ABSTRACT
This chapter considers some of the challenges in providing effective virtual reality environments for teaching and training, where users are encouraged and enabled to be truly engaged in their learning. One of the challenges from a human-computer interaction perspective is how to effectively design and assess the design of, these learning environments, and how to effectively utilize them to truly enhance learning. The growth of virtual augmented and mixed reality in education is growing, though is still in its early stages in terms of its application and evidence of its impact on learning itself. The effective use of these approaches is also relatively early in its development, with numerous issues in terms of its usability. Inquiry-based learning aims to place the learner at the center of the learning process. The chapter also considers both synchronous and asynchronous computer-mediated communication and virtual and immersed virtual reality to illustrate potential virtual learning spaces.
