Due to the rise of virtual reality and the--at least now--hypothetical construct of the Metaverse, learning processes are increasingly transferred to immersive virtual learning environments. While the literature provides few design guidelines, most papers miss an application and evaluation description of the design and development processes. As a…

Despite the widely recognised impact of both digital and physical spaces as active contributors to teaching and learning processes, relatively little is known about the learning environment. Furthermore, it is time to explore the interplay between these two spaces. Therefore, we proposed employing a holistic approach to develop a new conceptual…

The rapid changes in technology available for teaching and learning have led to a wide variety of potential tools that can be deployed to support a student's education experience. This article examines the learning interfaces for pedagogical virtual reality (VR) environments, including immersive VR (iVR). It also looks at how microlearning (ML)…

The introduction and spread of distance learning imply a shift in approaches and methods of its organisation. This affects the methods and goals of the interaction of subjects of educational activity, including their motivation. That is why the question regarding the analysis of educational components and models aimed at increasing the motivation…

Although research into gamification describes the pedagogy as contextual-based, there is minimal research into analyzing the context when implementing gamification. This research study aimed to examine how professional instructional designers experience analyzing higher education course rooms before implementing gamification into a higher…

With more higher education courses being offered online, the design of the learning environment is an essential component of the educational experience. However, not all online learning environments facilitate student engagement. This paper describes the redesign of two online Initial Teacher Education courses in a regional university, using the…

By considering the interconnectedness of various elements, such as curriculum, instruction, assessment, and school organization, systems thinking provides a framework to understand the underlying patterns, feedback loops, and leverage points that shape educational outcomes. Frick's (1993) systems view of restructuring education supports the notion…

The context in which learning takes place, or learning environment, is pivotal to a positive learning experience for students. Although numerous studies have established strong links between a positive learning environment and a range of student outcomes, far less research has examined how teachers might establish such an environment. Amidst…

The online learning environment demands the ability to self-regulate, set up learning goals, monitor progress, and self-reflect on the learning process. Self-regulated learning (SRL) is an approach to learning where students actively have control over their behaviors. This student-centered, iterative process demands learners exhibit certain…

Many organizations utilize formal mentoring as a means of human resource development. Positive mentoring experiences can lead to positive outcomes for the mentor, mentee, and organization; however, negative mentoring experiences can have the opposite effect. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive case study was to examine how mentees describe…

Learners' emotional engagement in synchronous online learning (SOL) is critical for improving learning persistence and performance. Nevertheless, there is currently a lack of comprehensive and systematic reviews of emotional engagement in SOL. This review synthesizes the strategies to promote emotional engagement in SOL found in published…

Recent research specifies that game-based learning effectively engages students in classroom activities. Although there has been a prominent upsurge in game-based teaching and learning, this area has not received significant attention within the context of Gulf nations. This study investigates the perceptions, motivations, and benefits of…

This qualitative case study aimed to explore how novice instructional designers solved a real-world problem by proposing an instructional design model in Second Life. Twenty-one novice instructional designers who enrolled in a Distance Education course were tasked with proposing an instructional design model to solve the high drop-out rate problem…

In this paper, we address the issue of the design and deployment of VR-oriented pedagogical scenarios by teachers as designers. To provide practical and theoretical solutions, we analyse the various existing models and tools for assisting teachers in the design and deployment of virtual reality learning environments (VRLEs). We identify a need for…

This is the story of a course in higher education that, over a period of ten years, went from being one of the most popular courses, among both students and teachers, to becoming one of the more problematic. Students and teachers felt that the course had many problems that needed to be addressed. For the course round of 2022, the decision was…