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Research suggests that virtual reality (VR) technologies can promote learning opportunities for individuals with autism in safe and controllable training scenarios. However, substantial challenges exist concerning the development and deployment of fully immersive VR systems in real-world settings. Video-based virtual reality is an emerging technology that maintains many of the same potential learning benefits to traditional VR systems while being easier to develop and deploy. This emerging technology report explores the use and potential of video-based virtual reality to support autistic users within naturalistic settings. Current trends in the field are reported, along with a focus on the application of evidence-based practices that align with this learner population. Finally, challenges with adoption and implementation are considered in addition to implications for future research.

This paper presents a systematic literature review characterizing the methodological properties of usability studies conducted on educational and learning technologies in the past 20 years. PRISMA guidelines were followed to identify, select, and review relevant research and report results. Our rigorous review focused on (1) categories of educational and learning technologies that have been the focus of usability evaluation, (2) specific usability evaluation methods used, (3) outcome measures, and (4) research limitations. Findings revealed a diverse range of usability evaluation methods employed for different types of educational/learning technologies and the contexts in which those methods were used, with the majority of usability studies being performed on e-learning technologies within higher education contexts. Specific methods, instrumentation, and types of usability research found to be dominant in reviewed studies were further analyzed and classified, with findings suggesting inquiry methods using questionnaires were most prevalent. Prevalent outcome measures were also synthesized, with findings suggesting that the majority of usability research focuses on issues of technological usability, with very few studies considering pedagogical and socio-cultural aspects of usability. A number of limitations were found, including conceptual and procedural flaws, fundamental misunderstanding of usability evaluation methods, and inappropriate application of usability methods, suggesting potentially problematic and unreliable results. These findings are discussed in-depth, and implications for future research are provided.

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a lifelong and chronic condition that can cause severely compromised health. The T1D treatment regimen is complex, and is a particular challenge for adolescents, who frequently experience a number of treatment adherence barriers (e.g., forgetfulness, planning and organizational challenges, stress). Diabetes Journey is a gamified mHealth program designed to improve T1D self-management through a specific focus on decreasing adherence barriers and improving executive functioning skills for adolescents. Grounded in situativity theory and guided by a sociotechnical-pedagogical usability framework, Diabetes Journey was designed, developed, and evaluated using a learning experience design approach. This approach applied design thinking methods within a Successive Approximation Model design process. Iterative design and formative evaluation were conducted across three design phases, and improvements were implemented following each phase. Findings from the user testing phase indicate Diabetes Journey is a user-friendly mHealth program with high usability that holds promise for enhancing adolescents' T1D self-management. Implications for future designers and researchers are discussed regarding the social dimension of the sociotechnical-pedagogical usability framework. An extension to the framework is proposed to extend the social dimension to include socio-cultural and contextual considerations when designing mHealth applications. Consideration of the pedagogical and sociocultural dimensions of learning is imperative when developing psychoeducational interventions.

Increasing interest in user experience design (UXD) in the field of learning design and technology (LDT) signals a growing recognition of the importance of the individual experience of using learning technologies to learning--the learner experience (LX). However, a need exists to better define and conceptualize the phenomenon of learning experience design (LXD). Imprecise, interchangeable, and reductive usage of terms and concepts related to LXD frustrates efforts to situate and connect the established traditions of our field with complimentary methods and processes external to LDT (e.g., UXD, human-computer interaction). To approach this need, we performed qualitative content analysis on a corpus of 15 chapters from a recently published edited volume focused specifically on LXD in the field of LDT. Our research questions focused on identifying key terms and concepts, exploring how chapter authors characterized LXD, and examining the perspectives that informed authors' conceptions of LXD. We approached these questions using a rigorous, multi-phase inquiry process in which we conducted systematic, iterative open-coding. These coding efforts led to the emergence of a rich tapestry of terminology, methods, and concepts associated with LXD. Importantly, while book chapter authors drew from outside the field of LDT, the manner in which they intentionally located their work within established traditions of this field was particularly revealing. Grounded in the voices of these researchers and practitioners, we assert that LXD is a human-centric, theoretically-grounded, and socio-culturally sensitive approach to learning design, intended to propel learners towards identified learning goals, and informed by UXD methods. On the basis of this operational definition, directions for future research are proposed.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to develop an analytical framework toward facilitating the quantitative measurement of interdisciplinary understanding regarding sustainable energy systems with an application in the area of capacity-building projects in higher education. Design/methodology/approach: The analytical framework is developed using the portfolio representation measurement approach in combination with a survey questionnaire. The subsequent assessment is carried out using the statistical measure of mean signed deviation to capture variation from an established baseline across the project group and visualized via radar diagrams. Findings: The results provide a quantitative assessment framework for evaluating the degree of interdisciplinary understanding in the project groups. The application of the framework to the DESIRE project indicates the most significant degree of variation across economic and regulatory dimensions of sustainability. Discrepancies in general and educational contexts are observed. Research limitations/implications: The exploitable value of the results is sensitive to the derivation of composite indicators of the dimensions defined as well as the survey design. The case study was carried out on an ex-post basis, potentially biasing the results reported and limiting their interpretability and theoretical value. Practical implications: The analytical framework can be used as a basis for assessing and engaging in discussions on interdisciplinarity understanding at the outset of capacity-building projects. Originality/value: The contribution of this paper is practical in scope and entails the development of a quantitative framework for measuring interdisciplinarity in the specific context of capacity-building projects in the field of sustainability research in higher education institutions.

Greer and Mark's (2016) paper suggested and reviewed different methods for evaluating the effectiveness of intelligent tutoring systems such as Propensity score matching. The current study aimed at assessing the effectiveness of automated personalized feedback intervention implemented via the Student Advice Recommender Agent (SARA) in a first-year biology class by means of statistical matching and by reviewing and comparing four different statistical matching methods (i.e., exact matching, nearest neighbor matching using the Mahalanobis distance, propensity score matching, and coarsened exact matching). Data from 1026 (73% female and 27% male) students who took a first-year biology course at a Western Canadian university were used. Two different measures for balance assessment of the matched data (i.e., % of balance improvement and standardized bias) were used to choose the best performing statistical matching method. Nearest neighbor matching using the Mahalanobis distance was found to be the most appropriate method for this study and results showed a statistically significant but small treatment effect for the group who received personalized feedback. Research and practical considerations were discussed and suggestions for future research are provided.