Advances of Augmented and Mixed Reality in Education

Dear Colleagues,

Technological advances have provided the opportunity to create entirely new learning environments, significantly increasing the range and sophistication of possible teaching and learning activities. The current Special Issue focuses on the educational applications of Augmented Reality (AR) and Mixed Reality (MR). AR/MR applications are emerging technologies in the Immersive Learning Landscape that take advantage of technological innovations in hardware and software for both non-mobile and mobile devices, such as AR gears, AR glasses, and sensors. They have been gaining growing interest among educational researchers and practitioners in recent years, and are expected to enter mainstream adoption in educational settings in the very near future. The affordances offered by AR/MR technologies could move education to a new era by revolutionizing how people of all ages obtain new knowledge and skills, and interact with each other and with their environment.

AR/MR applications usually include AR interactive books and objects modelling emerging from educational objects such as worksheets, notebooks, and AR cards. Recently, museums and/or exhibitions (art, science, etc.) of educational interest have included AR/MR experiences to bring their exhibits to life and to engage visitors, including students, in discovering and learning additional information about what they see. These kinds of applications advance inquiry-based learning, as users can retrieve additional information on the content they are interested in and interact with 3D models through actions such as rotation and customization.  AR/MR gaming and skills training are also expected to be widely exploited within education in the near future, while explaining abstract and difficult concepts could be also enhanced through AR/MR applications. There are also some location-based AR/MR educational applications, enhancing the interaction between students and real mobile learning environments. These applications could be used in wider contexts, including “learning out of the classroom”, providing students with on-the-spot information and additional knowledge. Another application of AR/MR is that of laboratories, which constitute a critical part of scientific fields of study.

Despite the increased interest in AR/MR devices as learning tools, the amount of available primary research studies on their integration into educational settings is still relatively small due to the novelty of these technologies. This Special Issue of Education Sciences will fill an important gap in the research literature by compiling a collection of conceptual and research papers investigating the infiltration AR/MR into teaching and learning practices and experiences. The issue will collect incisive contributions from scholars worldwide, which examine critical issues around AR/MR integration in formal and/or informal educational settings. Recommended topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Pedagogical models, learning theories, and educational methodologies for AR/MR integration
• Professional development programs for teaching with AR/MR devices
• Design and development of AR/ MR learning environments and educational applications
• Game-based AR/MR learning environments
• Communities of augmented teachers and learners
• AR/MR learning contexts and domains: formal (K-12, higher education, continuing education), informal, and non-formal (vocational education, work-based learning), open and distance education
• Learner mobility and transitions across formal, non-formal, and informal learning contexts afforded by AR/MR technologies
• Testing, assessment, and quality issues of AR/MR learning experiences
• Real-time student monitoring and assessment
• User acceptance of AR/MR learning applications (teachers, students, and parents)
• Infrastructure, administrative, and organizational issues regarding AR/MR for teaching and learning
• Privacy and security issues regarding AR/MR in education
• Copyright and fair use of AR/MR educational applications
• AR/MR enhanced learning for all: issues of equity, accessibility, and diversity.

The articles should report on original, cutting edge empirical studies, which will demonstrate validated practical experiences related to the design, development, and educational application of AR/MR technologies. Articles presenting interim results from innovative, ongoing projects will also be included. Conceptual essays contributing to future research and theory—building by presenting reflective or theoretical analyses, epistemological studies, integrative and critical literature reviews, or forecasting of emerging learning technologies and tendencies—are also welcome.

Prof. Dr. Maria Meletiou-Mavrotheris
Dr. Konstantinos Katzis
Dr. Christos Dimopoulos
Dr. Lasica Ilona-Elefteryja
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Education Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.