Diverse approaches to learning with immersive Virtual Reality identified from a systematic review

To investigate how learning in immersive Virtual Reality was designed in contemporary educational studies, this systematic literature review identified nine design features and analysed 219 empirical studies on the designs of learning activities with immersive Virtual Reality. Overall, the technological features for physical presence were more readily implemented and investigated than pedagogical features for learning engagement. Further analysis with k-means clustering revealed five approaches with varying levels of interactivity and openness in learning tasks, from watching virtual worlds passively to responding to personalised prompts. Such differences in the design appeared to stem from different practical and educational priorities, such as accessibility, interactivity, and engagement. This review highlights the diversity in the learning task designs in immersive Virtual Reality and illustrates how researchers are navigating practical and educational concerns. We recommend future empirical studies recognise the different approaches and priorities when designing and evaluating learning with immersive Virtual Reality. We also recommend that future systematic reviews investigate immersive Virtual Reality-based learning not only by learning topics or learner demographics, but also by task designs and learning experiences

Students' use of magnetic models to learn hydrogen bonding and the formation of snowflakes

Magnetic molecular models help students explore molecular structures and interactions. In this study, we investigated how pairs of students used magnetic models to explore hydrogen bonding and the 6-fold symmetry of snowflakes. Fourteen first-year students enrolled in a chemistry unit participated in pairs. Students’ interactions with the magnetic models and their peers were video recorded and later transcribed. Students’ hand-drawn diagrams, verbal explanations, and gestures were used to evaluate students’ conceptual understanding. Students showed distinctly different patterns of interaction depending on their prior knowledge of hydrogen bonding and how they socially interacted. Pairs with alternative prior understanding of hydrogen bonding relied on prompts while using magnetic models to feel the attraction and repulsion between two water molecules. They then constructed a tetrahedral structure and discussed its similarities with the branches of snowflakes. Pairs with a better understanding of hydrogen bonding interacted more with each other, used magnetic models to create ring structures, and explained their similarities with the 6-fold symmetry of snowflakes. Despite gaining a new understanding of hydrogen bonding, most student pairs’ explanations did not extend to the massive 3D expansion of molecular structures to form a snowflake. Educators should consider the affordances of magnetic models and students’ group dynamics when teaching molecular interactions to explain macroscopic-level phenomena