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Designing EdTech and Virtual Learning Environments
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Designing EdTech and Virtual Learning Environments

A special issue of Multimodal Technologies and Interaction (ISSN 2414-4088).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 October 2023) | Viewed by 12635

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Stephan Schlögl

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
MCI | The Entrepreneurial School, Dept. Management, Communication & IT, Universitaetsstrasse 15, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
Interests: conversational user interfaces; human-centered AI; knowledge management
Prof. Dr. Deepak Khazanchi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Information Science & Technology, University of Nebraska Omaha, 6001 Dodge Street, Omaha, NE 68182, USA
Interests: virtual teams; virtual learning best practices; virtual learning environments; metaverse technology capabilities; mixed methods research
Prof. Dr. Peter Mirski

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
MCI | The Entrepreneurial School, Depts. Management, Communication & IT, Digital Business & Software Engineering, Universitaetsstrasse 15, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
Interests: entrepreneurship; IT strrategy; design thinking; leadership; vitual learning enviornments
Prof. Dr. Teresa Spieß

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
MCI | The Entrepreneurial School, Dept. Management, Communication & IT, Universitaetsstrasse 15, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
Interests: organizational behavior; future of work; workplace learning; technology and work outcomes
Prof. Dr. Reinhard Bernsteiner

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
MCI | The Entrepreneurial School, Dept. Management, Communication & IT, Universitaetsstrasse 15, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
Interests: engineering education; Internet of Things; virtual labs; EDUverse (VR/AR) learning and teaching; virtual learning environments; personalized microlearning
Prof. Dr. Christian Ploder

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
MCI | The Entrepreneurial School, Dept. Management, Communication & IT, Universitaetsstrasse 15, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
Interests: operational excellence; management information systems; process management/quality management; digital learning environments
Prof. Dr. Pascal Schöttle

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
MCI | The Entrepreneurial School, Dept. Digital Business & Software Engineering, Universitaetsstrasse 15, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
Interests: IT security; adversarial machine learning; multimedia security
Dr. Matthias Janetschek

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
MCI | The Entrepreneurial School, Dept. Digital Business & Software Engineering, Universitaetsstrasse 15, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
Interests: high-performance computing; cloud and edge computing; virtual/augmented reality; Internet of Things/smart homes; practial software development

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Building upon more than two decades of research on distance and virtual learning, this Special Issue aims to provide practical guidance, collect insights and lessons learned, and promote strategies for the successful design, implementation, and evaluation of EdTech and virtual learning environments. We invite authors to submit novel work that extends the use of traditional learning management systems, both from learners’ as well as from an educators’ points of view. We also encourage authors to look beyond the traditional platform approach and explore novel, potentially disruptive tools, technologies, and methods of learning. Following the idea of an integrated EDUverse, one could explore AI/ML-based tools for learning, personalized learning approaches, virtual and augmented reality-based learning strategies, and smartphone-based learning strategies as well as strategies that embed intelligent tutoring systems into the learning process. At the same time, the use of any emerging technologies in learning environments needs to be underpinned by appropriate pedagogical approaches. Thus, we are also looking for work that explores and evaluates necessary changes and adaptations to traditional learning and teaching techniques. Consequently, this Special Issue invites authors to submit original articles that contribute to a holistic and contextualized understanding of post-COVID-19 education, where technology-driven distance learning in all of its modalities have overcome many of the drawbacks that have previously been considered disadvantageous compared to more traditional on-campus learning.

Prof. Dr. Stephan Schlögl
Prof. Dr. Deepak Khazanchi
Prof. Dr. Peter J. Mirski
Prof. Dr. Teresa Spieß
Prof. Dr. Reinhard Bernsteiner
Prof. Dr. Christian Ploder
Prof. Dr. Pascal Schöttle
Dr. Matthias Janetschek
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Multimodal Technologies and Interaction is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • EDUverse (VR/AR) learning and teaching
  • virtual learning environments
  • ubiquitous learning and teaching
  • personalized intelligent tutoring
  • virtual learning pedagogy and concepts
  • virtual course design

