Computer-based simulations are highly effective in supporting students' deep conceptual understanding of scientific ideas. However, in the unprecedented era of the COVID-19 outbreak, students around the world experienced an induced state anxiety, which may have affected their engagement with the learning environments and ultimately their academic…

There has been a surge in interest and implementation of immersive virtual reality (IVR)-based lessons in education and training recently, which has resulted in many studies on the topic. There are recent reviews which summarize this research, but little work has been done that synthesizes the existing findings into a theoretical framework. The…

These proceedings contain the papers of the 21st International Conference on Cognition and Exploratory Learning in the Digital Age (CELDA 2024), held in Zagreb, Croatia, from 26 to 28 October 2024 and organized by the International Association for Development of the Information Society (IADIS). The CELDA conference aims to address the main issues…

This exploratory sequential mixed methods study explored how African American, Asian/Pacific Islander, Latino/Hispanic, and Native American (ALANA) students develop a sense of belonging within higher education at one private, Predominantly White Institution (PWIs) within the United States when co-curricular programs are offered within the…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to propose the use of a virtual reality (VR)-based approach to improve teacher education and life-long professional development. Through constant training in real-life based situations but within a safe three-dimensional virtual school environment, teachers are given the opportunity to experience and learn how…

Virtual reality (VR) is projected to play an important role in education by increasing student engagement and motivation. However, little is known about the impact and utility of immersive VR for administering e-learning tools, or the underlying mechanisms that impact learners' emotional processes while learning. This paper explores whether…

Research on the effectiveness of augmented reality (AR) on learning exists, but there is a paucity of empirical work that explores the role that positive emotions play in supporting learning in such settings. To address this gap, this study compared undergraduate students' emotions and learning outcomes during a guided historical tour using mobile…

Three-dimensional (3-D) virtual worlds differ from other learning environments in their similarity to real life, providing opportunities for more effective communication and interaction. With these features, 3-D virtual worlds possess considerable potential to enhance learning opportunities. For effective learning, the users' motivation levels and…

How can educators make use of augmented reality technologies and practices to enhance learning and why would we want to embrace such technologies anyway? How can an augmented reality help a learner confront, interpret and ultimately comprehend reality itself ? In this article, we seek to initiate a discussion that focuses on these questions, and…

For a growing group of educators, the online role-playing game World of Warcraft, Blizzard Entertainment's massively popular massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), is a place to go to relax, network, and discover potential learning strategies-- and slay a few monsters if they get in the way. The online role-playing game World of…