iLRN 2023 special session.
The Immersive Learning Knowledge Tree is a conceptual framework that supports a common understanding of the diverse field of immersive learning. The ILKT is based on 1) The premise of the importance of developing a common language; 2) The premise of the importance of not only using similar terminology as other researchers, but also having a deep understanding of how the methods researchers utilize in their own research are similar or different from those used by others; and 3) The premise of advancing the use of common theoretical approaches and models. Since its initial inception, the ILKT has developed core concepts, methods, outcomes, and tools/instruments. The ILKT also has significant plans for future development. This presentation will provide a brief overview of what the ILKT is, what has been done to develop it thus far, and what our plans are for the future.
ICT role in 21st century education and it's challenges.
Growing the Knowledge Tree: Core concepts, methods, outcomes, and tools
1. iLRN2023 | 9th INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE
IMMERSIVE LEARNING RESEARCH NETWORK May 18-20th Online
Dennis Beck
Associate Professor
University of Arkansas
Growing the
Knowledge Tree: Core
concepts, methods,
outcomes, and tools
Leonel Morgado
Associate Professor w/ Habilitation
Universidade Aberta & INESC TEC
2. iLRN2023 | 9th INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE
IMMERSIVE LEARNING RESEARCH NETWORK May 18-20th Online
Foundational Papers
Dede, C. (2009). Immersive interfaces for engagement and learning.
Science, 323(5910), 66-69.
Dalgarno, B., & Lee, M. J. (2010). What are the learning affordances of
3‐D virtual environments?. British journal of educational technology,
41(1), 10-32.
Nilsson, N. C., Nordahl, R., & Serafin, S. (2016). Immersion revisited: A
review of existing definitions of immersion and their relation to different
theories of presence. Human technology, 12(2), 108-134.
Beck, D., Morgado, L., Lee, M., Gütl, C., Dengel, A., Wang, M., ... &
Richter, J. (2021, May). Towards an immersive learning knowledge tree-
a conceptual framework for mapping knowledge and tools in the field.
In 2021 7th International Conference of the Immersive Learning
Research Network (iLRN) (pp. 1-8). IEEE.
3. iLRN2023 | 9th INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE
IMMERSIVE LEARNING RESEARCH NETWORK
May 18-20th Online
What is the
Knowledge
Tree initiative?
Beck et al., 2021
http://hdl.handle.net/
10400.2/10867
5. iLRN2023 | 9th INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE
IMMERSIVE LEARNING RESEARCH NETWORK
May 18-20th Online
Methods
Mapping uses to the three
dimensions of immersion
01
Mapping practices to
strategies by using specific
criteria
02
● Theoretical affinity
● Co-occurrence
● Co-citation
● Etc.
Beck et al., 2023
https://bit.ly/ImmersiveEduStrat
Beck et al., 2020
http://hdl.handle.net/1040
0.2/10070
Flexible Assessment
Framework for Exploratory
Immersive Environments
03
● Adaptive network-oriented tracking-based
assessment for real-time educational simulations
● Flexible separation and reusability of several
components of the learning system
Maderer & Gütl, (2021)
https://bit.ly/AntaresFrame
6. iLRN2023 | 9th INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE
IMMERSIVE LEARNING RESEARCH NETWORK
May 18-20th Online
Mapping uses to the three
dimensions of immersion
01
Beck et al., 2020
http://hdl.handle.net/1040
0.2/10070
Morgado et al., 2022
http://hdl.handle.net/1040
0.2/12028
7. iLRN2023 | 9th INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE
IMMERSIVE LEARNING RESEARCH NETWORK
May 18-20th Online
Mapping practices to
strategies by using specific
criteria
02
● Theoretical affinity
● Co-occurrence
● Co-citation
● Etc.
