Abstract Extended reality (XR) applications for education are usually associated with motivation, engagement, knowledge and experiences that are difficult to achieve in the real world. One example of such knowledge in military education is the threat-based approach to protection of civilians in armed conflicts. The Norwegian Defence University College (NDUC) educates officers on the threat-based approach. This approach challenges conventional military practice, introducing new ways of thinking about what military forces can and cannot do to protect civilians from violence. Today, militaries are expected to protect civilians from perpetrators that target them as part of their warfare, expanding their responsibilities under International Humanitarian Law. This expansion of tasks represents “troublesome knowledge” for many military officers and demands a deeper understanding of the rationales and strategies driving perpetrators’ targeting of civilians. To overcome this pedagogical challenge, we developed an XR-supported educational program combining immersive experiences and pedagogical approaches, including combined 360°-videos and embodiment, dialogue with virtual humans and collaborative VR-landscapes to encourage immersive peer-to-peer learning. The results are encouraging, suggesting high levels of acceptance by learners of the threat-based concept, an effect on stimulating critical discussion and a positive reaction to XR-supported learning.

This demo presents an innovative use of embodiment in combination with 360º video to support teaching the threat-based approach to protection of civilians at a military university. To create a realistic and emotionally appealing XR experience and at the same time save on developing time and costs, scanned 3D objects and avatar were integrated in 360º videos. The app also includes interactions with a virtual perpetrator and collaborative map exercise and received positive feedback from end users.

The Norwegian Armed Forces educate future joint staff officers to better understand the role, utility, and limitations of military force in protecting civilians from violence in armed conflict. At the center of this education is the threat-based approach to protection of civilians that redefines and details the role armed forces play in protecting civilians from different perpetrators of violence. Educators have experienced obstacles in teaching this new approach, as it challenges existing doctrinal thinking about force in contemporary armed conflict. These challenges inspired a search for a new and innovative way to overcome learning thresholds, leading to the development of an Extended Reality (XR) application to support teaching of the threat-based approach. The application employs several immersive experiences, including a new form of embodiment that combines digital avatars and 360°-videos, an agent-based simulation, and a collaborative map visualization. The pedagogical approach is built on threshold concepts theory, empathy, and peer learning. Preliminary results point to faster and deeper learning, and a significant interest in using XR to improve learning in higher military education.

Adoption of immersive technologies in higher education can potentially offer novel and educative experiences. Despite the increasing amount of available XR content for education, adoption of XR for regular teaching at higher institutions appears to be still lagging. Some reasons for hesitancy in integrating the technologies in university courses are barriers such as lack of content, cost of equipment or expectations on technical knowledge required to use the technology. We run an immersive tech lab to support innovation in education. The lab supports educators with equipment and expertise to include immersive technologies in their courses. In this paper we present the results of a thematic analysis of interviews with lectures at a Norwegian higher education institution. Our contribution is to give further insight into factors the educators consider when adopting immersive technologies in their educational practices.

The COVID-19 outbreak triggered an increased and sudden need for adopting either fully digital or hybrid approaches to teaching. At the same time, the use of ‘traditional’ digital technology for teaching has several barriers and difficulties. Our experience teaching remotely during the pandemic led us to reflect on the combination of digital tools and online VR environments for higher education. In this paper we discuss the use of an online browser-based VR platform, Mozilla Hubs. We reflect on our experience and propose guidelines for educators based on what we learned.

Serious games have the potential to complement existing teaching methods by motivating and providing a more enjoyable experience for the players or by simulating events that would be otherwise difficult to reproduce in the classroom. Despite their potential, little is known about how the games could be used not only for teaching but also as assessment tools. This research addresses this gap. We present an in-game assessment method which assesses the learning objectives included in the game without the need for a separate intervention. We evaluate the proposed method and we show that there is no statistically significant difference in participants being assessed through a questionnaire outside the game and the integrated game assessment method. Moreover, we looked at whether the player experience has been affected by the changes needed in the game design and the players' preferences for different types of assessment. Most participants preferred being assessed through the game. They also felt that the assessment has overall improved their game experience.

This poster introduces the development of a recommender system to guide users in adapting a virtual environment into matching objects in the physical world. Emphasis is placed on avoiding cognitive overload resulting from providing options for substitution without considering the number of physical objects present. This is the first step towards a comprehensive recommender system for user-driven adaptation of Virtual Environments through immersive Virtual Reality systems.