Immersive learning is a learning method with

student A student is a person enrolled in a school or other educational institution, or more generally, a person who takes a special interest in a subject. In the United Kingdom and most The Commonwealth, commonwealth countries, a "student" attends ...

s being immersed into a virtual dialogue, the feeling of presence is used as an evidence of getting immersed. The virtual dialogue can be created by two ways, the usage of virtual technics, and the

narrative A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences, whether non-fictional (memoir, biography, news report, documentary, travel literature, travelogue, etc.) or fictional (fairy tale, fable, legend, thriller ...

like reading a book. The motivations of using

virtual reality Virtual reality (VR) is a Simulation, simulated experience that employs 3D near-eye displays and pose tracking to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (particularly video gam ...

(VR) for teaching contain: learning efficiency, time problems, physical inaccessibility, limits due to a dangerous situation and

ethical Ethics is the philosophical study of moral phenomena. Also called moral philosophy, it investigates normative questions about what people ought to do or which behavior is morally right. Its main branches include normative ethics, applied e ...

problems.

Types of immersive learning

Technical aspect

Most of the immersive learning activities are supported by virtual tools including

augmented reality Augmented reality (AR), also known as mixed reality (MR), is a technology that overlays real-time 3D computer graphics, 3D-rendered computer graphics onto a portion of the real world through a display, such as a handheld device or head-mounted ...

(AR),

(VR), and

virtual learning environment Virtual may refer to: * Virtual image, an apparent image of an object (as opposed to a real object), in the study of optics * Virtual (horse), a thoroughbred racehorse * Virtual channel, a channel designation which differs from that of the actual ...

(VLE). Immersive VR here specifically refers to the occasions where participants feel "being there" in a virtual place. For educational purpose, the most mentioned virtual projects include

Second Life ''Second Life'' is a multiplayer virtual world that allows people to create an Avatar (computing), avatar for themselves and then interact with other users and user-created content within a multi-user online environment. Developed for person ...

CAVE Caves or caverns are natural voids under the Earth's Planetary surface, surface. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. Exogene caves are smaller openings that extend a relatively short distance undergrou ...

VR system, AET Zone are being used in a wide range of disciplines. Among all the technical tools supporting immersive learning, the

, which defined as a room-like environment with projection screens is well discussed. The

was first studied by the University of Illinois's Electronic Visualization Lab in 1992, which allows huge screens to involve a large number of audiences. Sherman and Craig define

as a theater-like VR venue, which is visually created by computer-generated imagery. Most of the

s today contain 3-6 walls (including ceiling and floor), shaped as a cube or cylinder. It is supported with multisensory channels for human-content interaction, mainly

visual The visual system is the physiological basis of visual perception (the ability to detect and process light). The system detects, transduces and interprets information concerning light within the visible range to construct an image and buil ...

, also produces other

sensory Sensory may refer to: Biology * Sensory ecology, how organisms obtain information about their environment * Sensory neuron, nerve cell responsible for transmitting information about external stimuli * Sensory perception, the process of acquiri ...

engagements such as tactile,

audio Audio most commonly refers to sound, as it is transmitted in signal form. It may also refer to: Sound *Audio signal, an electrical representation of sound *Audio frequency, a frequency in the audio spectrum *Digital audio, representation of sound ...

and smell. At this stage,

and spatial

appear to be the most-used combination to achieve a certain level of

immersion Immersion may refer to: The arts * "Immersion", a 2012 story by Aliette de Bodard * ''Immersion'', a French comic book series by Léo Quievreux * ''Immersion'' (album), the third album by Australian group Pendulum * ''Immersion'' (film), a 2021 ...

Cognitive aspect

The term ''textual immersion'' is used to describe this kind of

cognitive Cognition is the "mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses". It encompasses all aspects of intellectual functions and processes such as: perception, attention, thought, ...

, as everyone has the so-called daydream, to image themselves actually being in the story and become the

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a ...

