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Education in Extended Reality

Immersive Study of Sacred Space Perception using Virtual Reality and Gaze Tracking

Quick Facts

Duration: 2019 - Ongoing

Lead: Dr. Margarita Vinnikov

Collaborators: Michael J. Lee, Eric Nersesian, Jessica Ross-Nersesian, Knatida Nanon, Abanob Moheb Tanous, Graduate and undergraduate students from iXR Lab and partner institutions

Keywords: XR in Education, Immersive Learning, Remote Education, Cultural Barriers

Overview

Hidden Histories uses immersive virtual reality, along with gaze-tracking and spatial analysis, to examine how people attend to and experience sacred micro-spaces. The project focuses on Edicole Sacre — roadside devotional shrines in Rome (Italy) — and neighborhood shrines in the Ironbound (Newark, NJ). High-fidelity virtual reconstructions let us capture attention patterns and spatial engagement within these environments. This work aligns with CHXR’s mission to integrate extended reality with humanistic inquiry across cultural and historical contexts.

Motivation & Background

Educational systems are facing a paradigm shift as remote and hybrid learning become standard. Learners with different linguistic backgrounds, varying cultural assumptions, and limited physical access to classrooms often encounter barriers to engagement and retention. Extended Reality (XR) — including virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR) — provides new ways to create immersive, experiential, and inclusive learning environments that can support learners beyond the capabilities of flat screens and text modules.

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Your collaborative projects in VR education, including CSpresso (a middle-school VR module for teaching binary counting) and studio-based interdisciplinary VR education methods with computing and design students, demonstrate how XR can supplement traditional instruction and support diverse learners in STEM contexts. Research With NJIT+1

Goals & Research Questions

  • Develop XR-based learning modules for learners who face language or cultural barriers or who are isolated geographically.

  • Investigate how immersion and spatial metaphor in XR influence engagement, retention, and motivation relative to traditional e-learning approaches.

  • Explore co-presence and social interaction in XR classrooms, including peer collaboration, teacher presence, and cross-cultural exchange.

  • Integrate XR tools into curricula across disciplines, bridging computing, education, and design.

Methods & Approach

  • Designed and prototyped XR learning environments including virtual classrooms, interactive simulations, and collaborative VR tasks.

  • Ran controlled studies with diverse learners, including ESL students and students from underrepresented backgrounds.

  • Built metrics around time-on-task, learning gains (pre/post tests), spatial presence, and self-reported motivation/engagement.

  • Conducted qualitative interviews to document learner experiences, perceived barriers, and XR affordances.

Impact & Dissemination

  • XR prototypes have been piloted in elective courses at NJIT and shared with partner institutions as trial modules.

  • Results have been disseminated at national conferences (IEEE ISEC) focusing on STEM education and XR.

  • Workshops with instructional designers and language educators informed XR curriculum integration strategies.

  • Outreach included high school VR workshops where students engaged with VR learning tasks alongside research teams led by faculty, including Lee and Nersesian. news.njit.edu

Future Directions

  • Deploy XR at large scale (100+ learners) and conduct longitudinal studies on retention and motivation.

  • Incorporate adaptive analytics and AI to tailor XR modules to individual language proficiency and cultural contexts.

  • Develop mobile AR versions using low-cost devices for wider access in underserved communities.

  • Expand to social XR, enabling cross-cultural exchanges in shared classroom simulations.

Key Publications

Middle School Students Learn Binary Counting Using Virtual Reality
Eric Nersesian, Margarita Vinnikov, Jessica Ross-Nersesian, Adam Spryszynski, Michael J. Lee — 2020 9th IEEE Integrated STEM Education Conference (ISEC). Research With NJIT

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Interdisciplinary Collaboration Approaches on Undergraduate Virtual Reality Technology Projects
Eric Nersesian, Margarita Vinnikov, Jessica Ross-Nersesian, Michael J. Lee — 2020 IEEE Integrated STEM Education Conference (ISEC). ieee-isec.info

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Travel Kinematics in Virtual Reality Increases Learning Efficiency
Eric Nersesian, Margarita Vinnikov, Michael J. Lee — IEEE VL/HCC (2021). ResearchGate

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Enhancing Learning of Matrix Transformations through Immersive Virtual and Augmented Reality Interfaces
Knatida Nanon, Margarita Vinnikov, M. Schwartz, Michael J. Lee — Journal of Computing Sciences in Colleges (2024). michael.gidgetlab.com

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A Case Study of Serious Games with Augmented Reality for Learning Chemistry
Knatida Nanon, Margarita Vinnikov, Michael J. Lee — ICERI 2022 Proceedings michael.gidgetlab.com

©2023 by Dr. Margarita Vinnikov. 

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