Design Elements and Interaction Strategies for Supporting Positive Change in Immersive, Interactive Technologies

Online Education Trends

Online education trends for 2020 show that part of the market is leaning toward interactive digital learning, such as game-based learning, VR, and AR technologies. While others will require interactivity to be successful, like hybrid homeschooling (explained below).

Game-Based Learning

The idea of learning through play dates back to the mid-19th century. Game-based learning relies on games specifically designed to educate using highly interactive and engaging content that is aligned with the curriculum.
Games have been used to learn a variety of subjects, including:

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  Typing, with software like TypingClub: a game featuring different keyboard layouts and finger positions. The game stores a user’s results and compares them to past performances.
  
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  Math, with games such as Math Snacks: this game includes a series of activities that support math curriculum. It addresses aspects such as scale factor, ratio, measurement, etc.
  
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  History, as exemplified in Mission US: an adventure-style game where players assume the role of people during various critical points of US history.
  

These games are popular as they offer a safe environment to attempt something new and fail. For some children, it can be frightening to fail in public settings like the classroom, while failing in a game has comparatively low stakes.

VR And AR In Learning

AR technology is becoming popular in schools due to the interactive experience it adds to education. It helps children visualize abstract concepts and enhances their understanding by presenting fun facts and 3D models of these concepts. One example is AugThat, an AR application that supports the elementary school curriculum by offering 360-degree 3D models of different virtual environments, such as our solar system.
Similarly, VR helps students understand lessons by immersing them in new cultural sites and historical settings. For example, with Google Expeditions, kids can observe dinosaurs from the safety of the classroom. Another exciting instance of VR in classrooms is inMind2, a game that allows children to understand the chemistry behind human emotions. Players witness and investigate how teenager John grows into an adult and how human chemistry shapes him.

Teachers Adapting To New Roles

The historical role of a teacher in the classroom was to lecture knowledge for their students to absorb. Educators had an authoritative role, and their expertise and opinion could not be challenged. Their responsibility toward students was generally limited to presenting material and preparing fair assessment tests.
The advent of online technology has accelerated the educational trend of teachers as mediators, which emerged in the last century. They guide students working in groups and teach them to think for themselves instead of passively receiving knowledge from others. This is relevant both in the physical classroom and online.

Hybrid Homeschooling

Before the pandemic, homeschooling was not very popular. Even though 7% of American parents [4] believed it was a good idea, they lacked resources, time, and confidence to try it with their own children. During the pre-pandemic period, some educational establishments recognized the value of homeschooling and allowed students to study partially from home. One example is Regina Caeli schools, which encouraged attendance only two days a week.
Nowadays, the concept of homeschooling is more relevant than ever, and the hybrid version offers relief for parents while still limiting the days of school attendance. In such settings, interactive technology is a valuable learning resource for kids and their educators.