About this Research Topic

Background

Advances in emerging technologies present new pedagogies, environments, challenges, possibilities and tensions across learning spaces. These technologies encompass immersive experiences such as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR). The rapid development and application of these emerging technologies in educational spaces means it is crucial that stakeholders stay abreast of the latest research developments.

The shift to hybrid learning environments acts as a catalyst for re-imagining what learning spaces we might occupy now, and more so in the years to come. While there are already examples of immersive learning applications being used today, these experiences are not always informed by education research. The technology is in its relative infancy and is developing at a rapid pace. Educators, researchers and designers should consider different pedagogical elements of an immersive learning experiences. For instance, one consideration might be how designers embed socio-constructivist learning practices into the design of their immersive environments. Subsequently, educators will need to consider how they facilitate these immersive experiences with student groups. The rate of change presents a timely opportunity to (re-)examine different design, development, and educational applications of emerging technologies across formal and informal learning spaces.

This Research Topic will include a collection of the latest empirical and conceptual research papers exploring salient pedagogical elements, and considerations, of immersive learning experiences. This article collection will accept contributions from scholars worldwide: we invite research with societal, technological, and creative impact to apply for consideration. We seek high quality papers of approximately 6,000 words and your research will explore different design, development, and educational applications of emerging technologies, inclusive of VR, AR and MR across formal and informal learning spaces.

Keywords: immersive digital learning environments, virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed reality, educational technologies

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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