No 15, June 2023

Immersive technologies are increasingly used in education in several fields. However, it is essential to consider certain aspects related to the pedagogical dimension, such as scripting strategies and  measuring their effectiveness. This issue proposes a variety of works exploring the use of immersive technologies in education and training. These technologies can create captivating learning environments that promote deeper understanding and improve knowledge retention. Nevertheless, challenges remain, such as equipment accessibility, teacher training, selection of relevant content, and ethical and safety concerns. Technological advances offer new possibilities for intuitive interaction and personalization of learning experiences. The 14 articles presented in this issue contribute to thinking about the use of immersive technologies in education and training, hoping to spark new ideas and innovative initiatives for enriching training.

Educational applications using immersive technologies are increasingly present in higher education institutions. However, we believe that it is relevant to review the impact of virtual technologies on the transfer of knowledge to learners as well as the risks and limits inherent to their use. This literature review aims to provide an overview of the current knowledge of modern virtual technologies in higher education. Specifically, we focus on virtual reality (VR) and 360 video that use an autonomous head-mounted display (HMD), as well as augmented reality (AR) applications that use assisted glasses as peripherals. The results allow us to identify the attributes and mechanisms related to virtual applications and describe their advantages and limitations for learning. We used the EPPI (Evidence for Policy and Practice Information and Co-ordinating) method for this literature review. The summary of the data collected is grouped into five themes: (1) design and integration of the pedagogical dimension; (2) theories and concepts; (3) evaluation methodologies; (4) motivation; and (5) collaboration.

The 360° video is a new tool that has been developed, and its use in teacher training started less than ten years ago. From a systematic analysis of the existing literature using the main databases, our objective is to report the main current research results and to be able to consider new research perspectives and avenues for integrating this new tool in the teacher training framework. Four main points of results have been identified: 1) 360° video as a tool for developing reflexivity about teaching, 2) 360° video as a tool for preparing and accompanying internships, 3) 360° video as a tool for developing teachers' perceptions, 4) 360° video as a tool for improving knowledge of teaching content.

The research program "Participe 3.0" aims to accompany eight young adults with autism and dyscommunication towards a shared, inclusive habitat via the introduction of Virtual Reality tools dedicated to meal preparation (Fuchs, 2018 ; Cherix et al., 2019). The aim is to analyze how, in an educational/training context, a 3D immersive environment can foster attention and interactions for an audience with characteristic language and psycho-sensory percepts (Bogdashina, 2020 ; Mottron, 2004). Research shows that digital tools can encourage engagement in the activity (Leontiev, 1975/2022) of children with autism (Bourgueil et al., 2015 ; Mercier et al., 2022) . But what about their visual-attentional and praxical capacity, inherent in the perception-action coupling, during immersion in virtual reality capsules, and their visual-attentional capacity, inherent to the perception-action cognitive coupling? To what extent could these immersive technologies reduce attentional disorders, a cognitive deficit frequently reported and promote new operations for activity? The results show the importance of a pedagogical scenario designed in a collaborative approach centred on the user (Guffroy et al., 2017 ; Bourdon, 2021) (to increase participation, attention and support the activity of dys-communicative learners. They highlight the relevance of immersive artifacts within an enabling environment to acquire progressive autonomy (Rocque et al., 2001).

Augmented reality is rarely used in French classrooms. Yet, it seems to have relevant virtues for developing knowledge and skills in learners. Within the framework of an exploratory investigation, an analysis of instrumented pedagogical practice (of the teacher) is detailed regarding the user (student) of an augmented reality tool in a kindergarten class (cycle 1 - kindergarten - between 4 and 5 years old). The contribution of this digital tool to students' learning and skills is studied in detail to stabilize the research protocol and to propose it to all teachers involved in the research project. The results underline several encouraging leads, such as developing socio-cognitive skills and a driving force in the students' engagement. From the teacher's point of view, it is one more tool at the service of pedagogy and seems to be adapted to the profiles of students with special educational needs.

Virtual reality, which involves a computer-generated environment that gives a sense of reality, presence, and engagement (Pellas et al., 2020), has recently seen significant developments in education (Freina and Ott, 2015; Jensen and Konradsen, 2018). Its advantages, including visualizing abstract concepts, performing experimental tasks that are difficult or impossible in real life, as well as its' capacity to facilitate motivation, engagement, and transfer of learning, make it particularly useful for science learning (Dalgarno and Lee, 2010; Lewis et al., 2021; Shin, 2017). Anchored in an approach adapted from pedagogical value analysis (Rocque et al., 1998), the ADDIE model, the Art of Serious Game Design (Ryerson University, 2018), and a virtual reality application design model (Vergara et al., 2017), we iteratively developed different virtual reality serious games in CEGEP science courses (biology, chemistry, and physics). We ultimately piloted them in classrooms in the fall of 2022. This article aims to share the process used for developing our VR serious games, the results of each step of this process, and the principles that emerged from it. This will be useful to those in the education community who wish to develop virtual reality applications and/or serious games.

The ma.réalité project examined the potential of VR and augmented reality technology devices for fostering the development of digital, multimodal, and media literacy skills in secondary school students and art educators. Based on the methodological principles of design-based research (McKenney & Reeves, 2014), this study seeks to yield new theoretical and practical knowledge about integrating VR technologies in art education. This article presents preliminary findings that focus on digital competencies and multimodal media literacy skills (Acerra & Lacelle, 2022) that students harnessed during the first two iterations of the research. These findings suggest that creating immersive virtual reality environments challenges students to develop skills related to the interaction of various semiotic modes, thus uniquely engaging the technical, semiotic, and multimodal components of the multimodal media literacy competency framework.