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 3173 KiB  
Article
MirrorCampus: A Synchronous Hybrid Learning Environment That Supports Spatial Localization of Learners for Facilitating Discussion-Oriented Behaviors
by Shota Sawada, SunKyoung Kim, Masakazu Hirokawa and Kenji Suzuki
Multimodal Technol. Interact. 2024, 8(4), 31; https://doi.org/10.3390/mti8040031 - 11 Apr 2024
Viewed by 399
Abstract
A growing number of higher-education institutions are implementing synchronous hybrid delivery, which provides both online and on-campus learners with simultaneous instruction, especially for facilitating discussions in Active Learning (AL) contexts. However, learners face difficulties in picking up social cues and gaining free access [...] Read more.
A growing number of higher-education institutions are implementing synchronous hybrid delivery, which provides both online and on-campus learners with simultaneous instruction, especially for facilitating discussions in Active Learning (AL) contexts. However, learners face difficulties in picking up social cues and gaining free access to speaking rights due to the geometrical misalignment of individuals mediated through screens. We assume that the cultivation of discussions is allowed by ensuring the spatial localization of learners similar to that in a physical space. This study aims to design a synchronous hybrid learning environment, called Mirror Campus (MC), suitable for the AL scenario that connects physical and cyberspaces by providing spatial localization of learners. We hypothesize that the MC promotes discussion-oriented behaviors, and eventually enhances applied skills for group tasks, related to discussion, creativity, decision-making, and interdependence. We conducted an experiment with five different groups, where four participants in each group were asked to discuss a given topic for fifteen minutes, and clarified that the occurrences of facing behaviors, intervening, and simultaneous utterances in the MC were significantly increased compared to a conventional video conferencing. In conclusion, this study demonstrated the significance of the spatial localization of learners to facilitate discussion-oriented behaviors such as facing and speech. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Designing EdTech and Virtual Learning Environments)
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12 pages, 1948 KiB  
Article
Kids Save Lives by Learning through a Serious Game
by Miriam Mendoza López, Petronila Mireia Alcaraz Artero, Carlos Truque Díaz, Manuel Pardo Ríos, Juan José Hernández Morante and Rafael Melendreras Ruiz
Multimodal Technol. Interact. 2023, 7(12), 112; https://doi.org/10.3390/mti7120112 - 01 Dec 2023
Viewed by 1292
Abstract
This study focuses on the development and assessment of a serious game for health (SGH) aimed at educating children about cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). A video game was created using the Berkeley Snap platform, which uses block programming. Eye-tracking technology was utilized to validate [...] Read more.
This study focuses on the development and assessment of a serious game for health (SGH) aimed at educating children about cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). A video game was created using the Berkeley Snap platform, which uses block programming. Eye-tracking technology was utilized to validate the graphic design. To assess the tool’s effectiveness, a pre-post analytical study was conducted with primary education children to measure the knowledge acquired. The study involved 52 participants with a mean age of 9 years. The results from a custom questionnaire used to measure their theoretical CPR knowledge showed significant improvements in CPR knowledge after the use of the videogame, and their emotional responses improved as well. The assessment of the knowledge acquired through the video game obtained an average score of 5.25 out of 6. Ten video segments consisting of 500 frames each (20 s of video per segment) were analyzed. Within these segments, specific areas that captured the most relevant interaction elements were selected to measure the child’s attention during game play. The average number of gaze fixations, indicating the points in which the child’s attention was placed within the area of interest, was 361.5 out of 500. In conclusion, the utilization of SGH may be an effective method for educating kids about CPR, to provide them with fundamental knowledge relevant to their age group. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Designing EdTech and Virtual Learning Environments)
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18 pages, 321 KiB  
Article
Exploring the Potential of Immersive Virtual Reality in Italian Schools: A Practical Workshop with High School Teachers
by Marco Romano, Alessandro Frolli, Alessandro Aloisio, Claudio Russello, Angelo Rega, Francesco Cerciello and Fabio Bisogni
Multimodal Technol. Interact. 2023, 7(12), 111; https://doi.org/10.3390/mti7120111 - 01 Dec 2023
Viewed by 1865
Abstract
In recent years, there has been a surge of interest in affordable and accessible extended reality devices. Big tech companies like Apple and Meta have announced advanced devices expected to become more prevalent in everyday life. As younger generations embrace immersive digital realities [...] Read more.
