Use of Augmented and Virtual Reality in Remote Higher Education: A Systematic Umbrella Review

• Published in: Education sciences Vol. 11; no. 1; pp. 8 - 19
• Main Authors: Nesenbergs, Krisjanis, Abolins, Valters, Ormanis, Juris, Mednis, Artis
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.01.2021
• Subjects: Academic Achievement; Augmented reality; Computer Assisted Testing; Computer Simulation; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Distance Education; Distance learning; Educational Technology; engagement; Foreign Countries; Grades (Scholastic); Higher Education; Interaction; Kinesthetic Methods; Learner Engagement; Learning Processes; Literature Reviews; Medical research; Online Courses; Pandemics; Program Effectiveness; remote learning; School Closing; Systematic review; Technology Uses in Education; Virtual reality; Latvia
• ISSN: 2227-7102; 2227-7102
• DOI: 10.3390/educsci11010008

In this systematic umbrella review we aggregate the current knowledge of how virtual and augmented reality technologies are applicable to and impact remote learning in higher education; specifically, how they impact such learning outcomes as performance and engagement in all stages of higher education from course preparation to student evaluation and grading. This review was done as part of a state wide research effort of Latvia, to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 and specifically to provide a framework for a technological transformation of education in this context. In this work we search the Scopus and Web of Science databases for articles describing the use of virtual and/or augmented reality technologies in remote learning for higher education and their impact on learning outcomes. We identified 68 articles from which, after multiple screening and eligibility phases, nine review articles were left for extraction phase in which 30 structural elements with corresponding interventions and measured effects were extracted. Of these, 24 interventions had a measured effect on student performance (11 positive, seven negative, six no impact) and six interventions had a measured effect on student engagement (all six positive).