Abstract:
Some virtual environments create a particular learning environment by offering a gamelike experience. They establish a highly motivating setting for learning and they intensely support experiental learning. In general, the support of knowledge acquisition in virtual environments should take into account the three main characteristics of these environments: the three-dimensional mode of the presentation of contents, the interactivity of the contents themselves and the user’s immersion into the environment. The immersion into the virtual environment is considered an essential feature of this medium. Psychologically the immersion manifests itself in the experience of "being there", which is usually described as "presence" or "virtual presence". However, this specific psychological aspect of virtual environments and its influence on cognitive processes in learning and knowledge acquisition has not gained too much attention in research so far.
Two experimental studies were designed to investigate the question, how the relation between immersion and presence is to be defined and to what extent high/immersion or high/low presence fosters knowledge acquisition. The results of the studies indicate that on one hand virtual environments increase learning success not in every case. On the other hand, the experience of higher levels of presence may lead to cognitive conflicts, which may impede knowledge acquisition.