Effect of Extended Reality Learning Experience on Student Engagement in Science and Engineering Courses

Abstract

Engagement increases the success rate of students in higher education. This work aimed to determine the effect of extended reality learning (XR) experience on student engagement in science and engineering courses, using the Marzano and Kendall´s taxonomy of education. Higher education students’ perception of relevance, motivation, self-efficacy, and emotions after participating in an XR learning activity were measured. Two case studies corresponding to two technological institutions of higher education, one in Mexico and one in China, were investigated. The first employed an augmented reality (ART3D) application in a biology course, while the second used a virtual reality (Manta) technology in a chemistry course. Both sets of students answered the same questionnaire. A survey of four Likert-scale and one open-ended question was analyzed using a mixedmethods approach. Descriptive statistics analysis, normality tests, Mood's Median Test, Qualitative emotions codification was made over the answers to the openended question. Results show that engagement-related self-system thinking factors, relevance, motivation, and self-efficacy, are high when an XR is used as an educational strategy. In the case of an AR learning resource, relevance, motivation, and emotions were correlated. In contrast, in the case of a VR learning resource, self-efficacy in skills and critical-thinking competence were related to positive emotions.