Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is increasingly embedded in higher education, shaping how students learn and obtain knowledge. Although AI education is expanding, limited empirical research has examined how undergraduate students exercise ethical judgment about using GenAI in academic situations, particularly in relation to their AI literacy. This study examined undergraduate students’ ethical judgment regarding GenAI use in educational contexts and its relationship to AI literacy and student demographics. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with a convenience sample (n = 531) recruited through two psychology courses at one public Midwestern university. The survey included demographics, six GenAI ethical scenarios, and the Generative AI Literacy Assessment Test (GLAT). Participants generally demonstrated high agreement when classifying the six predesignated scenarios, distinguishing GenAI use that supported learning from use that substituted AI-generated content for original academic work. 57.6

Purpose: Simulations have been increasingly used in health science education to supplement clinical experience. There is evidence of the benefits of high-fidelity simulation (HFS) with debriefing, but HFS is costly and time-intensive to administer. Low-fidelity simulation (LFS) has been proposed as an alternative that is easier to scale and more cost-effective; however, the evidence surrounding its impact on students is mixed, possibly because debriefing is frequently omitted in LFS. Methods: A randomized experimental mixed methods cross-over control study was performed to evaluate the impact of a structured debriefing session following an interactive computer-based low-fidelity simulation on the self-efficacy and anxiety of health profession students. 16 first-year graduate health profession students at a small New England College. Results: Students who received a structured debriefing session had significantly improved self-efficacy compared to those who did not. There was also a significant inverse relationship between state anxiety and generalized self-efficacy at baseline. This study found that there was a significant negative relationship between state anxiety and self-efficacy but no persistent changes in self-efficacy following a five-week wash-out period. Conclusion: This research may serve as guidance for healthcare educators looking to implement simulation within their curriculum, as it may give insights as to the advantages and disadvantages of LFS concerning the improvement of self-efficacy in students. This study should also influence how frequently educators choose to deploy LFS activities to maximize the outcomes concerning improvements in self-efficacy.

Extended reality technologies are increasingly used in teacher education. For instance, innovations like 360 videos and virtual reality have been shown to be effective in improving future educators’ noticing, self-efficacy, and sense of presence, particularly in simulations of real classrooms. However, little is known about how presence is experienced in immersive recordings of educational gaming environments (i.e., Minecraft or Roblox). This study addresses that gap by examining how pre-service teachers experience presence when viewing a 360 video of a third-grade math lesson set within Minecraft.edu. Using Rasch analysis, we validated the eXtended Reality Presence Scale with a sample of 91 pre-service teachers. We also examined the correlation between presence scores and participants’ field of view (a proxy for visual attention) and compared presence ratings between immersive recordings of a real classroom and a Minecraft.edu environment. Results support the scale as a valid tool for measuring presence in game-based immersive environments. Presence was significantly correlated with participants’ field of view, suggesting that attentional engagement is linked to the experience of presence. However, participants reported lower presence in the Minecraft.edu lesson compared to the real classroom. These findings extend theoretical understanding of presence by demonstrating its variability across extended reality contexts and validating a tool for measuring it in educational gaming environments—an area previously underexplored.

Augmented Reality (AR) is increasingly being adopted in education to foster engagement and interest in a variety of subjects and content areas. However, there is a scarcity of instruments to measure the instructional impact of this innovation. This article addresses this gap in two unique ways. First, it presents validation results of the Augmented Reality Presence Scale (ARPS), which was created to evaluate presence in augmented learning environments. Using the Rasch Rating Scale Model, ARPS was validated with 90 college students involved in an AR learning experience. Second, it analyzed the correlations between ARPS scores and the Reduced Instructional Materials Motivation Survey (RIMMS). ARPS was found to be a reliable instrument to evaluate AR presence. Additionally, ARPS was found to be positively correlated to all the four RIMMS dimensions (i.e., attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction). These research results point to presence as a desirable outcome of AR-mediated instruction. Moreover, AR presence was facilitated by non-invasive interfaces and perceived agency. Finally, this technology was shown to be productive in addressing all motivation stages rather than working just as a starting step.

