Makerspaces can support educational experiences in prototyping for young learners, while physical computing platforms enable high levels of creativity and expression. However, each of these have high barriers of entry, especially for youth without prior experience. Commercial microcontrollers have become a popular tool to use when designing both…

Both fashion design and education are areas where new technologies can have a significant impact. This dissertation examines the potential of virtual reality (VR) for fashion design education and focused on the profound affordances that virtual reality offers - immersion and agency. Using a phenomenological approach, the study combined arts-based…

The purpose of the current study was to examine the effectiveness of virtual reality as a creative adaptive learning tool to help participants control their perceived stress and, in turn, their psychological well-being. The study leveraged humanistic learning theory to conceptualize findings. 353 participants were recruited from five high schools…

From computational and scientific viewpoints, virtual reality (VR) is a well-researched technology, platform, and mode of communication. However, from an arts perspective, virtual reality has very few, if any, defined parameters as an artistic medium. This study aims to explore the technical affordances and the experiential and creative phenomena…

This research study employed quantitative and qualitative designs to explore the impact of immersive technology on the Computational Thinking (CT) capabilities of students enrolled in an engineering program at a Historically Black College or University (HBCU). The quantitative study in this research employs a survey design approach to explore the…

Technological advancements continue to present a variety of learning opportunities for students. The purpose of this interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) study is to seek an understanding about students' experiences with a virtual reality (VR) activity in an Advanced Placement English course. Analyzing the observations and interactions…

This study investigated the understudied area of virtual reality (VR) creation among elementary-aged youth, exploring their engagement in VR creation and the ways in which educators can facilitate this creative process. Using an embedded case study, the researcher examined how the youth visualize writing using the VR creation tool, CoSpaces. To…

This phenomenological narrative study was to explore nine elementary teachers' perspectives of the integration of the JASON Project virtual field trip into the science curriculum. Study findings indicated that the teachers saw an increase in student participation when implementing the JASON Project virtual field trip. The most significant findings…

An avatar is a representation of an identity in an online virtual world. Most virtual environments provide options for avatar customization. This means that a person can either create an avatar from an existing selection of body parts and apparel or design an even more personalized image. Second Life, the investigative site for this study, is a…