Stephen Downes

Overview of immersive learning with an eye to countering some of the more enthusiastic coverage in recent years. "The science behind the effectiveness of immersive learning," writes Samson Tan, "is two-pronged – the sense of presence and cognitive embodiment." The first "enables the person to be 'fully' and 'deeply' absorbed in the virtual environment." The second "is the representation of knowledge and concepts through bodily activity" (I don't think I'd use the term 'representation' here - 'enaction' might be a better term). Learning design in immersive environment works through three factors: multiple perspectives, situated learning, and transfer (ie., the application of a principle learned in one activity to a novel activity).