Professional noticing is a critical skill for teachers, enabling them to interpret and respond to significant moments in the classroom to support student learning. While recent theoretical papers have broadened the conceptualization of noticing to include social, embodied, and environmental factors, empirical research exploring the interaction of such domains is limited. To address this gap, the current study investigated the effects of perceptual (eye-tracking and presence) and cognitive (pedagogical content knowledge) factors on preservice teachers' professional noticing within a 360 video. By integrating data across these domains, this paper provides empirical evidence for conceptualizing noticing through a grounded cognitive perspective. Results indicated that factors influencing professional noticing operate independently rather than as components of a single overarching construct. Among these, PCK emerged as a strong predictor of effective noticing, while excessive focus on the teacher negatively impacted the ability to attend to students' thinking. Additional results and their implications for teacher education and future research are discussed.

The COVID-19 outbreak brought a need for practical considerations of using positive technology to address mental health issues induced by social isolation (SI). Virtual reality (VR) has the potential to help people improve their mental states by providing immersive experiences and social opportunities. Using quantitative and qualitative data, this study examined the perceptions of 312 participants on VR use to combat SI and impact social lives during the pandemic. Survey data analysis revealed that non-White VR owners had statistically significantly (p = .009) higher beliefs in the potential of VR to address SI compared with White VR owners, even though few purchased VR devices in response to the pandemic. Beyond gaming, VR technology was most frequently used for meeting new people, exercising, attending virtual events, and escaping the pandemic and SI by “visiting” virtual spaces. This study provides useful insights on beliefs and the affordances of VR, offering potential support for individuals struggling with SI, particularly among non-White populations. Although this study was inspired by the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the findings may be generalizable to other types of socially compromised ordeals such as imprisonment or hospital confinement.

Mathematics education, a crucial and basic field, significantly influences students' learning in related subjects and their future careers. Utilizing artificial intelligence to interpret and comprehend math problems in education is not yet fully explored. This is due to the scarcity of quality datasets and the intricacies of processing handwritten information. In this paper, we present a novel contribution to the field of mathematics education through the development of MNIST-Fraction, a dataset inspired by the renowned MNIST, specifically tailored for the recognition and understanding of handwritten math fractions. Our approach is the utilization of deep learning, specifically Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), for the recognition and understanding of handwritten math fractions to effectively detect and analyze fractions, along with their numerators and denominators. This capability is pivotal in calculating the value of fractions, a fundamental aspect of math learning. The MNIST-Fraction dataset is designed to closely mimic real-world scenarios, providing a reliable and relevant resource for AI-driven educational tools. Furthermore, we conduct a comprehensive comparison of our dataset with the original MNIST dataset using various classifiers, demonstrating the effectiveness and versatility of MNIST-Fraction in both detection and classification tasks. This comparative analysis not only validates the practical utility of our dataset but also offers insights into its potential applications in math education. To foster collaboration and further research within the computational and educational communities. Our work aims to bridge the gap in high-quality educational resources for math learning, offering a valuable tool for both educators and researchers in the field.

