An Investigation of the Relation Between Immersion and Learning Across Three Domains

We investigate the relationship between immersion and learning across three domains (cultural heritage, environmental awareness, and high school physics) through the lens of the Cognitive Affective Model of Immersive Learning (CAMIL) framework. We present three applications we developed for this investigation, highlighting their shared design elements and domain-specific mechanics. Using a common evaluation protocol across lab studies and a classroom deployment, we assessed learning outcomes, user experience, technology acceptance, presence/embodiment, and cybersickness. Our results show that immersive virtual reality led to higher scores for presence, user experience, and technology acceptance. In contrast, learning outcomes were mixed. In immediate post-test evaluations, factual knowledge scores were comparable between immersive virtual reality and control groups. In the end, we synthesize design guidelines that outline when immersive virtual reality might be most beneficial in didactic contexts, and we provide CAMIL-informed recommendations and strategies to improve learning outcomes and overall experiential quality.