Editorial “Transformative Approaches in Education: Harnessing AI, Augmented Reality, and Virtual Reality for Innovative Teaching and Learning”

1. Introduction

When we first conceptualized this Special Issue, the educational community was arguably in a state of reaction—reacting to the sudden accessibility of generative AI, the maturing of immersive hardware, and the urgent post-pandemic need for digital resilience. However, the sixteen articles collected in this Special Issue, “Transformative Approaches in Education: Harnessing AI, Augmented Reality, and Virtual Reality for Innovative Teaching and Learning”, demonstrate that we have moved beyond reaction to a phase of rigorous, evidence-based integration.

This Special Issue does not merely celebrate new tools; it interrogates them. From the neural architecture of reinforcement learning algorithms to the emotional perceptions of sixth-graders in Greece, the research presented here offers a panoramic view of a field that is rapidly finding its footing. We are witnessing a shift; technology is no longer an external “add-on” but a fundamental structural element of modern pedagogy.

2. The Human Element: Perceptions, Emotions, and Well-being

A defining strength of this Special Issue is its refusal to lose sight of the human being behind the screen. Contribution 1, by Kotsidis et al., opens up a fascinating window into the minds of “digital natives”, revealing that Greek primary students have a “hybrid” understanding of AI—perceiving it simultaneously as a helpful robotic assistant and a potential threat. This nuanced ambivalence suggests that AI literacy must address emotional regulation as much as technical skill.

This human-centric focus extends to higher education, where the dynamic between student and machine is evolving into a partnership. Contribution 2, by Perifanou and Economides, documents the emergence of “collaborative prompting”, where students effectively treat ChatGPT version GPT-3.5 as a teammate rather than a search engine. Contribution 3, by Szűts et al., deepens this analysis by applying Flow Theory, suggesting that when AI is integrated seamlessly, it can heighten immersion rather than distract from it.

However, the integration of these tools must also safeguard student welfare. Contribution 4, by Olla et al., presents “Luna”, a mental health chatbot, demonstrating that AI can serve as a scalable, immediate first line of defense for student well-being, provided that strict ethical guardrails are maintained.

3. Infrastructures of Adoption and Inclusion

Innovation cannot exist in a vacuum; it requires institutional readiness. Contribution 5, by Abulail et al., utilizes a robust integrated model (DOI, TOE, and TAM) to identify friction points in higher education, highlighting that despite high perceived utility, institutional infrastructure remains a significant bottleneck. This is echoed in Contribution 6, by Alshafei et al., who survey design education in Jordan. Their findings reveal a “digital divide” within curricula themselves: while traditional CAD tools are ubiquitous, transformative technologies such as AI and VR remain underutilized due to steep learning curves and costs.

Crucially, this Special Issue underscores the fact that technology must serve equity. Contribution 7, by Iatraki et al., provides compelling evidence that Digital Learning Objects (DLOs) can successfully break down barriers in public health education for students with intellectual disabilities. Similarly, in Contribution 8, Aravantinos et al. argue through a systematic review that teacher professional development must pivot from purely technical training to fostering pedagogical reasoning and inclusive practices.

4. The Engineering of Adaptive Learning

Behind the user interface lies the sophisticated engineering that makes adaptive learning possible. Several contributions in this Special Issue push the technical boundaries of what educational systems can achieve. In Contribution 9, Dosaru et al. tackle the scalability crisis in coding education with “LambdaChecker”, optimizing cloudlet resource allocation to handle mass-scale automated code evaluation without performance degradation.

On the algorithmic frontier, in Contribution 10, Farooq et al. explore curiosity-driven exploration in reinforcement learning. By designing agents that are intrinsically motivated by novelty, their work offers a blueprint for future adaptive tutoring systems that can “learn to teach” by exploring student needs dynamically. This aligns with Contribution 11, by Angeioplastis et al., whose “Learning Style Decoder” utilizes deep neural networks to predict student preferences from LMS behavior, moving us closer to truly personalized education.

5. Cognitive Frameworks and Immersive Realities

Finally, we see how immersive tools are reshaping the cognitive architecture of learning. Contribution 12, by Stănescu et al., demonstrates that high-fidelity VR is not just a gimmick but a necessity for teaching counter-intuitive physics concepts such as hydrodynamics. In the cultural sector, Contribution 13, by Todino et al., shows how VR and AI can revitalize museum education, transforming static folk art into living experiences.

However, traditional cognitive structures remain vital. Both Contribution 14 by De la Hoz Serrano et al. and Contribution 15 by Kefalis et al. reinforce that whether we use educational robotics or digital mind maps, the development of computational thinking relies on structured pedagogical taxonomies (such as SOLO) to organize complex information. Contribution 16, by Kinari et al., bridges this gap between structure and freedom with a guided self-study platform for mobile programming, proving that documentation and visual output must be integrated to prevent “copy–paste” learning.

6. Conclusions

The diversity of these sixteen contributions—spanning from the algorithmic “curiosity” of machines to the very human curiosity of children—confirms that we are in a transformative era. We are no longer asking if AI and VR have a place in education; we are defining the specific, evidence-based methodologies for how they should be used.

Due to the overwhelming success and high citation potential of these articles, I am pleased to announce the launch of a Second Edition of this Special Issue. We invite the academic community to continue this vital conversation.