Multisensory‐rich VR experiences, which encompass visual, auditory, and haptic stimuli, have the potential to enhance engagement, motivation, and learning. However, extensive sensory stimuli could also compromise learning through sensory overload. In museum settings, visitors who are inundated with excessive stimuli such as unrelated background music or competing visual options may not experience optimal learning. This mixed‐methods study addressed this potential problem by exploring the impact of sound on learning, enjoyment, sense of presence, and the development of interest among museum attendees ( N = 255) who used two different types of technology: high‐immersion VR or a tablet. Results from a one‐way MANOVA revealed that learning and sense of presence were unaffected by the technology used unless sound was added. Using a tablet with sound lowered the sense of presence. Participants in the VR condition with or without sound had significantly higher enjoyment scores than those in either tablet condition. The development of interest was not significantly affected by any condition, regardless of whether sound was used. The research findings have implications for implementing VR for learning in museum settings. For instance, VR can enhance a sense of presence in museum exhibits, but a sense of presence may be significantly diminished when museum visitors use tablets with sound. Additional recommendations for the use of multimodal VR in museums are provided. Practitioner notes What is already known about this topic VR can support an immersive and engaging experience for users. VR is more immersive than tablets. When designed effectively, sound can increase immersion and engagement. When integrated into the visual environment, sound can add authenticity to the learning content. VR can complement museum exhibits as it allows museum visitors to extend their learning experiences. What this paper adds VR enriched with sound can significantly and positively impact sense of presence. Compared with a soundless VR exhibition, VR enriched with sound enhances engagement of museum visitors by drawing their attention to the content of the exhibits. VR with and without sound can support learning and add enjoyment to museum visitor experiences. Implications for practice and/or policy Developers interested in adding sound to VR should ensure that the visual and auditory experiences are directly related to the desired content delivery. Museum exhibit creators and curators should consider the use of VR to provide dynamic learning experiences that increase enjoyment and presence.

Research incorporating either eye-tracking technology or immersive technology (virtual reality and 360 video) into studying teachers’ professional noticing is recent. Yet, such technologies allow a better understanding of the embodied nature of professional noticing. Thus, the goal of the current study is to examine how teachers’ eye-gaze in immersive representations of practice correspond to their attending to children’s mathematics. Using a mixed methods approach, we incorporated eye-tracking technology embedded within a virtual reality environment to compare novice and expert teachers’ gaze duration with quality of professional noticing. Findings and results both corroborate and extend previous research evidence about important differences in professional noticing between expert and novice teachers. Specifically, the amount of experience, and thus familiarity, teachers have with being in a classroom may affect their physical movement in both real and virtual representations of practice. Additionally, findings and results emphasize the importance of teachers’ visual focus on students’ doing of mathematics across the classroom.

Background and Purpose: Nursing education lacks an easily accessible, valid, and reliable short instrument to support researchers and instructors in quickly assessing student anxiety. The purpose of this research was to respond to this need by assessing the reliability and validity of a short-form anxiety instrument adapted from psychology which could measure state and trait anxiety. Methods: Using a one-group, repeated measures design, 51 sophomore level undergraduate nursing students had their state and trait anxiety levels measured at three time points over the course of a semester. Results: Results showed that the anxiety instrument was valid and reliable for use in nursing education with coefficient α ranging from .65 to .88. Conclusion: Future nurse researchers and educators should consider using the short-form anxiety instrument when a quick differentiation is needed to measure state and trait anxiety.

Teacher education has begun to embrace the use of 360 videos to improve preservice teachers' (PSTs) engagement and immersion. While recent research on such use is promising overall, there are specific questions that have been left unanswered about the construct of presence in 360 videos. More specifically, research has yet to fully explore how video delivery devices and PST characteristics may impact presence. The purpose of this study was to respond to this gap in the literature by examining PST major, delivery device (ie, head mounted display vs. flat screen), and the interaction between the two in informing presence. A total of 93 PSTs watched 360 videos and then completed a questionnaire. Findings indicated that presence in head‐mounted displays was related to emotions and agency. Conversely, presence with flat screens meant familiarity and control. Moreover, PST major was a predictor of presence, suggesting that 360 videos should be personalized according to PST career and professional goals. Finally, the interaction effect of preparing to teach K‐12 mathematics and wearing a head‐mounted display had a negative and statistically significant effect on participants' perceived presence, thus indicating a non‐cumulative effect. Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topic 360 videos are increasingly used to support preservice teacher training. 360 videos for teacher education foster immersion, presence, and noticing skills. What this paper adds Empirical evidence that 360 videos experienced with head‐mounted display facilitate agency and emotional involvement. Empirical evidence that 360 videos experienced with flat screens facilitate feelings of control. Data showed that preservice teachers' content area (math) was a positive predictor of presence in 360 videos. Implications for practice and/or policy Head‐mounted displays show promise as a delivery mode for 360 videos in teacher education. 360 videos should be personalized according to PST career and professional goals. The eXtended Reality Presence Scale is confirmed as a robust instrument to measure presence in immersive environments. More research is needed to evaluate the scalability of this approach in other contexts.