Authentic
practice and
assessment
After-action
review
Authentic
learning
Formative
assessment
Providing
automated
feedback and/or
tutoring
Students
designing and
developing
immersive
products and
experiences
Beck et al., 2023
https://bit.ly/Immersi
veEduStrat
8. 2020 2021
Research Agenda for Immersive
Learning 2030 (RAIL.2030)
Dengel et al., 2023
(iLRN 2023
proceedings)
2023
2022
Immersive Learning Brain map of the research
Beck et al., 2023
https://bit.ly/Immer
siveEduStrat
Outcomes
Gaspar et al., 2020
http://hdl.handle.net/
10400.2/8444
Immersive Learning Research
Priorities survey
Uses and Gaps of immersive
learning environments
Beck et al., 2020
http://hdl.handle.net/
10400.2/10070
9. iLRN2023 | 9th INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE
IMMERSIVE LEARNING RESEARCH NETWORK
May 18-20th Online
Tools & Instruments
iLRN
Community
Educational
Strategies /
Practices /
Uses
Definitions
https://immersivetraining.eu/
Gaspar et al., 2020
http://hdl.handle.net/
10400.2/8444
Morgado et al., 2023
(iLRN 2023 proceedings)
https://elegant-centaur-92b59c.netlify.app/
Morgado & Beck, 2020
http://hdl.handle.net/10400.
2/9799
10. iLRN2023 | 9th INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE
IMMERSIVE LEARNING RESEARCH NETWORK
May 18-20th Online
Future Directions
1. Solicit iLRN Houses & other initiatives to curate the iLRN KT,
updating, tagging, and running custom mapping criteria surveys
(e.g., mapping per aspect that matter for a specific House).
1. Discussion boards to drive additions of content to KT
1. Development of the ethical choices in Immersive technologies
framework and suite of tools
1. Updating of the visualization tools to view and interact with the
educational strategies / Practices Uses map of the literature
1. Bring generative AI into the epistemological process.
Editor's Notes
Cover and End Slide for presentations and videos
We will explain the rationale and goal of providing a common understanding in the field, and providing a framework for its development, bringing together research and practice. Then we refer to its parts: the roots and ground are the definitions, the methods, the research instruments, the ontologies, taxonomies and conceptual data models; the trunk is the knowledge growing: the perspective given by scoping and systematic reviews, annual reports, evidence repositories, community of researchers, and practitioners. The branches are the specializations: the fields of inquiry, the research priorities and agenda; the leaves are the breathing of life into the tree: exemplars from practitioner accounts and case studies, practice instruments such as templates and forms; tools to support production, “how to” guides, shared resources. And the birds are the community living around the tree: crowdsourcing it, tagging it, adding to it, curating it.
What has been done so far.
Morgado, L., & Beck, D. (2020, June). Unifying protocols for conducting systematic scoping reviews with application to immersive learning research. In 2020 6th International Conference of the Immersive Learning Research Network (iLRN) (pp. 155-162). IEEE.
This is where we first defined immersion as having a narrative, system, and challenge dimensions.
And also where we defined immersive learning as the phenomenon of learning seen under the lens of immersion
Beck, D., Morgado, L., & O'Shea, P. (2020). Finding the gaps about uses of immersive learning environments: a survey of surveys. Journal of Universal Computer Science, 26, 1043-1073.
This is where we first defined immersive environments as where the phenomenon of immersive learning occurs: on narrative, system, and challenge dimensions.
Beck, D., Morgado, L., & O'Shea, P. (2023). Educational Practices and Strategies with Immersive Learning Environments: Mapping of Reviews for using the Metaverse. IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies.
This is where we did a mapping of literature reviews of educational practices and strategies with immersive learning environments.
Beck, D., Morgado, L., & O'Shea, P. (2020). Finding the gaps about uses of immersive learning environments: a survey of surveys. Journal of Universal Computer Science, 26, 1043-1073.
This is where we present the panorama of uses of immersive environments from the literature
And map them to the immersion dimensions conceptual space.
Gaspar, H., Morgado, L., Mamede, H., Oliveira, T., Manjón, B., & Gütl, C. (2020). Research priorities in immersive learning technology: the perspectives of the iLRN community. Virtual Reality, 24, 319-341.
This is where we defined the scope of “immersive learning conferences community”, and used to survey priorities: it is all board members, authors, program chairs and organizers, program committee members, and keynote and invited speakers, for all editions since 2014, including iLRN special sessions in TALE and special issues organized by iLRN in journals
We created methods for the KT.
Mapping uses to the three dimensions of immersion
Beck, D., Morgado, L., & O'Shea, P. (2020). Finding the gaps about uses of immersive learning environments: a survey of surveys. Journal of Universal Computer Science, 26, 1043-1073.
Mapping practices to strategies by using specific criteria
Beck, D., Morgado, L., & O'Shea, P. (2023). Educational Practices and Strategies with Immersive Learning Environments: Mapping of Reviews for using the Metaverse. IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies.
