This paper presents and evaluates a role-play simulation called 'Theatrical Technology Assessment', in which students learn about complex stakeholder dynamics around emerging technologies. This role-play combines insights from Constructive Technology Assessment, improvisational theatre and educational role-play designs. It was implemented in an…

Practical laboratory sessions are essential for engineering education, demanding efficient use of limited time. In recent years, Virtual Reality (VR) technologies have introduced Virtual Laboratories (VLs), offering the potential to enhance students' educational experience. Despite their potential, VLs are rarely utilised in civil engineering…

Public speaking often imposes a nerve-wracking atmosphere in the L2 classrooms. Consequently, an alternative to the anxiety-arousing activity by using advanced technology for pedagogy is urgent. Prior publications reported the use of virtual reality (VR) for training public speaking and alleviating students' public speaking anxiety (PSA). However,…

To aid in teaching dialogue skills a virtual simulator called "Communicate!" was developed at Utrecht University. Teachers can build scenarios for students to practice dialogues with a virtual character. In two experiments (n = 128 and 133, a year apart), we investigated if and how "Communicate!" can be an effective aid to…

Situated learning could benefit STEAM education because both aim to develop skills that can deal with complex real-life situations. Although ample research has been conducted into situated learning within higher vocational education in general, there exists little research on the implementation of the educational approach in STEAM education…

Background: University teachers in various fields have turned to the experiential tool of poverty simulations to help prepare students to work effectively and ethically with people living in poverty. Their efficacy is reportedly mixed. While several studies claim positive results on student knowledge, skills, and attitudes, others highlight risks…

Game-based learning is gaining popularity in language education. For the present study, three games were developed with a central focus on intercultural interaction to be played internationally in dyads or small groups using Video-Communication (VC) tools or a Virtual World (VW). The interactions were carried out in Spanish as a Lingua Franca (LF)…

Background: The present study aims to investigate the impact of open and closed tasks on the intrinsic motivation and language learning competence of international students enrolled at UM, following the medical Dutch course. The students look forward to improving their academic-Dutch second language in the field of Medicine. We hypothesize that…

Mentored online intercultural interaction offers foreign language learners the opportunity to develop different competences, including intercultural, linguistic, and digital competence (O'Dowd, 2021). Such virtual exchange (VE) projects typically involve computer-mediated communication via, for example, Zoom. However, the use of high-immersion…

Social Virtual Reality (VR) applications enable real-time interpersonal conversation and allow users to perform activities together. They have the potential of changing the ways learners practise speaking a foreign language. Following a previous study (Jauregi Ondarra, Gruber, & Canto, 2020), we designed the present study to explore how…

Although scholars emphasised the essence of feedback delivered on virtual reality-based tasks, it remains unclear whether the acquisition of students' oral presentation skills can be enhanced by the timing of feedback. An exploratory study, recently conducted in a Dutch university, explores the potential differential impact of immediate versus…

Preservice teachers (PSTs) often experience professional anxiety when managing their classrooms. These feelings of anxiety can be reduced, and their feelings of self-efficacy increased by training PSTs' interpersonal competence. This study used authentic learning experiences combining theoretical lectures and 360-degree videos watched with virtual…

Virtual exchange projects have become an effective pedagogical method to support students' development of intercultural language competence. High-immersion experiences in Virtual Reality (VR) may offer an environment which is conducive to developing such competence. This paper reports on a pilot study carried out with two groups of university…

The purpose of the study is to determine the effect of augmented reality applications on the learning of engineering students in their professional courses. The objective of the study is to ensure that augmented reality technologies, which are among the most important technologies of today, are used in educational settings. The other important…

"Social Europe Days" is a collaborative four-day international seminar held yearly near Brussels, Belgium, by a network of ten European universities from eight different countries. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the seminar had to be offered virtually and redesigned. The final design included synchronous and asynchronous activities,…