This study examines learner experiences in the Museum of Instructional Design (MID), a 3D Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) developed using Mozilla Spoke and Hubs, focusing on Instructional Design and Technology (IDT) education. The MID utilizes a museum theme as a fundamental design element and allows learners to interact, converse, and develop…

The learning environment is intertwined with affective learning and significantly influences the overall student learning experience. The authors introduce the concept of the meta-space, which they define as the dynamic spaces that exist between the traditional, formal containers in which learning typically occurs. Using qualitative and…

Although previous research on Virtual Reality (VR) demonstrated the effects of particular learning environment characteristics on learning, none of these studies constructed their virtual learning environment from a constructive alignment perspective. Therefore, this experimental study aims to investigate the impact of a constructively aligned…

Measuring cognitive load is important in virtual learning environments (VLE). Thus, valid and reliable measures of cognitive load are important to support instructional design in VLE. Through three studies, we investigated the validity and reliability of Leppink's Cognitive Load Scale (CLS) and developed the extraneous cognitive load (EL)…

The paper is a sequence of methods to inform competent online video conferencing (webinar) teaching resources for universities rushing to meet learning effective provision in the current COVID crisis. The authors consider Moore's Theory of Transactional Distance (1970), with the focus of the theory on developing autonomy in the learner, may still…

Constructionism, first introduced by Seymour Papert in 1980, is a framework for learning to understand something by making an artifact for and with other people. A core goal of constructionists is to respect learners as creators, to enable them to engage in making meaning for themselves through construction, and to do this by democratizing access…

The bricks and mortar classroom has a long and storied history. The digital classroom is so new and different it may be wrong to even call it a "classroom". The authors argue that architecture influences behavior. So in constructing our new digital classrooms we must pay attention to the architecture and what job we want that…

Incorporating new methods and approaches in learning environments is imperative to the development of education systems. By enhancing learning processes, education becomes more attainable at all levels. "The Handbook of Research on Instructional Systems and Educational Technology" is an essential reference source for the latest scholarly…

Technology facilitated teaching and learning can now influence the way both lecturers and students collaborate. The problem is that many of these interventions are conducted in a non-systematic ad-hoc way. There are concerns that merely adopting a traditional lecturing approach to a technology based environment provides little if any advantage to…

This paper argues that the dominant form of distance learning that is common in most e-learning systems rests on a set of learning devices and environments that may be outdated from the student's perspective, namely because it is not supportive of learner empowerment and does not facilitate the efforts of self-directed learners. For this study we…

Avatars are gaining popularity as an emerging technology to facilitate learning and instruction. Avatars can be used as agents of e-learning applications or as part of immersive learning environments such as Second Life. Research indicates that avatar use has numerous potential benefits, including increased student engagement and opportunities for…

This paper reports on a project in which students' interactions with learning environments are investigated from the perspective of the spatial factors. Our research examines a significant dimension generated under the interrelationship between the subject and the virtual space, by establishing that spatial dimensions may determine the level of…

Second Life (SL) (http://www.secondlife.com), a 3D multi-user virtual environment (MUVE), is developed and maintained by its users. Over six million users from over 100 countries have become residents in SL. Non-profit and profit organizations and academic institutions have built islands, established a presence there, and explored the related…

Using video games, virtual simulations, and other digital spaces for learning can be a time-consuming process; aside from technical issues that may absorb class time, students take longer to achieve gains in learning in virtual environments. Greg Jones and Scott Warren describe how intelligent agents, in-game characters that respond to the context…

Many online classrooms today are designed based on learner-centered principles. Implicit with this design perspective is the goal to create and facilitate a virtual learning community in which students learn from and share with each other through discussion-based computer conferencing. In the current literature, little has been shared on what…