Immersive virtual environments hold unexplored potential to scaffold and stimulate learning in multiple ways for the purpose of increasing potential learning gains. Yet, the number of implementations in educational settings remains very limited. One reason for limited implementation of immersive virtual environment applications may be a lack of…

This research aimed to explore the dimensions and implications of the early use and integration of metaverses in public high schools in the region of the Altos de Chiapas, Mexico, through a sequential mixed methods approach. Initially, a standardized survey was administered to a stratified probabilistic sample of 1402 students from various schools…

This study employs bibliometric methods to analyse impactful and emerging research topics in the digital education ecosystem, using Scopus data from 2019 to 2023. It introduces a new Impact Factor (IF) that considers productivity, growth rate, core papers, and citations to identify key research fronts. The top five areas identified were artificial…

A chemical engineering student's knowledge of theory, experimental design, and real-world processes is tested and enforced in the Unit Operations laboratory courses. However, instructors are facing challenges of delivering high-quality, hands-on laboratory content with limited resources and increasingly large class sizes. Limited in-lab time is…

Following the global pandemic, educators relied heavily on live videoconferencing options and online meeting spaces to host class in lieu of traditional, in-person classroom learning. Yet, exhaustion and Zoom fatigue fueled a lack of engagement in such online spaces, while simultaneously the need for more informal connection to support learners'…

Computer-supported collaborative learning aims to use information technologies to support collaborative knowledge construction by practicing the relevant pedagogical approaches, especially in the distance learning setting. The enabling technologies are fast advancing, and the need for solutions during the COVID-19 global pandemic led to the…

Computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) environments have been developed to connect learners, whether geographically apart or together, to accomplish shared tasks collaboratively and interactively. Despite the extensive adoption of immersive technologies such as virtual or augmented reality in various educational contexts, the current…

Advances in technology, non-traditional students, and a new generation of e-learners all challenge institutions of higher learning to support innovations that create relevant distance education opportunities for their students. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic dramatic shifts to education occurred, requiring schools of social work to consider new ways…

We developed a gas-phase Fourier Transform InfraRed Scientific Instrument Simulator (FTIR-SIS, https://ftir.rastonlab.org/) in response to the unavailability of one during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown of 2020. It features an interactive interface that encourages students to explore different components of a typical FTIR, and it allows them to…

Recent research in the field of virtual reality (VR) education is dominated by the application, experience, and effectiveness of high-immersive environments. However, high-immersive VR may not be accessible to all learners, with online distance learning students in particular unable to fully engage without being supplied with appropriate…

Mixed reality (MR) provides new opportunities and affordances for fostering student engagement in remote learning. The current qualitative case study set out to (1) explore teachers' perspective of academic engagement in traditional classrooms, (2) explore how teachers' and students' envision engaging lessons using MR for remote learning, and (3)…

In this study, we investigated whether intercultural communication can be learned as effectively through desktop-based social virtual reality (social VR) as it can through online study, and if social VR improves the motivation to gain cultural intelligence in distance learning. Two groups of international students attended a seminar called…

This study conceptualized Technology-Enhanced Distance Laboratory (TEDL) as a subset of Non-Traditional Laboratory (NTL) to best describe global STEM education practices after the COVID-19 pandemic. We systematically gathered and examined 141 empirical TEDL studies reported from March 2020 to August 2022. Most studies were contextually rooted in…

Purpose: Although technology is a defining characteristic of distance education, assessment of the applicability of such resources in knowledge dissemination is greatly warranted to ensure effectivity. Hence, the purpose of this study was to assess the viability of a novel tool in teaching practical chemistry online. Design/methodology/approach:…

In this work, we study the feeling of membership in undergraduate students who interact with their higher education institution through a virtual environment. We explore the "Centro de Investigaciones en Diseño Industrial" (CIDI) case, in which a virtual environment was built using the Roblox platform to enhance the online experience…