Reality Learning Environment Research Articles

Simulation learning: exploring its transformative influence on nursing practice.

Simulation in nursing education enables nursing students to develop and practise their clinical, critical thinking and decision-making skills within the safety of a realistic learning environment. Evidence suggests that this method of learning can enhance nursing students' confidence, enabling them to navigate the current challenges in healthcare and consider new ways of working. This article outlines the benefits and challenges of simulation and discusses the implications of the use of this learning technique in nurse education for future nursing practice.

THE USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, VIRTUAL AND AUGMENTED REALITY IN TEACHING GEOGRAPHY IN SECONDARY SCHOOL

In today's innovative education, artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies are increasingly emerging as powerful tools to enhance the learning experience, especially in the teaching of geography in primary schools. This research explores how these technologies are being used to improve geography teaching and stimulate students' interest. AI brings personalised learning where content is adapted to individual learners' needs. Easier access to information, better visualisation of content, and help with analysis and interpretation make learning more accessible for students. At the same time, the ease of recreating content and the help in tracking individual learners' progress allows teachers to adapt learning strategies better and provide additional resources according to individual needs. VR and AR technologies help to create more interactive and realistic learning environments. Virtual reality allows learners to experience geographical phenomena more directly, while augmented reality complements the real world with digital information that can enrich the understanding of geographical concepts. These technologies focus on creating interactive content, virtual field trips, simulations of natural phenomena, and encouraging student participation and interest. The study also discusses challenges and solutions related to introducing AI in school geography, such as access to technology, teacher training and professional development, curriculum adaptation and ethical dilemmas. AI, VR and AR technology enable a new, at least in Slovenia, technologically sophisticated approach to teaching geography in primary schools. It encourages students to explore, interact and better understand complex geographic content. Keywords: geography education, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, augmented reality, interactive content

A Post Occupancy Evaluation of the Space Utilization of Cultural Heritage in Children’s Education: A Case Study of Wuhan’s Historical Districts, China

Cultural heritage has educational value because it provides children with a realistic learning environment and a wealth of educational resources. This study intends to fill a gap in academic research by evaluating the efficiency of utilizing cultural heritage in children’s education. This study uses the Post Occupancy Evaluation (POE) method to create a comprehensive evaluation index system. Through research and analysis of six key elements—inheritance of historical context, improvement in environmental quality, completion of infrastructure, achievement of educational goals, participation in children in activities, and sustainable development—it was discovered that rational utilization of cultural heritage space significantly improves the educational experience and promotes cultural heritage transmission. This study is significant since it provides an empirical foundation for educational practice and serves as a valuable guide for innovative heritage transmission and policy creation. Our findings emphasize the necessity of incorporating educational goals into preserving and revitalizing cultural heritage, advocating for a forward-thinking approach that honors the past while fostering learning and progress for future generations.

Pedagogical agents communicating and scaffolding students' learning: High school teachers' and students' perspectives

Pedagogical agents (PAs) communicate verbally and non-verbally with students in digital and virtual reality/augmented reality learning environments. PAs have been shown to be beneficial for learning, and generative artificial intelligence, such as large language models, can improve PAs' communication abilities significantly. K-12 education is underrepresented in learning technology research and teachers' and students' insights have not been considered when developing PA communication. The current study addresses this research gap by conducting and analyzing semi-structured, in-depth interviews with eleven high school teachers and sixteen high school students about their expectations for PAs' communication capabilities. The interviewees identified relational and task-related communication capabilities that a PA should perform to communicate effectively with students and scaffold their learning. PA communication that is simultaneously affirmative and relational can induce immediacy, foster the relationship and engagement with a PA, and support students' learning management. Additionally, the teachers and students described the activities and technological aspects that should be considered when designing conversational PAs. The study showed that teachers and students applied human-to-human communication scripts when outlining their desired PA communication characteristics. The study offers novel insights and recommendations to researchers and developers on the communicational, pedagogical, and technological aspects that must be considered when designing communicative PAs that scaffold students’ learning, and discusses the contributions on human–machine communication in education.