Research has provided evidence that online gaming can both positively and negatively impact players’ physical and mental health. However, few research studies have examined how game addiction, game community, and vitality felt while playing can inform well-being. This study addressed this gap by focusing on game players’ vitality, a construct that addresses both mental and physical health. The research, conducted with 704 online players, specifically examined the association between players’ enduring vitality and Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD), game community, and state-related vitality (experienced during gaming). The survey instruments included 1) the Internet Gaming Disorder short scale , 2) the Game Community of Inquiry Scale (GCoIS), and 3) the Game Subjective Vitality Scale . Findings highlighted the role of game community receptiveness in informing players’ vitality. In addition, in-game vitality and enduring vitality were found to be intertwined. Implications for future research and practice are provided based on these findings.

A growing body of research has supported the implementation of innovative and immersive video for teaching and learning across the lifespan. Immersive video, delivered through eXtended Reality (XR) tools like 360 video, provides users with new ways to see real or created environments. Unfortunately, most of the existing research has highlighted immersive video without accompanying immersive audio. This use of monophonic audio can create a disconnect for viewers as they experience close to real world video with sounds that do not match a real-world environment. The purpose of this study was to respond to this gap in the literature by exploring the use of ambisonic audio and its impact on preservice teacher noticing and variability of viewing focus when watching 360 video. Data were collected from undergraduate teacher education students who participated in a self-paced online activity that included watching 360 videos and responding to a questionnaire. A convergent mixed methods design was employed to compare participants’ professional noticing and observed viewing behavior in the context of ambisonic and monophonic audio. Results showed that users in ambisonic audio conditions in 360 video environments were more likely to have higher focus. Moreover, for users who had specific professional knowledge, monophonic audio with immersive video had a negative impact on their variance in focus. The paper concludes with recommendations for future research on the use of audio in virtual and augmented reality environments.

Existing literature has primarily evaluated how exposure to video game content impacts social and behavioral functioning. However, the parameters of video game engagement have expanded with multiplayer online gaming, live streaming, and community discussion on social media platforms. This study sought to examine how participation in online gaming communities is associated with problematic gaming behaviors and symptoms of Internet gaming disorder (IGD). A sample of 1176 gamers completed an online survey investigating game habits, community involvement, and gaming preferences as measured by both the Game Community of Inquiry Scale (GCoIS) and the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short form (IGDS9-SF). Results from a multiple hierarchical regression indicated several predictors of problematic gaming, including both community attractiveness and community receptiveness. Moreover, data showed that younger gamers and non-normative gamers were more vulnerable to problematic gaming and more severe symptoms of IGD.

The COVID-19 outbreak brought a need for practical considerations of using positive technology to address mental health issues induced by social isolation (SI). Virtual reality (VR) has the potential to help people improve their mental states by providing immersive experiences and social opportunities. This study examined perceptions on the VR use to combat SI and its impact on social lives during the pandemic. Survey data analysis revealed that Non-White VR owners had significantly higher beliefs in the potential of VR to address SI compared to White VR owners, even though few purchased VR devices in response to the pandemic. Besides gaming, VR technology was most frequently used to meet new people, to exercise, to attend virtual events, and to escape the pandemic and SI by “visiting” virtual spaces. Considering that lockdown mandates may continue, this study offers useful insights on beliefs and the affordances of VR that could help struggling individuals to battle with social isolation, particularly among the Non-White population. Although this study was inspired by the context of COVID-19 pandemic, the findings may be generalizable to other types of socially compromised ordeals such as imprisonment.