. This phenomenon is described as getting lost, involved, or drawn into a story, by

imagination Imagination is the production of sensations, feelings and thoughts informing oneself. These experiences can be re-creations of past experiences, such as vivid memories with imagined changes, or completely invented and possibly fantastic scenes ...

or other media engagement such as literature and film. Immersion is also considered by Murray as an

experience Experience refers to Consciousness, conscious events in general, more specifically to perceptions, or to the practical knowledge and familiarity that is produced by these processes. Understood as a conscious event in the widest sense, experience i ...

that create a more than

reality Reality is the sum or aggregate of everything in existence; everything that is not imagination, imaginary. Different Culture, cultures and Academic discipline, academic disciplines conceptualize it in various ways. Philosophical questions abo ...

world, which is structured by the audience's own

cognition Cognition is the "mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses". It encompasses all aspects of intellectual functions and processes such as: perception, attention, thought, ...

. Also, within Ryan's book, the

immersion created by

is categorized into three kinds: spatial immersion, temporal immersion and emotional immersion.

Sensory Sensory may refer to: Biology * Sensory ecology, how organisms obtain information about their environment * Sensory neuron, nerve cell responsible for transmitting information about external stimuli * Sensory perception, the process of acquiri ...

simulation A simulation is an imitative representation of a process or system that could exist in the real world. In this broad sense, simulation can often be used interchangeably with model. Sometimes a clear distinction between the two terms is made, in ...

s play an essential role to achieve mental

, with the combination of primary and secondary senses. The audio engagement within visual stories is welcomed as a way to achieve

presence (telepresence) Presence is a theoretical concept describing the extent to which media represent the world (in both physical and social environments). Presence is further described by Matthew Lombard and Theresa Ditton as “an illusion that a mediated experience i ...

, as music helps to arouse emotional factors such as happiness and anger, peacefulness and intense.

Areas of applications

For educational purposes, VR starts to engage as a teaching tool to convey knowledge in an immersive way. It takes the advantage from the characteristics belongs to VR such as engaging and entertaining, to teach

art Art is a diverse range of cultural activity centered around ''works'' utilizing creative or imaginative talents, which are expected to evoke a worthwhile experience, generally through an expression of emotional power, conceptual ideas, tec ...

history History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

geography Geography (from Ancient Greek ; combining 'Earth' and 'write', literally 'Earth writing') is the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. Geography is an all-encompassing discipline that seeks an understanding o ...

and

zoology Zoology ( , ) is the scientific study of animals. Its studies include the anatomy, structure, embryology, Biological classification, classification, Ethology, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinction, extinct, and ...

. Among the purposes of learning, the educational theories vary from constructivist, constructionist, and

situated {{dictionary, date=May 2023 In artificial intelligence and cognitive science, the term situated refers to an agent which is embedded in an environment. The term ''situated'' is commonly used to refer to robots, but some researchers argue that so ...

. All the three types of learning are well served by VR, as it supports a wide range of free exploration and

construction Construction are processes involved in delivering buildings, infrastructure, industrial facilities, and associated activities through to the end of their life. It typically starts with planning, financing, and design that continues until the a ...

. In general, VR could also improve knowledge retention and student motivation.

Skill training

Skill training here refers to the training with a certain level of professional

skill A skill is the learned or innate ability to act with determined results with good execution often within a given amount of time, energy, or both. Skills can often be divided into domain-general and domain-specific skills. Some examples of gen ...

s for adults. Immersive learning supports the simulation of being in a dangerous or unusual environment, as a safe and effective way for training employees. For forklift truck training, the research team built an immersive CAVE-based VR to simulates the accidents. For the operator training, some plant scenarios such as routine operations and emergency response can be trained within the same CAVE-like space, it also allows multi-players to do the

teamwork Teamwork is the collaborative effort of a group to achieve a common goal or to complete a task in an effective and efficient way. Teamwork is seen within the framework of a team, which is a group of interdependent individuals who work toge ...

Medication

Immersive learning usually appears to simulate the accident which need immediate medical support, including

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

and syncope. Practical studies can be found both in universities and medication agencies, in 3D stereo anatomy teaching, an immersive environment to learn

anatomy Anatomy () is the branch of morphology concerned with the study of the internal structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old scien ...

is built for medical students. Instead of the boring 2D textbook, students are allowed to move the real human parts modelling with a monitor, the visual display also allow zoom-in to browse more details. Further related studies could be found in several research agencies including Harvardmedsim, Autism Treatment and Healthy Simulation.

Art and design

The needs of teaching

and

design A design is the concept or proposal for an object, process, or system. The word ''design'' refers to something that is or has been intentionally created by a thinking agent, and is sometimes used to refer to the inherent nature of something ...

ask for a lower level of real-scene simulation, but a higher demand of emotional context and

atmosphere An atmosphere () is a layer of gases that envelop an astronomical object, held in place by the gravity of the object. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A stellar atmosph ...