Bridging computer and education sciences: A systematic review of automated emotion recognition in online learning environments

Emotions play an important role in the learning process. With intelligent technology support, identification and intervention of learners’ cognition have made great achievement, but the care of emotion has been in the absence for a long time. In recent years, the use of affective computing technology to solve affective loss in online education has become a key research topic. To date, a growing number of studies have investigated automated emotion recognition (AER) in online environments. However, AER has been mainly studied from the perspective of computer science focusing on technical characteristics of developing AI technology while its pedagogical value and educational application has been overlooked. Therefore, this systematic literature review aimed to bring together educational and technical aspects of AER. Following PRISMA methodology, a comprehensive search of AER research from 2010 to 2024 in three databases (Web of Science, Science Direct and IEEE Xplore) identified 117 studies that met inclusion criteria. The articles were coded for report characteristics, educational characteristics (tech platform, pedagogy, assessment, content), technical characteristics (emotion model, emotion category, emotion measurement channel, database, algorithm model) and outcome characteristics (technical result, educational application). We found that the primary purpose of these studies was to develop and evaluate systems for AER, rather than implementing these systems in real online learning environments. Furthermore, our findings indicated a lack of integration between computer science and educational science in the realm of AER. Despite the fact that most algorithm models demonstrated high accuracy in AER, the interpretability of the results was significantly constrained by the quality of the databases used, along with the scarcity of studies focusing on the effective and real-time application of AER results. These findings provide essential guidance for shaping future research and development pathways in this field.

Elements of a safe learning environment: A student perspective

Background. There is evidence that any learning experience should happen in a safe learning environment as students interact, experiment and construct new knowledge. It is therefore important to investigate a learning environment from student perspectives on what elements will make them feel safe. Objective. This study aimed to identify the elements contributing to a safe learning environment for millennial optometry students. Methods. An intrinsic qualitative case study was undertaken with undergraduate optometry students from the University of the Free State, South Africa (N=68). An open-ended questionnaire was completed after applying nine different teaching-learning methods based on Kolb’s experiential learning cycle. To supplement the data, two focus group interviews (N=17) were also conducted. Results. The response rate to the questionnaire was 99.42%, and 15 students participated in the focus group interviews. Students feel safe in an environment where they are familiar with each other, the educators and the surroundings. Peer learning also creates a safe and familiar environment. These elements create an environment where they feel safe to ask questions. Students value an environment where they can learn without influencing their marks or disadvantaging patients. They enjoy learning from their peers but also need personal contact with educators. Elements such as consistency and an achievable objective have also been identified. Conclusion. The study findings suggest that to respond to the real learning environment needs of students, insights must be gained into their experiences and perceptions, thereby identifying their needs and suitable learning environment to optimise learning pedagogies.

증강현실 기반 입체도형 학습도구 시스템

Recently, realistic contents such as virtual reality(VR) and augmented reality(AR) are widely used for education to provide beneficial learning environments with thee-dimensional(3D) information and interactive technology. Specially, AR technology will be helpful to intuitively understand by adding virtual objects registered in the real learning environment with effective ways. In this paper, we developed an AR learning system using 3D spatial information in the 2D based textbook for studying math related to geometry. In order to increase spatial learning effect, we applied to solid shapes such as prisms and pyramids in mathematics education process. Also, it allows participants to use various shapes and expression methods (e.g., wireframe mode) with interaction. We conducted the experiment with our AR system, evaluated achievement and interest. Our experimental study showed positive results, our results are expected to provide effective learning methods in various classes through realistic visualization and interaction methods.