RÉCITFAD develops plug-ins for Moodle, including two that have the potential to integrate immersive activities: Tour360 and Escape Game. The Tour 360 facilitates the creation of immersive activities that allow the learner to visit environments virtually. Using a VR headset or traditional media, they navigate from one image or video to another to find information and interactive elements. The "Escape Game" plug-in allows for challenges of various types and levels of difficulty that match the teacher's educational intentions. In addition to presenting these two plug-ins, this article will demonstrate the relevance of creating immersive activities in FAD and present a few examples.

The Quebec government has invested in a digital transformation offensive. It aims to accelerate the technological shift in several sectors of activity, including education. For universities, this decision translates into  increased pedagogical integration of information and communication technologies (ICT). Moreover, in many cases, these ICTs are reaching people in their way of learning. Among these new pedagogical methods, we find clinical simulation by virtual reality (SimRV), an example of updating techno-pedagogical approaches to learning. By using traditional clinical simulation scenarios, SimRV allows the individual, through immersive experiences, to carry out simulations that previously required access to a formal structure. Although this approach is recent, several avenues give it great potential for application. A Faculty of Nursing at Laval University team has tested this potential in an exploratory project of interactive 360-degree video simulations in the graduate program for specialized nurse practitioners. This article will present the advantages, limitations and challenges identified for the successful pedagogical integration of this new technology.

Immersive technologies are becoming increasingly important in the field of professional training. Among them, virtual reality is the one that presents one of the most interesting potentials because of its capacity to immerse learners in virtual situations and learning environments where the cognitive load, gestures and decision-making resemble those that should be made in practice. This modality becomes even more relevant when schools or centers do not have all the equipment at their training site. This is the case for the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN), which must train its technicians to maintain and repair equipment on ships at sea or stationed on the other side of the country. This article summarizes the pedagogical and technical design of virtual simulations for training RCN technicians. The authors discuss the factors favouring the integration of this technology and the strengths and limitations of virtual reality in this type of use based on a real-life use case.

This practitioner contribution presents the process that led to redesigning a 2020 educational scenario  into university courses. The goal of this project was to transpose into a digital environment, i.e. Minecraft Education Edition, an agile project management simulation originally designed to take place with Lego® bricks on tables and adhesive maps on the walls. In addition to illustrating the added value of using the ADDIE (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation and Evaluation) and SAM2 (Successive Approximation Model) pedagogical engineering approaches to judiciously exploit this digital application from a techno-pedagogical point of view, the article emphasizes the importance of offering learners the opportunity to familiarize themselves with MEE environment before jumping headfirst into this virtual world that, for many, may be unfamiliar. Equipped with prior knowledge and experience on D-day, they find themselves more confident in their ability to accomplish the learning tasks requested. In conclusion, recommendations based on our reflections and experience are shared.

This article outlines the main types of barriers to understanding evolutionary theory. It discusses pedagogical avenues for improving the learning of evolutionary theory at the post-secondary level, as well as other complex theories in science, including implementing the principles of active learning and conceptual change.The paper hypothesizes that immersive learning, made possible through virtual reality technologies, is a promising strategy for engaging learners and bringing about conceptual change leading to a better understanding of evolutionary theory. This hypothesis guides ongoing research on improving learning about evolutionary theory. The article also presents positive and negative elements of immersive learning from a literature review.These elements constitute avenues for action in the future development of an immersive educational experience, which is the goal of the current research.

The increase in investments and research works on immersive technologies suggests that these are revolutions for which researchers have every interest in positioning themselves to bring solutions to society. Through this wave, different applications of immersive technologies in training are identified, as well as the associated pedagogical scenarios. However, many works demonstrate the contributions of these technologies, sometimes forgetting that they are only tools. Our contribution aims at questioning the necessity to bring a complementarity between the existing devices rather than to dig into them by focusing on some of them; in spite of the benefits of immersive technologies, there are limits that can be compensated by traditional or less immersive means.

In recent years, digital tools have made designing and facilitating trainings in a different time space possible. However, traditional video conferencing interfaces show their limitations in face-to-face screen settings. The rise of immersive technologies (e.g. augmented reality, virtual reality, immersive visits, telepresence systems) allows us to envisage new training dynamics and new interaction possibilities, supporting the acquisition of essential skills for the world of work. Considering the diversity of the fields of use of these technologies, their uses, and the audiences they address, this article questions the pedagogical intentions when using these tools as well as their possible limits.

Away from debates about virtual 'reality's (VR) importance or benefits, this book brings us deep into the secrets of designing an immersive training experience. According to authors Benjamin Fuzet and Clément Cahagne, specialists in educational engineering, the keys to developing and diffusing an immersive training experience would be handed to us through the guidance from this manual. In an amazing writing style accessible to all, promoting scientific popularization and supported by several illustrations or photographs, the authors dissect many steps of designing and implementating through the popular methodology in Instructional training community, the ADDIE model, which stands for Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation and Evaluation. Some specific real cases examples of teaching modules made from 360° photographs are provided to consolidate learning with concrete situations., A case study on the creation of an industrial pump start-up course is presented to illustrate each design. This book is a guide bridges the gap between theory and practice while interpreting specific nuances between virtual reality and designing an immersive instructional experience.