that can be challenging for higher education students to comprehend. The current manuscript describes the design, implementation, and evaluation of two immersive VR simulations of a DNA lab and a crime scene investigation (CSI) for a forensic molecular biology course in the context of the “TESLA” Erasmus+ project. It illustrates the instructional design and technical aspects of the VR simulations’ development. The experimental study employed a comparative quantitative research design. The guiding research questions examined how instructional modalities (online vs. face-to-face) affect learners’ perceptions of VR-based training in higher education and the key factors influencing learners’ intention for their adoption. Forty-six (n = 46) undergraduate students completed a 17-item questionnaire, which served as the main data collection instrument. Results demonstrate that both online and face-to-face VR-based instruction can effectively convey core concepts, thus challenging the traditional notion that face-to-face interaction is inherently superior. Its implications underscore the potential of VR simulations to supplement or even substitute traditional teaching methods, particularly for complex science subjects.