Towards believable and educational conversations with virtual patients

Virtual Reality (VR) technology allows the design and application of realistic but adaptive learning environments in medical education. In particular, virtual patient systems have logistical and methodological advantages compared to non-computerized interventions. However, evidence for their effectiveness is fragmented as any educational domain introduces its requirements regarding learning goals, measurements of learning outcomes, and application design. In this context, we present preliminary results of evaluating a VR training application for conducting a clinical interview to diagnose mental disorders in children and adolescents using virtual patients. The evaluation focuses on design elements related to the virtual patient’s appearance and natural language capabilities. Our results indicate that our virtual patient design is highly believable and that our dialog system is satisfying. However, conversational flow requires optimization. We discuss design directions and potential enhancements for learner-virtual patient interactions in VR and address future operations to evaluate the effectiveness of our approach.

Interactive AR Textbook Application for 3M Orang Asli Students in Primary School

The impact of technological advancement on the education system, particularly the need for innovation in its use in teaching and learning, is significant. However, the disclosure of a previous study found that a total of 269,332 primary school students across the country were not able to master the basic 3M skills of reading, counting, and writing. Therefore, this study aims to develop an Interactive AR textbook to learn the vowels a, e, è, i, o, and u. Evaluation of the effectiveness of using Interactive AR Textbooks, especially from the design point of view and to user experience and cognitive style in the context of Orang Asli education in the State of Perak. This study uses design-based research (DBR) as design research, which is divided into four phases: Phase I (analysis), Phase II (development), Phase III (evaluation), and Phase IV (documentation). Six experts were selected to verify the application. It was tested for usability and student performance on 62 first-year students among Orang Asli students in the State of Perak. The results revealed that the Interactive AR Textbook can be used to learn vowels a, e, è, i, o, and u based on expert agreement in terms of usability (99%), ease of use (98%), ease of learning (96%), and motivation (100%). Results show that Interactive AR Textbooks can increase motivation for learning Malay vowels, making them beneficial for grade 1 students, teachers, and schools. This application enables the creation of a realistic, authentic, engaging, and entertaining learning environment. This study also acknowledges the limitations and future recommendations of this study.

Designing learning experiences using serious games: innovative village case study

The increasing interest in Learning Experience Design (LXD) has consolidated this field as a new way to transform educational practices. Thanks to its interdisciplinary nature which is mainly rooted in the close relation between human–computer interaction, user experience design and the learning sciences, LXD is a field that demands frameworks to design and develop products that can grow into services, to create interactive learning environments able to provide improvement-driven analytics and to guarantee a significant and satisfactory experience, designed to achieve learning outcomes. Innovative Village serious video game (IVVG) is a service-oriented product within an entrepreneurship and innovation system of platforms developed as an abilities-focused learning environment, and that builds a case study for LXD. This research aims to contribute to the consolidation of the emergent field of Learning Experience Design by providing a case around the Entrepreneurship and Innovation area from EAFIT University in Medellin, a learning system that comprises several service-oriented products; by being one of the products that constitute this system, and as a serious video game, Innovative Village has proven to be a key player in facilitating the learning outcomes and the knowledge integration that stem from the learning environment of the Interactive Design program, where the students’ learning experiences take place. First, related theoretical concepts and historical data will be analyzed to provide background information, then the case study will be addressed focusing on the materials, methods, and results. The study shows that the video game encourages collaborative behavior between players, as perceived by a significant proportion of participants. The research establishes a link between this perception and the role of creaticides in the game. Learning Experience Design (LXD) is about creating products that link the learning process with key competences. The game “Innovative Village” exemplifies this approach and provides insights into design, use, and required competencies. It also presents a framework for designing user-centered learning experiences that incorporate assessments to enhance the learning process. This framework is applicable from the early stages and can be tested in real learning environments.

