Abstract:

Students' disengagement is considered a silent epidemic that is slowly and steadily forging its path across higher education institutions (HEIs), provoking higher dropout rates, and poor academic achievements, and resulting in the cultivation of low self-esteem and a negative sense of social-emotional well-being among learners. Student engagement (SE) is indispensable in the holistic growth of learners by contributing towards their 21st-century skills development, better academic performance, and fostering a passion for lifelong learning. While the utilization of technology in higher education classrooms has increased over time, there is however a need to leverage student-centered learning approaches to sustain long-term SE. With the ongoing integration of new programs and courses related to immersive XR applications designing and development in HEIs, implementation of a substantial pedagogy is required which fulfills the stipulations of engaging learners in the lengthy development process of XR applications and providing them a meaningful learning experience. This study, utilizing a model based on Kolb's experiential learning and its method of project-based learning, investigates how project-based experiential learning (PBEL) fosters student engagement of learners developing XR applications. PBEL being a non-linear approach readily supports the iterative development process of XR applications, providing learners with an engaging learning experience and enabling them to actively experiment with their ideas and create innovative solutions for real-world challenges. To analyze and investigate how PBEL fosters cognitive, emotional, and behavioral engagement of learners involved in designing and developing XR applications, the study utilized a mixed-method survey research design approach. A cohort of N=51 students enrolled in the Bachelor of Multimedia (Hons.) Virtual Reality and Bachelor of Multimedia (Hons.) Advertising Design, creating XR applications for their final year projects was invited to participate in the research using convenient and purposeful sampling methods. The findings show PBEL's efficacy in fostering student engagement of learners developing XR applications. The quantitative data provides evidence of the statistically significant impact of PBEL on students' cognitive, emotional, and behavioral engagement. While qualitative data provides the experience of learners, supporting the quantitative findings. Results further show the correlation between different dimensions of SE and how they influence one another under the implementation of PBEL. As HEIs integrate new programs of immersive technologies designing and development and seek dynamic methods to foster student engagement therein, the results of this study advocate for the implementation of PBEL as an effective and transformative strategy.

Keywords:

Student-engagement, project-based learning, experiential learning, eXtended Reality, Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality.