Systematic Literature of Immersive Learning Design with Virtual Reality for STEM Education in Higher Education

Authors

  • Iordanis Lainidis Democritus University of Thrace, Kavala 65404
  • Stylianos Mystakidis University of Patras, Rion 26504

Keywords:

Virtual reality, Immersive Learning, Instructional Design, Learning Design, STEM Education, Science Education, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, Teaching, Learning, Educational Technology, Higher education

Abstract

Reviews and surveys of teaching and learning methods with virtual reality (VR) often lack rigor in the classification of instructional design methods for immersive learning. This systematic review proposes and applies three established yet unexplored frameworks to analyze sixteen Scopus-indexed empirical studies using immersive virtual reality in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in higher education in the post-pandemic era (2022-2024). Results showed that the most popular pedagogical design approaches for STEM in VR were role-playing in context, watching virtual worlds passively and interactive observation of 3D objects. The most common learning types were practice, inquiry, acquisition, and collaboration. Practice was the most effective learning activity type reported. The social aspect of learning was the least utilized and hence a promising direction for future research.

Published

22-09-2025

How to Cite

Systematic Literature of Immersive Learning Design with Virtual Reality for STEM Education in Higher Education. (2025). Immersive Learning Research - Academic, 1(1), 220-235. https://publications.immersivelrn.org/index.php/academic/article/view/382

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