@article{be074ae894c44ef9bf8f2cc8b2a46b7f,
title = "Preface to the special issue on Cross Reality (XR) and Immersive Learning Environments (ILE) in education",
author = "Minjuan Wang and Jungwoo Ryoo and Kurt Winkelmann",
note = "Funding Information: The conference and workshop were funded by the Division of Undergraduate Education of the National Science Foundation (awards 1650342 and 1650620). Funding Information: Drs. Kurt Winkelmann (Florida Technology University) and Jungwoo Ryoo (Penn State University? Altoona) organized a conference and a workshop during the summer of 2017. The purpose of the events was to bring together specialists in academia and industry to discuss the use of virtual worlds and other digital technologies for STEM education. Researchers consistently find that virtual worlds provide positive outcomes that equal or exceed face-to-face activities. Virtual worlds offer an excellent way for students to learn about the phenomena that form the basis of science and engineering. The four-day Virtual Worlds Education Conference held at Florida Tech showcased research of student learning using virtual learning environments (VLEs) in college-level science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses. Presentations described VLEs such as CAVE systems, virtual reality, 3D computer desktop environments such as Second Life, and Augmented Reality (AR). Approximately twenty-five presenters attended to present outcomes of their implementation of virtual worlds in STEM courses, research concerning teaching and learning in virtual worlds, and best practices for designing these virtual worlds. Attendees demonstrated their virtual worlds used for education in a hands-on technology showcase. Panel discussions explored the potential future directions of virtual world technology and ways that educators can overcome the challenges of teaching in this environment. Attendees formed teams to develop a mock project proposal based on ideas developed during the conference. The workshop held at Penn State Altoona was devoted to VLE implementation in various educational contexts. VLEs can be used in a standalone fashion to address a specific set of learning objectives, but their effectiveness is maximized when they can be seamlessly integrated with other common tools in an educational setting. In addition to bringing together experts in these VLE topics, the workshop assigned attendees the task of developing mock proposals to fund VLE projects. This required attendees to put their knowledge gained from each day?s presentations and discussions into practice. Mock proposals may be the seeds for future VLE research projects. Attendees also participated in other group activities such as technology demonstrations. Many of the attendees who participated in the conference attended the workshop. The workshop attracted fifty registered attendees. The workshop (entitled Augmenting Post-secondary STEM Courses Using Digital Learning Aids with Virtual Learning Environments: http://sites.psu.edu/stem/) featured 21 speakers. Each day had a specific theme and a Keynote speaker. The conference and workshop were funded by the Division of Undergraduate Education of the National Science Foundation (awards 1650342 and 1650620).",
year = "2020",
month = jul,
day = "3",
doi = "10.1080/10494820.2019.1696845",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "28",
pages = "539--542",
journal = "Interactive Learning Environments",
issn = "1049-4820",
publisher = "Routledge",
number = "5",
}