Immersive Education

Paula MacDowell, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the College of Education, University of Saskatchewan. Her area of specialization is Educational Technology and Design (ETAD) with research interests in immersive education, emerging technologies, instructional design, and education for social and environmental change. Dr. MacDowell serves as the Practitioner Chair for the Immersive Learning Research Network (iLRN).  Jennifer Lock, PhD, is a Professor and Vice Dean in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary. Her area of specialization is in the Learning Sciences. Dr. Lock’s research interests are elearning, change and innovation in education, scholarship of teaching and learning in higher education, and learning in makerspaces

Introduction - Chapter One: Current Trends in Immersive Learning Design for K-12 and Higher Education

·         The introduction will outline what immersive education is and discuss the current trends in terms of how it is being taking up pedagogically in K-12 and higher education.

 Section One:

 Chapter Two: Designing Augmented Reality (AR) Learning Environments to Engage Learning and Curiosity about Science

Chapter Three: A Postdigital Examination of AR and VR in the Classroom

Chapter Four: Psychopedagogy by Design: How to Induce an Emotional State Beneficial to Learning in Virtual Reality

Chapter Five: Immersive Intercultural Language Learning at the Crossroads of Virtual Realityand Game-based Learning

Chapter Six: See it and be it: Designing Immersive Experiences to Build STEM Skills and Identity

in Grades 3 - 10

Section Two:

Chapter Seven:  Levels of Immersive Teaching and Learning: Influences of Challenges in the Everyday Classroom 

Chapter Eight: The XR ABC Framework: Fostering Immersive Learning through Augmented and Virtual Realities 

Chapter Nine: From Abstract to Concreate: How Immersive Technology Allows More Effective Teaching of Complex Paradigms

Chapter Ten: Teaching the Teachers with Immersive Technology: Preparing the Next Generation of Educators at Ithaca College

Chapter Eleven: Teachers Designing Immersive Learning Experiences for Environmental and Sustainability Education

Section Three: 

·         Introduces the section by providing an overview of teachers and students as the designers of immersive learning experiences and environments. Each chapter is then introduced. The chapter titles are:

Chapter Twelve: Teachers Facilitating Student Virtual Reality Content Creation: Conceptual, Curricular, and Pedagogical Insights from the VR School Study

Chapter Thirteen: PEGS: Pretraining, Exploration, Goal Orientation, and Segmentation to Manage Cognitive Load in Immersive Environments

Chapter Fourteen: Interactive Storytelling through Immersive Design

Chapter Fifteen: A Classroom Model for VR Integration and Creative Lesson Design

Conclusion - Chapter Sixteen: A Vision for the Future of Immersive Education: Designing for Learning Challenges and Possibilities

·         The conclusion summarizes the book's major themes, looking toward future needs for designing immersive learning in meaningful ways aligned with K-12 and higher education goals, values, and curricular outcomes. The final chapter offers a mindful call to action for a new dawn of immersive education that includes shared experiences, social connection, and shifting learning into the global classroom.

Index