Emerging Technologies Transform Education: New Study on Learning Science

Strategic Insights -

Research from the University of Helsinki has explored the impact of emerging technologies on education, highlighting the need for research on their optimal integration. Funded by the Research Council of Finland, the study introduced an Intelligent Virtual Reality (IVR) approach that incorporates Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) to address educational needs. The study's findings suggest that this approach has the potential to enhance higher education learning experiences.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study aimed to address educational needs by developing two GAI-powered pedagogical characters, Tero and Madida, as an information source and a learning companion, respectively.
  • The needs and ideas collected from 66 educators were classified into three categories: AI acting as a character, emerging technologies to assist student learning, and emerging technologies to help teachers.
  • The Pedagogical Design involved integrating GAI and VR in a sustainability education setting, and evaluation through iterative testing with domain experts and interviews suggested that these characters met 9 out of 12 identified needs.
  • The study concluded that future research could explore further refinements to address the remaining needs.
  • The study's authors include Ulla Hemminki-Reijonen, Noha M. A. M. Hassan, Minna Huotilainen, Jaana-Maija Koivisto, and Benjamin Ultan Cowley.

Statistics:

  • 66 educators participated in the study by providing needs and ideas for the IVR approach.
  • The needs and ideas were classified into three categories: AI acting as a character (23%), emerging technologies to assist student learning (30%), and emerging technologies to help teachers (47%).
  • The Pedagogical Design involved integrating GAI and VR in a sustainability education setting, with two virtual characters, Tero and Madida, as an information source and a learning companion, respectively.
  • The evaluation through iterative testing with domain experts and interviews involved 12 identified needs, with Tero and Madida meeting 9 of them.

Sources:

  • Design of generative AI-powered pedagogy for virtual reality environments in higher education. npj Science of Learning, 2025,10(1):1-15. (npj Science of Learning - https://www.nature.com/npjscilearn/)
  • NewsRx. New Learning Science Findings from University of Helsinki Described (Design of generative AI-powered pedagogy for virtual reality environments in higher education). Education Letter. June 11, 2025; p 340.