A Critical Analysis of Immersive Environments: A Methodology for Museum Education
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| Title: | A Critical Analysis of Immersive Environments: A Methodology for Museum Education |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Emma June Huebner (ORCID |
| Source: | International Journal of Art & Design Education. 2026 45(1):60-76. |
| Availability: | Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 17 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: | Museums, Computer Simulation, Simulated Environment, Educational Environment, Arts Centers, Computer Uses in Education, Access to Education, Perspective Taking, Technology Integration, Distance Education |
| DOI: | 10.1111/jade.12613 |
| ISSN: | 1476-8062 1476-8070 |
| Abstract: | Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, museum professionals have adopted various technological resources that have expanded museums into new virtual spaces. These virtual spaces do much more than simply communicate information to visitors and attract them to visit the museum physically: they offer new teaching and learning contexts. The emergence of these new learning contexts calls for the development of new methodologies to analyse them. This article focuses on developing a coding rubric to analyse complex interactive, immersive museum environments systematically. To achieve this, I adapted and tested Gillian Rose's (2022, "Visual methodologies: an introduction to researching with visual materials") critical analysis approach to visual content to explore the museum educational possibilities of virtual reality, using immersive environments by the Louvre and the Victoria and Albert Museum as case studies. I developed a comprehensive coding grid, adjusting Rose's (2022, "Visual methodologies: an introduction to researching with visual materials") principles and modalities to the unique characteristics of virtual reality experiences as identified by Fegely and Cherner (2021, "Journal of Information Technology Education: Research") and Lee and Cherner (2015, "Journal of Information Technology Education: Research"). The findings reveal numerous opportunities to leverage virtual reality's distinct features, depending on the subject matter, the virtual teaching environment, and the pedagogical strategies employed. The research and analytical grid promise to make a valuable contribution to the fields of museum education and museology because they provide a structured means to scrutinise and evaluate the educational possibilities inherent in virtual reality experiences while also deepening our understanding of the intricate dynamics between users and museum artworks as well as objects within immersive environments. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1502359 |
| Database: | ERIC |
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