This chapter will review prominent online learning theories to showcase how to design a virtual reality learning environment that enhances student community, cognitive learning, and student autonomy. Twenty-first-century student learning behaviors will be intertwined with the topics of discussion to support practical steps that professionals, researchers, and educators can use to design a learning environment that speaks to the needs of online learners. Finally, virtual reality will be highlighted in relation to learning and design principles to bridge synchronous and asynchronous learning and create an environment conducive to deeper learning.
TopIntroduction
Providing online education to our 21stcentury learners has been essential to the growth of higher education. The demographics of online students vary, depending on fluctuating variables, creating a larger knowledge gap in how the educator can create an engaging learning environment that will enhance understanding of course material. There are many facets to helping the online learner succeed, from due date flexibility, to the students’ experience with online learning, to the instructor’s ability to facilitate a sense of community among learners. Among the attractions of online learning are the opportunity for students to complete schoolwork at their own pace, the accessibility to learn on-demand, and the flexibility to schedule learning around the demands of work or parenting (Ferguson, 2020; Shaw et al., 2016).
Online students often struggle with persisting in courses due to a disconnection felt in the student–teacher, student–student, and student–content relationships. Online learning requires a different type of learning environment to support student learning and course engagement (Ferguson, 2020; Goralski & Falk, 2017; Robinson et al., 2017). Teachers have to know how to engage learners and work with them on developing healthy self-regulation behaviors, so they can succeed when learning through a computer (Sumuer, 2018). Once the educator creates the optimal learning environment, a focus needs to be placed on the design of the space to work in conjunction with the teaching methods.
Communities of Inquiry (COI) and Transactional Distance (TD) are two of the main theoretical frameworks utilized to conduct research in distance education (Armellini and De Stefani, 2016; Giossos et al., 2009). The intersection between COI and TD focuses on how the online learning environment is designed to foster communication and provide learner autonomy, which leads to enhanced knowledge of the provided content. The theoretical frameworks do differ on the importance of establishing a community of learners and the impact it has on the online learning environment. However, the connection to both frameworks in relation to design, communication, and the impact of learning highlight the importance of structure for the learner and display of course content regardless of a predetermined time for learning.
The infiltration of technology within education has been on the rise since the information era of the 1990s. However, it was not until the millennial generation when students’ ability to connect, seek information, and develop advanced technology skills through a mobile device pushed educators to blend technology with pedagogy (Lee et al., 2016). The influence of immersive technology in learning environments can transform traditional learning approaches that have failed to motivate students to learn (Ijaz et al., 2016). Specifically, virtual reality (VR)-based learning environment allow users to play, experience, and enhance cognitive learning skills utilizing real-world situations to interact with objects and understand feelings similar to the natural world (Lin et al., 2017).