Theoretical Foundations of Virtual and Augmented Reality-Supported Learning Analytics

Abstract

A significant body of literature documents the numerous benefits that Virtual (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) supported interventions have brought to the educational scenery, especially with regards to the attainment of the underpinning objectives. At the same time, the vast evolution of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has led to the emergence of a newly formed discipline, the so-called Learning Analytics (LA), which suggests the collection of big data’ for the assessment and the evaluation of the educational practices. However, by examining the relevant literature it became apparent that the attempts to blend these topics are limited. Motivated by this shortcoming, we propose a theoretical framework which accounts the elements that influence the educational processes and the unique features that immersive technologies have. On the grounds of this framework, an effort will be made to design and develop a universal LA system which will support the conduct and evaluation of such interventions in different educational contexts and scientific fields.