In recent years, there has been a surge of interest in affordable and accessible extended reality devices. Big tech companies like Apple and Meta have announced advanced devices expected to become more prevalent in everyday life. As younger generations embrace immersive digital realities for socialization, entertainment, and information retrieval, there is a need to explore immersive digital technologies that support experiential learning and reevaluate educational approaches. In Italy, the COVID-19 pandemic has sparked a growing interest in immersive virtual reality (VR) and the metaverse for distance education. However, the integration of VR in Italian schools could be faster, primarily due to cost and teacher knowledge challenges. Our study aims to involve high school teachers in a practical workshop to assess their knowledge, skills, and intention to use VR in their teaching after brief training. The focus is on evaluating the acceptability of VR for educational purposes among Italian high school teachers. The workshop involved up to 16 teachers at once and was repeated eight times to reach 120 teachers. Participants received VR training and explored three educational VR applications. The results show that teachers are interested in learning and integrating VR into their lessons. They believe it can enhance teaching practices by actively engaging students and enabling experiential learning. This work provides an overview of the current state of VR in education, describes the workshop with high school teachers, and presents the obtained results. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Designing EdTech and Virtual Learning Environments)
18 pages, 2597 KiB  
Article
A New Technological Model on Investigating the Utilization of Mobile Learning Applications: Extending the TAM
by Rima Shishakly, Mohammed Amin Almaiah, Shaha Al-Otaibi, Abdalwali Lutfi, Mahmaod Alrawad and Ahmed Almulhem
Multimodal Technol. Interact. 2023, 7(9), 92; https://doi.org/10.3390/mti7090092 - 20 Sep 2023
Viewed by 1647
Abstract
Mobile learning has become increasingly important for higher education due to its numerous advantages and transformative potential. The aim of this study is to investigate how students perceive and utilize mobile learning (m-learning) services in universities. To achieve this objective, a conceptual model [...] Read more.
Mobile learning has become increasingly important for higher education due to its numerous advantages and transformative potential. The aim of this study is to investigate how students perceive and utilize mobile learning (m-learning) services in universities. To achieve this objective, a conceptual model was developed, combining the TAM with additional new determinants, including perceived security, perceived trust, perceived risk, and service quality. The primary goal of this model is to assess the adoption of m-learning apps among users in university settings. To evaluate the proposed model, SEM was utilized to test the research model. The findings of the study highlight the critical roles of perceived security, perceived trust, and service quality in promoting the adoption of m-learning apps. Moreover, the results indicate that perceived risk negatively impacts both students’ trust and their attitudes towards using mobile learning services. The study reveals that the perceived trust, and service quality factors positively influence students’ attitudes towards adopting m-learning apps. These research findings hold significant implications for universities and academia, offering valuable insights to devise effective strategies for increasing the utilization of m- learning services among students. By gaining a deeper understanding of students’ perceptions and acceptance, universities can optimize their m-learning offerings to cater to students’ needs and preferences more effectively. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Designing EdTech and Virtual Learning Environments)
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18 pages, 258 KiB  
Article
Challenges in Virtual Reality Training for CBRN Events
by Georg Regal, Daniele Pretolesi, Helmut Schrom-Feiertag, Jaison Puthenkalam, Massimo Migliorini, Elios De Maio, Francesca Scarrone, Marina Nadalin, Massimiliano Guarneri, Grace P. Xerri, Daniele Di Giovanni, Paola Tessari, Federica Genna, Andrea D’Angelo and Markus Murtinger
Multimodal Technol. Interact. 2023, 7(9), 88; https://doi.org/10.3390/mti7090088 - 11 Sep 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2292
Abstract
The contemporary geopolitical environment and strategic uncertainty shaped by asymmetric and hybrid threats urge the future development of hands-on training in realistic environments. Training in immersive, virtual environments is a promising approach. Immersive training can support training for contexts that are otherwise hard [...] Read more.
The contemporary geopolitical environment and strategic uncertainty shaped by asymmetric and hybrid threats urge the future development of hands-on training in realistic environments. Training in immersive, virtual environments is a promising approach. Immersive training can support training for contexts that are otherwise hard to access, dangerous, or have high costs. This paper discusses the challenges for virtual reality training in the CBRN (chemical, biological, radioactive, nuclear) domain. Based on initial considerations and a literature review, we conducted a survey and three workshops to gather requirements for CBRN training in virtual environments. We structured the gathered insights into four overarching themes—the future of CBRN training, ethical and safety requirements, evaluation and feedback, and tangible objects and tools. We provide insights on these four themes and discuss recommendations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Designing EdTech and Virtual Learning Environments)
19 pages, 646 KiB  
Article
State of the Art of Mobile Learning in Jordanian Higher Education: An Empirical Study
by Lamis F. Al-Qora’n, Abdelsalam M. Al-odat, Saheer Al-jaghoub and Hussein Al-Yaseen
Multimodal Technol. Interact. 2023, 7(4), 41; https://doi.org/10.3390/mti7040041 - 10 Apr 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1791
