Effects of Immersive Learning Technologies on Learning and Engagement for Military Chaplains

This exploratory study considered students' perceptions of their learning experiences at a U.S. military chaplain college across multiple cohorts over five years to discover possible connections between student learning and the use of immersive learning technologies. Data sources included end-of-course survey results from 490 professional education students in two phases: both before and after implementation of immersive learning technologies in the curriculum. These technologies included two 360-degree immersive videos and one avatar-based counseling tool and were used in place of purely discussion-based teaching methodologies. Students in basic chaplaincy course cohorts that implemented immersive learning technologies perceived an improvement in such areas as development of their critical thinking skills at a greater effect size than cohorts that did not. For both a basic course and a more professionally advanced course, students in cohorts that implemented immersive learning technologies also perceived greater clarity of instruction compared to pre-implementation cohorts. Building on literature regarding the relationship between student presence and attainment of learning outcomes, this study is an initial exploration into the influence of innovative virtual learning environments on student experiences in continuing and professional education programs.