Towards Measuring User Experience, Activation and Task Performance in Immersive Virtual Learning Environments for Students

Abstract

Abstract. The technological progress in the field of Virtual Reality (VR) facilitates the availability and applicability in learning scenarios. Applying VR technologies in a virtual environment (VE) can further intensify the students' learning experience to a more immersive and engaging involvement in the learning process. In order to use immersive virtual learning environments (VLE) in high school and higher education as a teaching and learning tool, first it has to be assessed which individual-related variables influence the VLE experience and in which way the user experience (UX) affects task performance in VLEs. The paper describes the concept of a specific VLE using Minecraft as a setup for a research study. Furthermore, the research design is outlined. The paper describes the conducted pretest of the study and presents preliminary results of the pretest.

A review of the use of virtual reality head-mounted displays in education and training

“…Of the 21 studies 14 examined the learner experience (Andreoli et al, 2016;Bharathi & Tucker, 2015;Fernandes et al, 2016;Gutiérrez-Maldonado, Ferrer-García, Plasanjuanelo, Andrés-Pueyo, & Talarn-Caparrós, 2015;Janssen, Tummel, Richert, & Isenhardt, 2016;Kleven et al, 2014;Loup, Serna, Iksal, & George, 2016;Madrigal, Prajapati, & Hernandez-Prera, 2016;Moesgaard et al, 2015;Pan et al, 2016;Polcar & Horejsi, 2015;Ray & Deb, 2016;Reiners, Wood, & Gregory, 2014;Stavroulia et al, 2016). The main aspects of learner experience being examined in the included studies can be divided into three groups, namely: (1) Perceived presence, immersion and realism;…”

“…Another factor that was identified was that standing up, as opposed to sitting down, led to increased sense of presence (Reiners et al, 2014). In a study looking at correlations between personality traits and learner experience Janssen et al (2016) found that people with more anxious or reserved personalities not only had a less positive experience in VR, but also felt less immersed. This led the researcher to conclude that learners with certain individual traits and characteristics will benefit less from learning in VR.…”

“…This ranged from mild feelings of unsafety to severe cases of cybersickness that prompted some to leave the experiment. Furthermore Janssen et al (2016) showed that personality traits had a strong influence on the way the VR simulations are experienced, and this in turn will influence any learning outcomes. A VR simulation which is designed to engage the learner emotionally can be a very intense experience.…”

Systematic Review and Validation of the Game Experience Questionnaire (GEQ) – Implications for Citation and Reporting Practice

“…Three peculiar ones include a 6-point scale [29], a mix of 5-and 6-point scales [38], and a pictorial (smiley) scale for elderly participants [19].…”

“…. $15.00 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3242671.3242683 a console game with a joystick [18], over a co-located social game on a multi-touch tabletop for older adults [43] or massive online battle arena (MOBA) games for hardcore gamers [31], to immersive virtual learning environments for students [29].…”