Improving Natural and Artificial Lighting in Coastal Architecture Classrooms: Insights and Applications

This research examines the natural and artificial lighting performance comparison in an architecture classroom at a university in southern Thailand and gives principles for enhancing lighting design. The sample for the study was classroom spaces. The efficacy of natural and artificial lighting was studied using static and dynamic models, and data were obtained using a 4 in 1 multi-function environmental meter at various times of the day. The current study adopted the IESNA (Illuminating Engineering Society of North America) and CIBSE (Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers) lighting standards for the performance comparison analysis. The results showed that the natural light in the classrooms did not satisfy the standards for lighting levels. In contrast, the artificial lighting was more effective but raised some issues with uniformity and glare. The study offers recommendations for improving lighting effectiveness, maximizing natural light, reducing energy consumption, improving the uniformity of artificial illumination, addressing issues with various classroom lighting designs, and creating more comfortable and realistic learning environments.

POSSIBLE UTILIZATION OF GENERATIVE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TOOLS FOR CREATING DIGITAL EDUCATIONAL ESCAPE ROOMS

Escape rooms used for teaching purposes are usually called educational escape rooms. Educational escape rooms are cooperative games designed for teaching particular educational material based on a series of narrative-driven puzzles that group(s) of pupils/students must solve within a limited time to achieve the goal of the game and leave a room or environment (or alternatively break into the locked box or unravel a mystery). The shift to online teaching caused by the COVID-19 pandemic increased the use of educational escape rooms in a digital format. Digital educational escape rooms are escape game-like interactive activities (based on educational content) that are made with digital technologies. Most of the research studies and literature reviews suggest that digital educational escape rooms could have some positive impacts on students’ cognitive, behavioral, and affective learning outcomes. However, a significant amount of digital escape games created by teachers lack engaging story, challenging narrative-based puzzles (that are related to specific learning objectives), and cohesive graphics. Therefore, the practical usability and effectiveness of such games in real and virtual learning environments are questionable. In the field of educational game development, generative artificial intelligence can play a significant role in simplifying the process, improving quality, and saving time. This paper discusses how teachers could utilize generative artificial intelligence tools to ease and improve the creation process of digital educational escape rooms. In other words, this paper provides examples of how elements of digital escape games (such as narrative, game environment images, and puzzles) can be created with generative artificial intelligence tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Bing Image Creator, Stable Diffusion, AutoDraw, etc.).

HARNESSING MEDICAL INNOVATION: THE IMPACT OF ROBOTIC SIMULATORS AND VIRTUAL REALITY (VR) IN IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF MEDICAL EDUCATION

Medical education stands at the cusp of a transformative revolution, driven by the integration of cutting-edge technology. This article explores the profound impact of robotic simulators and virtual reality (VR) in enhancing the quality of medical education. Traditional medical education methods have their limitations, often constrained by a lack of hands-on experience and patient safety concerns. In response to these challenges, robotic simulators and VR have emerged as powerful tools, offering realistic, immersive, and safe learning environments for aspiring medical professionals. We delve into the world of robotic simulators, dissecting their mechanisms and outlining their versatile applications across various medical disciplines. These simulators provide aspiring medical professionals with hands-on experience, bridging the gap between theory and practice while eliminating the risks associated with real patient interactions. In the realm of virtual reality, we explore the innovative applications of VR in medical education. VR's immersive environments offer a unique platform for medical students and professionals to practice, learn, and refine their skills, all within a controlled and safe setting. We present case studies and learning activities that illustrate the efficacy of these technologies in teaching safety competencies, reducing medical errors, and improving patient outcomes. Keywords: Simulation-Based Medical Education, Virtual Reality, Robotic Simulators, Artificial Intelligence, Patient Safety, Healthcare Technology, Healthcare Innovation, Medical Simulation, Education Technology.

