Abstract
Self and co-regulation of learning (SCRL) are strategies that students can adopt to become more active and committed to their learning. Encouraging students to adopt these strategies is a challenge for teachers that can be met by using narratives as a teaching resource. To support teachers in this process, we present a method for evaluating, classifying, and reflecting on excerpts from immersive narratives for SCRL, so they objectively base their decision-making. The method was developed as an artifact of Design Science Research (DSR). In the Design stage of DSR, a 4-stage scheme was developed, and 38 criteria were described to identify and classify narratives that guide or encourage students to adopt SCRL strategies. In the DSR demonstration stage, we tested the method in an asynchronous e-learning curricular unit in Portuguese higher education, which uses a narrative-oriented immersive learning approach for SCRL, called e-SimProgramming. The results show that the graphic visualization of the classification made it possible to perceive the occurrence of the SCRL categories in the narratives, enabling the teacher to be inspired and reflect on the categories to be enhanced for necessary changes in the narrative in line with their pedagogical objectives.

Abstract

Abstract
The study investigates the integration of Virtual Reality Learning Environments (VRLEs) in academic teaching through the EU-funded “REVEALING” project. Researchers from Cyprus, Germany, Greece, Poland, and Portugal developed and evaluated five different immersive VRLEs, each focusing on diverse educational topics, including ancient Greek technology, sea urchin measurements, linear algebra, and historical expeditions. The study aims to determine effective instructional design principles for VRLEs and assess students' acceptance and learning outcomes. The VRLEs were designed based on literature-derived principles that emphasise ease of tool usage, authentic experiences, and continuous feedback. Students from the participating universities explored these VR environments, providing feedback through a standardized questionnaire on aspects like immersion, ease of use, motivation, and emotions. Results show that most participants positively engaged with the VRLEs, reporting high motivation and positive emotional responses, particularly for experiences involving interactivity. However, challenges like motion sickness and technical issues were noted, especially at one institution. The findings suggest that immersive VR experiences can significantly enhance motivation and engagement, but their effectiveness depends on careful alignment with pedagogical goals, design quality, and user experience considerations. © 2025 The Authors

Abstract
Digital Twins (DTs) for the ocean are rapidly emerging as essential tools for understanding, forecasting, and managing environmental phenomena. However, most existing DT visualization solutions are tightly coupled to specific platforms and lack semantic coherence and interoperability - challenges that are particularly critical in federated and distributed DT systems. Furthermore, visualizing dynamic and spatio-temporal behaviors, such as oil spills, across multiple rendering environments remains a complex, platform-dependent task. In this paper, we present VChor, a domain-agnostic virtual choreography framework designed to address these limitations. Our approach integrates model-driven engineering, semantic web technologies, and platform-independent representations to support the declarative specification of behaviors and visual mappings. A single VChor instance describes spatio-temporal dynamics and associated actions, and can be interpreted by multiple visualization engines (e.g., Unity3D and CesiumJS) without the need for code recompilation or platform-specific programming. We demonstrate our approach through a real-world oil spill monitoring use case, developed in the context of the ILIAD H2020 project, and encapsulated within a modular Application Package. This package automates the generation, validation, and transformation of virtual choreographies from raw data to platform-specific outputs. The framework promotes inter-operability, reusability, and scalability, while supporting FAIR principles in environmental Digital Twin workflows. The findings highlight VChor's potential to streamline scenario modeling, enable cross-platform visualization, and support decision-makers with accurate, flexible, and reusable visual representations of ocean dynamics. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.

Abstract
Since the publication of the 2020 paper, “Finding the Gaps About Uses of Immersive Learning Environments: A Survey of Surveys,” the landscape of immersive learning environments (ILEs) has continued to evolve rapidly. This update aims to revisit the gaps identified in that previous research and explore emerging trends. We conducted an extensive review of new surveys published after that paper’s cut date. Our findings reveal a significant amount of new published reviews (n?=?64), more than doubling the original corpus (n?=?47). The results highlighted novel themes of usage of immersive environments, helping bridge some 2020 research gaps. This paper discusses those developments and presents a consolidated perspective on the uses of immersive learning environments. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.

Abstract
Since publication of the 2020 survey of surveys, Finding the gaps about uses of immersive learning environments: a survey of surveys, the field of immersive learning environments has experienced substantial growth and diversification. This updated review systematically maps recent developments by analyzing 64 new literature surveys published after the original corpus date, significantly expanding the corpus from 47 to 111 reviews. Through thematic content analysis, our study identifies and integrates five new educational use themes-Games, Observation, Personification, Storytelling, and Student Authoring-and revises existing categories based on recent research. We observed shifts in the prevalence of themes, most notably an increase in uses related to data collection, interactive exploration and manipulation, contextual/media integration, and physical world simulation. We also discussed these changes in relation to recent technological advancements and the influence of emergency remote teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, our results provide an updated representation of immersive learning uses within the conceptual framework of immersion dimensions (system, narrative, agency), updating current research clusters and persistent gaps. By illustrating areas with limited exploration, such as highly interactive narrative experiences, or low-technology interactive uses, this paper informs future research directions and contributes to an understanding of how immersive environments are being employed for learning. This comprehensive mapping thus serves as a resource for researchers and educators aiming to leverage immersive learningenvironments. This paper builds on a shorter version accepted for inclusion in the proceedings of the iLRN 2025 conference, offering expanded results, additional analyses, and extended discussion that clarifies and deepens the original findings.