Assessment framework for immersive environments
Maderer, J., & Gütl, C. (2021). Antares: A Flexible Assessment Framework for Exploratory Immersive Environments. Workgroups eAssessment: Planning, Implementing and Analysing Frameworks, 181-207.
We mapped the uses to the three dimensions of immersion.
Beck, D., Morgado, L., & O'Shea, P. (2020). Finding the gaps about uses of immersive learning environments: a survey of surveys. Journal of Universal Computer Science, 26, 1043-1073.
Both researchers and practitioners can interpret an immersive learning environment under these three dimensions:
how does it immerse by using the system?
how does it immerse by using narrative?
how does it immerse by using agency?
This enables both researchers and practitioners to reflect and act upon these aspects of an immersive learning environment.
For example, a teacher might consider whether helping students understand the career of an astronaut requires a switch in perspective (e.g. seeing how the Earth is so big as one ascends) or a cultural/emotional experience (e.g. feeling the fragility of our miniscule world in the universe).
Perspective switching depends more on System immersion and Narrative immersion
Cultural and Emotional Experiences depends more on Narrative immersion and to a smaller degree, Agency.
So this reflection may help the teacher plan accordingly, by considering the type of immersive learning environment needed.
Conversely, a teacher might consider that there is little time or budget for drafting narratives and creating visual meaning, and thus determine immersive environments focused on system and agency are more readily implementable for the current situation.
E.g., Interactive manipulation and exploration, or data collection, engagement…
As another example, consider that a researcher wants to document the immersion elements of an environment: this will recommend that aspects from these three dimensions are recorded:
The presence provided by the system
The meaning and context provided by the narrative: the story, the visual meaning, the meaning of sequences of events, emotional aspects…
The engagement, flow, and focus provided by agency: the available interactions, the tasks, the activity goals, etc.
Mapping practices to strategies by using specific criteria
Beck, D., Morgado, L., & O'Shea, P. (2023). Educational Practices and Strategies with Immersive Learning Environments: Mapping of Reviews for using the Metaverse. IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies.
Example:
Using theoretical affinity, we linked the practice of authentic practice & assessment with the strategies of after action review, and authentic learning (and others).
We also linked the strategy of formative assessment to the practice of providing automated feedback and/or tutoring.
We also linked the strategy of authentic learning to the practice of students designing and developing immersive products and experiences.
We can use other criteria, such as:
Co-occurence of practices & strategies on the same papers
Co-citation of other papers by the source papers for the strategies and practices (e.g., and how many in common)
Are there common authors? Institutions? Publication outlets (e.g. in the same journals or conferences)?
Uses and gaps
Provided us with a list of “Voids” or “gaps” that tell us where research is needed.
The voids tell us:
Where research is needed
But also where it is occurring but NOT seen as immersive learning research
Research priorities questionnaire
This provided us with a ranked, priorities of research goals of the iLRN community
Will be reapplied to see how they change over time
Can be applied to subcommunities or other communities to compare goals
Other questionnaires (or crowdsourcing efforts) can involve the same community, for comparison purposes
Immersive Learning Brain map of the research
Show us clusters of practices and strategies (by theoretical affinity)
Helps navigate the research and find similar efforts, for inspiration
Helps identify areas for innovation
Research Agenda for Immersive Learning 2030
Ten topics identified in a focus group workshop at iLRN 2022:
Communication & Collaboration, Interoperability, Use Cases, Assessment, Cognition, Standards & Terminology, Ethics & Culture, Security, Barriers & Accessibility, Pedagogy
Research priorities questionnaire
Employed for the Immersive Learning Research Priorities survey of 2020, has been validated and can be reproduced
Knowledge Tree structure questionnaire. Validation of the structure of the knowledge tree by immersive learning researchers worldwide.
Validated the relevance and need for the Immersive Learning Knowledge Tree
Can be applied to different communities and regularly
Recommendation Tool
Allows users to enter their resources, goals, and constraints (level of knowledge/skills, equipment available, ability to create visuals & narratives) and preferred pedagogical approach and then provides recommendations on how to employ immersive environments for their situation.
Visualization Tools
3D visualizations of the Immersive Learning Brain map of research, that people can explore, filter, cluster, and export.
Scoping reviews protocol
Systematic tool that shows researchers how to perform a similar review in their specific area of immersive learning, thus allowing more generalization and comparisons between different reviews.