My second goal is to develop a research-based method to increase engagement and interaction in online courses. This artifact connects to this goal because it exemplifies my efforts to investigate the core tenets of experiential learning, which is closely tied to engagement, and to assess whether or not extended reality tools can help aid in the increase of both of those things. This artifact represents one example of how an educator could combine the research of learning theory and learning tools in order to reach an outcome (increased engagement).

This artifact shows my experience with the research behind experiential learning and its value, while simultaneously showing my research and knowledge of extended reality applications. It shows how I have thought about the three different sectors and types of extended reality and how they might be applied in different learning contexts to increase student interaction and engagement. It also shows my ability to critically analyze the efficacy of such tools from an engagement perspective.

I chose this artifact in order to emphasize my development toward developing a research-based method to transform the online learning environment for students through the advancement of student engagement. 

The process for creating this open educational resource (OER) was time-consuming in that it required a fair bit of research into extended reality (AR, VR, and MR) as I did not have a lot of previous experience with them. Experiential learning was something that I was quite familiar with as it tied in nicely with my previous work investigating constructivism and the theories of Jean Piaget. My partner and I started by researching extended reality and trying to solidify how these technologies could be used in three different sectors (k-12, higher education, and workplace/corporate). Once we built a solid understanding of how these tools were being used in these contexts, we began to assess their validity through the lens of experiential learning, with the core question of whether the theory of experiential learning translates to immersive experiences or if its advantages are only possible through direct, real-world experiences.

I believe this artifact aligns closely with my goal of finding ways to increase engagement and interaction in online courses because it explores one specific set of tools that may do this. This artifact does not explicitly show achievement of my goal, since my goal is also to increase engagement by 10% in the school I manage, however, it validates my claim that I have set out the appropriate framework to conduct the research and testing of similar tools that can help bring about the quantifiable elements of my goal.

A limitation of this artifact is the fact that it does not include a lot of interactive (immersive) content that ‘shows’ more than ‘tells’. With more resources, it would be beneficial to walk users through this OER via extended reality tools.