Students are unable to view each other's VR content created with 360-degree video technology using head-mounted displays and discuss it in real-time. This limitation may confine the application of 360degree video technology in the field of intercultural learning to merely passive observation of cultural content on individual devices, thereby…

With the development of virtual reality technology, 3D multi-user virtual environments (MUVEs) have attracted increasing research attention and are thought to bring many learning benefits in higher education. However, the widespread and sustained application of MUVEs in higher education lies in learners' intention to use them, but the mechanism…

With an increase in interactions with non-human agents, understanding and forecasting the consequences of human interactions with them have become increasingly crucial. The present study focused on a subset of non-human agents known as virtual characters. To investigate whether people respond in the same way to a virtual character as they do to a…

Understanding blindness or imagining being blind can be challenging for individuals without visual impairments. One of the affordances of high-immersion virtual reality (VR) is its ability to build empathy and facilitate perspective-taking. VR can be potent when providing narrative, experience-laden education that exposes users to ideas and…

In this article, we present the results of research conducted to investigate the perception of VR educational materials for space technology courses being developed at a technological university in Europe. Our aim was to identify potential barriers faced by men and women when entering and continuing this form of education. As both VR and space…

Many studies have examined the factors that influence second language interaction, such as task type and communication mode, i.e., face-to-face and computer-mediated communication through online mode. However, there is a paucity of research that has investigated the effects of task type on negotiation of meaning (NoM), a specific type of…

This study investigates the effects of using open social VR for university English as a foreign language (EFL) learners' intercultural communication learning. The project involved two stages: (1) carefully designed activities for students to practice different language-learning tasks with their peers; (2) implemented in an open social VR…

This study used the Xbox Kinect and Unity 3D game engine to develop two motion-sensing games in which the participants, in simulated scenarios, could experience activities that are unattainable in real life, become immersed in collaborative activities, and explore the value of adventure education. Adventure Education involves courses that…

Abstract electronics concepts are difficult to develop because the phenomena of interest cannot be readily observed. Visualisation skills support learning about electronics and can be applied at different levels of representation and understanding (observable, symbolic and abstract). Providing learners with opportunities to make transitions…

The study presented here is interested in understanding the ways in which social interaction in technology-mediated institutional settings is constrained and afforded by what Pennycook defines as "critical moments" in the educational experience. Drawing on Social Learning Analytics and on the concepts of heteroglossia, contingency and…

In theory, computer game-based learning can support several vocabulary learning affordances that have been identified in the foreign language learning research. In the observable evidence, learning with computer games has been shown to improve performance on vocabulary recall tests. However, while simple recall can be a sign of learning,…

Language learning occurring in authentic contexts has been shown to be more effective. Virtual worlds provide simulated contexts that have the necessary elements of authentic contexts for language learning, and as a result, many studies have adopted virtual worlds as a useful platform for language learning. However, few studies so far have…

Humans have an evolved embodied cognition that equips them to deal easily with the natural movements of object manipulations. Hence, learning a manipulative task is generally more effective when watching animations that show natural motions of the task, rather than equivalent static pictures. The present study was completed to explore this…

Computer simulation has significant potential as a supplementary tool for effective conceptual-change learning based on the integration of technology and appropriate instructional strategies. This study elucidates misconceptions in learning on diodes and constructs a conceptual-change learning system that incorporates…

Software for simulation-based learning of electronics was implemented to help learners understand complex and abstract concepts through observing external representations and exploring concept models. The software comprises modules for visualization and simulative manipulation. Differences in learning performance of using the learning software…