Online gaming is becoming increasingly social and interconnected. Millions of players learn from each other in game-related communities on platforms like Reddit and Twitch.tv. However, few studies have been conducted to examine socially constructed learning in such environments. The purpose of this study was to explore learning in game-related communities using the Game Community of Inquiry Scale (GCoIS). GCoIS is a validated instrument inspired by the community of inquiry framework and developed for measuring constructed learning in these outlets. Over 1000 participants completed an online questionnaire that included the GCoIS and additional variables (e.g. demographics, gaming habits, and gaming metacognition) for measuring possible associations. Results pointed to gender, age, online participation, and metacognition about gaming as significant predictors of GCoIS. Findings suggest that gaming communities can serve as opportunities for meaningful learning when novice members are welcomed and assisted by experts and support is given to older and female gamers.

This article provides an overview of how augmented reality (AR) can support gaming and ludic experiences. More importantly, it describes the development and open access availability of an augmented and virtual reality platform called GLARE that can be used to create hybrid storytelling and gaming experiences. In doing so, it provides insights of how we can move from a consumption-based (educators and students exposed to AR content) to a production-driven (educators and students creating AR content) approach to improve the pedagogical and psychological outcomes of such a technology. Concrete examples are provided to contextualize such a potential.

It is becoming more common to use Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) to measure problematic gaming in online environments. However, there is limited data examining the role of empathy and toxicity in IGD. In addition, little attention has been given to the role of the social element of online gaming communities and its influence on these factors. This article aims to address this gap by presenting the results of a cross-sectional study involving 567 online players who completed an online survey about their gaming habits. More specifically, participants were recruited from four different game communities and asked to complete the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short Form, a toxicity-related questionnaire, and the Interpersonal Reactivity Index. Comparisons between the four game communities were also explored. Findings pointed at significant associations between toxicity, empathy, game community, and IGD, suggesting additional research opportunities and counter strategies for preventing negative experiences with online gaming.

The purpose of this study was to investigate how the consumption and production of extended reality (XR) video content impacted elementary student spatial reasoning skills. Third- and fourth-grade elementary students (aged 8 to 11) were given a four-week intervention in which they first consumed virtual reality (VR) video for two weeks. During the third week, they created their own videos using 360-degree video cameras. In the final week, the students were given the opportunity to watch the videos they created using VR headsets. Students were given a spatial reasoning pre-test and post-test to measure the change in spatial reasoning ability over the four weeks. The results indicated that the consumption and production of XR video led to an improvement in overall spatial reasoning ability of elementary students learning science. This study contributes to the growing body of literature supporting the positive effects of the use of XR in the classroom and opens the door to further opportunities to analyze how student production of 360-degree videos and related VR can lead to positive learning outcomes.

Toxicity continues to have a strong presence in online environments. This is particularly true for digital entertainment like online games. Toxicity is an important topic as it impacts game development, consumption, popularity, public perception, and player health and well-being. Most of the existing literature on toxicity in gaming is descriptive and exploratory; it often sets out to map milestones and inherent drivers of toxicity. In this article, an alternative perspective is advanced, drawing from a foundation in media and culture studies. Data (streaming online chat, user-generated content, and forum discussions) were collected daily for 4 weeks from Twitch.tv and Steam channels about the popular online game DOTA 2. Results were processed with a content analysis relying on the driving concepts of toxicity and social affordance. The case study and related platforms were selected for their relevance and pertinence with the theme addressed. Findings point to peculiar interactive patterns in framing, supporting, and overturning toxicity and resulting harassment in these extended settings. Implications are noteworthy for scholars and practitioners who intend to shed light on how diffused audiences negotiate toxicity in digital gaming and beyond.