. Virtual technics could benefit the teaching and learning activity as it provides essential support for exploration-based learning.

Art Art is a diverse range of cultural activity centered around ''works'' utilizing creative or imaginative talents, which are expected to evoke a worthwhile experience, generally through an expression of emotional power, conceptual ideas, tec ...

exploration, which transforms the static art to dynamic art, see VR as a

media Media may refer to: Communication * Means of communication, tools and channels used to deliver information or data ** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising ** Interactive media, media that is inter ...

of expression, also as an open place allow discussion and teamwork. Particularly, studies could be found in the area of innovative teaching to use VR as the tool.

Effectiveness of learning

The effectiveness of immersive learning appears in several ways: * The realistic simulation of real-life scenes to help with the

emergency An emergency is an urgent, unexpected, and usually dangerous situation that poses an immediate risk to health, life, property, or environment and requires immediate action. Most emergencies require urgent intervention to prevent a worsening ...

or unusual situations. * To simplify the complex contexts and enhance learning effectiveness. * Add playful and

exploration Exploration is the process of exploring, an activity which has some Expectation (epistemic), expectation of Discovery (observation), discovery. Organised exploration is largely a human activity, but exploratory activity is common to most organis ...

al contents compared with a flat 2D learning activity. * To encourage conceptual thinking, especially for

and

. * To reduce the

noise Noise is sound, chiefly unwanted, unintentional, or harmful sound considered unpleasant, loud, or disruptive to mental or hearing faculties. From a physics standpoint, there is no distinction between noise and desired sound, as both are vibrat ...

from surrounded environment and social conflict. The immersive learning activity has a high level of compatibility, to allow complex teaching tasks including

role-playing Role-playing or roleplaying is the changing of one's behaviour to assume a role, either unconsciously to fill a social role, or consciously to act out an adopted role. While the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' offers a definition of role-playing ...

, free-exploration,

and after-course evaluation. In some occasions like

medication Medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal product, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to medical diagnosis, diagnose, cure, treat, or preventive medicine, prevent disease. Drug therapy (pharmaco ...

and skill training, physical tool engagements are also functional to better simulate a real scene, such as use patient models in

first aid First aid is the first and immediate assistance given to any person with a medical emergency, with care provided to preserve life, prevent the condition from worsening, or to promote recovery until medical services arrive. First aid is gener ...

period.

Online immersive tools

Narrative website

Narrative A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences, whether non-fictional (memoir, biography, news report, documentary, travel literature, travelogue, etc.) or fictional (fairy tale, fable, legend, thriller ...

website is one of the typical online tools to support immersive learning. It usually appears in the area of visual storytelling, display page of exhibition and historical websites. The

storytelling Storytelling is the social and cultural activity of sharing narrative, stories, sometimes with improvisation, theatre, theatrics or embellishment. Every culture has its own narratives, which are shared as a means of entertainment, education, cul ...

is well-designed to answer the needs of information

dissemination To disseminate (from Latin, lat. ''disseminare'' "scattering seeds"), in the field of communication, is to broadcast a message to the public without direct feedback from the audience. Meaning Dissemination takes on the theory of the traditional ...

and emotional resonance, usually with the support of

and dynamic design. For such use case, the Openlearn virtualized a story to enhance the user's sense of substitution by making choices, the Awge simulated a platform of game boy to get visitors immersed. And the Active Theory produces a controllable 3D modeling which could interact with the mouse.

Interactive video

Within immersive learning,

interactive video The term interactive video usually refers to a technique used to blend interaction and linear film or video. History In 1962, Steve Russell, a student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), created Spacewar!, the world's first inte ...

usually remains as an instrument to make one website or platform interactive and fun. Under some educational purpose, interactive video could function as increasing learning interest and reducing the learning costs. Through clicking and dragging, the interactive video splits complex tasks into small and simple operations, the logic between small tasks is usually build through

. Typical examples could be found within the interactive video which introduce Virus, and the art study in

Nexus studios Nexus Studios is an animation, VFX, film and interactive production studio based in London and LA. It was founded in 2000 by Charlotte Bavasso and Christopher O'Reilly. Creating a range of both handcrafted and high-tech work, Nexus Studios ha ...