Empirical Analysis of Teacher Talk Based on SLA Theories—Evidence from Zhengji High School

In China, due to the lack of a real language learning environment, the main place for students to contact English is the classroom. Therefore, teachers’ discourse in the classroom has an important impact on learners’ language acquisition. Specifically, on the one hand, teacher talk can organize and manage classroom teaching. On the other hand, it is conducive to students’ language input. At the same time, senior high school is a key period for students to learn English. The impact of excellent teacher talk on students’ language acquisition is beneficial. As a result, at this stage, it is vital to study teacher talk. Based on the input hypothesis proposed by Krashen and the interaction hypothesis proposed by Long, this article selects a senior teacher and her class in Zhengji senior high school in Jiangsu Province as the research object, and uses the method of naturalistic observation to observe and record the teacher’s discourse in the classroom. Then, through the analysis of the data, the current situation of English teachers’ classroom discourse in senior high schools is investigated in three ways in this thesis: the quantity of teacher talk, questioning methods and feedback methods, analyzes the existing problems, and tries to offer some sound counsel. Through research and analysis, this article draws the following conclusions: 1. Teachers are fully aware of the main role of students in classroom discourse, are changing the traditional teacher-centered teaching model, and strive to make students more involved in classroom activities. 2. Teachers should reasonably use the method of questioning in the classroom to combine display questions with referential questions, so as to cultivate students’ innovative thinking ability. 3. Teachers should use a variety of feedback methods to continuously stimulate students’ learning motivation and increase the number of possibilities for kids to develop language.

Simulation as a teaching method in the Systems Engineering career

This article aims to diagnose teachers of the System Engineering career on the knowledge of simulation as a teaching method. A non-experimental descriptive research was carried out to evaluate the knowledge of 12 Systems Engineering teachers about the use of simulation as a teaching method. The results showed that 50% of the teachers had not used simulation previously. 67% claimed to master the method, of which 33.3% considered that it accelerated the learning process and 25% that it facilitated the reproduction of specific situations. 75% of teachers had used it in their subjects, 92% in evaluation, 83% in teaching practice and 42% in content orientation. It is concluded that simulation is an effective teaching method in the Systems Engineering degree. This methodology allows students to experience and understand real-life situations virtually, providing a practical and realistic learning environment.

Implementation of Virtual Interactive Cases for Pharmacy Education: A Single-Center Experience.

Patient case simulation software are described in pharmacy education literature as useful tools to improve skills in patient assessment (including medication history-taking and physical assessment), clinical reasoning and communication, and are typically well-received by students and instructors. The virtual interactive case (VIC) system is a web-based software developed to deliver deliberate practice opportunities in simulated patient encounters across a spectrum of clinical topics. This article describes the implementation and utilization of VIC in the undergraduate curriculum at one Canadian pharmacy school. Methods: At our facility, the use of VIC was integrated across the training spectrum in the curriculum, including core and elective didactic courses and practice labs, experiential learning, interprofessional education, and continuing education. Its use was evaluated through student and instructor surveys and qualitative student interviews). VIC is easy to navigate and created a positive and realistic learning environment. Students identified that it enhanced their ability to identify relevant patient information, accurately simulated hospital pharmacy practice and thereby helped them to prepare for their upcoming experiential courses. The use of VIC has expanded beyond its original intended purpose for individual student practice to become a valuable addition to pharmacy undergraduate education. Future plans include ongoing development of cases and exploration of further uses of VIC within the didactic curriculum, for remediation in experiential courses, and for pharmacist continuing education.

Technological mediation and humanization of nursing care: a systematic literature review

Introduction: One of the purposes of nursing education is to provide the health system with highly competent professionals oriented to the generation of humane care practices in their daily work. To achieve this purpose, it is essential to identify the needs that arise within the teaching processes and to clearly establish how the pedagogical use of technologies can improve learning environments. Objective: To investigate and critically evaluate the contribution of technology to the strengthening of the humanization of care in the field of nursing. Materials and Methods: The methodological approach for systematic literature reviews defined by Okoli, which involves following a rigorous and standardized process to systematically and explicitly identify, evaluate, and synthesize the existing body of research. Initially, 51 articles were selected for analysis. After applying exclusion criteria, 26 studies were extracted and reviewed, identifying categories that highlight the positive influence of technology on cognitive, psychomotor, and affective competencies. Subsequently, the document with the main conclusions was drafted. Results: The findings reveal the effectiveness of various technological environments in nursing education, highlighting the prioritization of competencies linked to knowing and doing. However, there is an observed tendency to underestimate affective competencies crucial for humane care. Discussion: The results revealed a diverse landscape regarding the impact of various technologies on the development of nursing competencies, highlighting both strengths and limitations. The ability of these tools to create immersive and realistic learning environments is emphasized, although the need to delve into competencies that promote humane care is acknowledged. Conclusions: Future research is required to understand the contribution of technologies to the knowledge, attitudes, and values of the professional in training to promote humane nursing care.