Abstract
A new approach to learning is mobile learning (m-learning), which makes use of special features of mobile devices in the education sector. M-learning is becoming increasingly common in higher education institutions all around the world. The use of mobile devices for education and [...] Read more.
A new approach to learning is mobile learning (m-learning), which makes use of special features of mobile devices in the education sector. M-learning is becoming increasingly common in higher education institutions all around the world. The use of mobile devices for education and learning has also gained popularity in Jordan. Unlike studies about Jordan, there are many studies that thoroughly analyze the situation of m-learning in other countries. Thus, it is important to understand the current situation of m-learning at Jordanian universities, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. While there have been some studies conducted prior to COVID-19 and a few studies after COVID-19, there is a need for a comprehensive study that provides an in-depth exploration of the current situation, student adoption, benefits, disadvantages, and challenges, particularly following COVID-19. Therefore, this study utilizes a sequential exploratory mixed research method to investigate the current state of the art of m-learning in Jordanian higher education with a particular focus on student adoption, benefits, disadvantages, and challenges. Firstly, the study explores the existing literature on m-learning and conducts 15 interviews with educators and learners in three Jordanian universities to gain insights into their experiences with m-learning. The study then distributes a survey to students at four Jordanian universities, representing both public and private universities, to generalize the results from the qualitative study. Additionally, the study investigates the relationship between student enrollment in public/private universities and the adoption of m-learning. The study came to the conclusion that students have a positive opinion of m-learning and are also willing to use it. However, there are a number of disadvantages and challenges to its adoption. Additionally, there is a relationship between student enrolment in public/private universities and the adoption of m-learning. These findings have important implications for institutions that want to incorporate m-learning into their undergraduate and graduate degree programs, as they aid decision-makers in these universities in creating frameworks that may be able to meet the needs of m-learning. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Designing EdTech and Virtual Learning Environments)
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13 pages, 2483 KiB  
Article
Toward Creating Software Architects Using Mobile Project-Based Learning Model (Mobile-PBL) for Teaching Software Architecture
by Lamis F. Al-Qora’n, Ali Jawarneh and Julius T. Nganji
Multimodal Technol. Interact. 2023, 7(3), 31; https://doi.org/10.3390/mti7030031 - 15 Mar 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1748
Abstract
Project-based learning (PBL) promotes increased levels of learning, deepens student understanding of acquired knowledge, and improves learning motivation. Students develop their ability to think and learn independently through depending on themselves in searching for knowledge, planning, exploration, and looking for solutions to practical [...] Read more.
Project-based learning (PBL) promotes increased levels of learning, deepens student understanding of acquired knowledge, and improves learning motivation. Students develop their ability to think and learn independently through depending on themselves in searching for knowledge, planning, exploration, and looking for solutions to practical problems. Information availability, student engagement, and motivation to learn all increase with mobile learning. The teaching process may be enhanced by combining the two styles. This paper proposes and evaluates a teaching model called Mobile Project-Based Learning (Mobile-PBL) that combines the two learning styles. The paper investigates how significantly Mobile-PBL can benefit students. The traditional lecture method used to teach the software architecture module in the classroom is not sufficient to provide students with the necessary practical experience to earn a career as software architects in the future. Therefore, the first author tested the use of the model for teaching the software architecture module at Philadelphia University’s Software Engineering Department on 62 students who registered for a software architecture course over three semesters. She compared the results of using the model for teaching with those results that were obtained when using the project-based learning (PBL) approach alone. The students’ opinions regarding the approach, any problems they had, and any recommendations for improvement were collected through a focus group session after finishing each semester and by distributing a survey to students to evaluate the effectiveness of the used model. Comments from the students were positive, according to the findings. The projects were well-received by the students, who agreed that it gave them a good understanding of several course ideas and concepts, as well as providing them with the required practical experience. The students also mentioned a few difficulties encountered while working on the projects, including student distraction from social media and the skills that educators and learners in higher education institutions are expected to have. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Designing EdTech and Virtual Learning Environments)
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