Psyhophysiological Approaches to Instructional Design for Immersive Environments

Abstract

As part of the Digital Learning Environment federal project, school education programs in Russia are expected to implement modern technology, including virtual and augmented reality. The integration of immersive technology in education should be based on research findings about the influence of virtual environments on learning effectiveness. Specific aspects of immersive technology include the sense of presence, interactivity and social interaction opportunities, and multisensory stimulation, which cumulatively exert quite a controversial influence on learning experience and outcomes. Since little data is available, decision making in the design of effective learning content is often based on practical or economic considerations. Therefore, it is vitally important to come up with objective methods of evaluating the learning content in order to understand its effects on learners’ cognitive processes and emotions immediately involved in the perception and digestion of learning material. Evaluation of virtual learning content in the process of its design and integration is suggested to be based on the level of presence and cognitive load, emotional perception of content, social interaction, and the likelihood of cyber sickness. Analysis of literature and the resulting structured set of methodological tools will aid further studies in the field based on physiological research methods to design effective learning content in virtual environments.