Driving the Future: Design and Implementation of an Advanced Smart Car Network Simulation Platform for Education

— Incorporating smart car network education into an academic setting often faces a substantial cost barrier. Traditionally, creating a realistic learning environment involved significant investments, such as procuring an actual smart car or specialized automotive-grade testing equipment. However, these approaches pose challenges, especially in resource-constrained educational contexts. This project addresses these challenges by introducing an innovative solution—a smart car education platform. Our objective is to design and implement this platform using a limited number of microcontrollers and components extracted from modern vehicles, enabling the creation of a lifelike simulation of genuine smart car networks. By adopting this approach, we enhance accessibility for students interested in gaining practical insights into automotive networks, offering a more pragmatic and cost-effective educational pathway.

A106‘FY1 for a day’ an immersive programme to prepare final year medical students for foundation training

Final year medical students are often anxious about commencing foundation training and feel underprepared for the practical responsibilities they are expected to conduct independently [1]. Consequently, a full day programme was created to facilitate immersive simulation of a typical working day of a Foundation Year 1 (FY1) doctor. Aim: To provide an enriching programme empowering final year medical students to experience the practical aspects of foundation training (including areas of expressed difficulty), whilst creating a safe and realistic learning environment and providing opportunities for interprofessional learning and near-peer teaching. Junior doctors from FY1s to Medical Registrars delivered the programme’s content. In the morning, three interprofessional simulation scenarios were delivered to the medical students and included nursing students for added realism. Each scenario reflected common ward-based and acute-setting situations that had minimal coverage in their undergraduate curricula. Afternoon stations were created to attenuate the medical students’ anxieties about the aspects of foundation training they perceived as difficult. Using a simulated ward, a mock handover was conducted. Students were then expected to complete the tasks of death verification, complex prescribing and female catheterization. The other stations simulated interpreting blood results, discussions with a microbiologist and requesting and discussing radiological imaging. During completion of all stations, the medical students carried and answered a bleep mimicking realistic distractions. Morning and afternoon debriefing occurred in small groups. Following programme completion, all the medical students ( ‘FY1 for a day’ is an effective and sustainable educational programme to potently prepare final year medical students for their foundation training whilst safeguarding psychological safety and fortifying multidisciplinary relationships. Authors confirm that all relevant ethical standards for research conduct and dissemination have been met. The submitting author confirms that relevant ethical approval was granted, if applicable.

Project-Based Learning Model to Enhance Soft Skills of Vocational High School Students

This study aimed to analyze students' interpersonal and intrapersonal skills at Integrated Vocational High School 1 Yaspida, where all students are in boarding schools and SMK Yasti district. Sukabumi, only 15% are boarding houses. The method used is qualitative with case studies. The data analysis technique used is the Miles and Huberman technique (data reduction, data presentation, and conclusion). The results of this study indicate that the soft skills of students at SMK YASTI and SMK Terpadu 1 Yaspida have the same results; students' interpersonal and intrapersonal skills are not affected by the presence of students living, whether they are in boarding school or not. Yasti Vocational School has a very good program, which can shape student characteristics and develop student soft skills, just like students who are in Islamic boarding schools. The soft skills aspect with the highest rating is the Collaboration aspect, and the lowest rating is on the leadership aspect. This research implies that through the implementation of project-based learning models, vocational high schools (SMK) can create a more realistic learning environment that is outcome-oriented and focused on developing skills needed in the working world and daily life.