Examining the Social Construction of Cross-reality Technologies in Learning

Using Virtual and Augmented Reality as tools for teaching and learning has become a challenging and motivating task for some researchers and lecturers at universities worldwide. However, a widespread use of these technologies in the education sector has so far failed to materialise. Although a high amount of didactic potential is still attributed to these technologies, only a few teachers manage to use them effectively while most avoid the technologies altogether. For those taking on the challenge of creating a learning environment supported by innovative technologies it is often the technology itself that appeals without a specific application in mind that might present an added value: The driving force behind using technology to foster learning activities often is the existence of a (mostly new) technology with certain features and functionalities and the urge to find a use case. This approach, however, might be one of the reasons why many efforts trying to get more lecturers to use technology for teaching and learning purposes are made in vain. While the pressure lecturers faced to rapidly switch to online teaching due to the outbreak and worldwide spread of Covid-19, the willingness and ability to use Mixed Reality in classrooms is still at a low. Social constructivists consider the purpose of technology a human one. According to the Social Construction of Technology Theory, technological innovations do not determine human action. It is the human actions and the way they choose to use certain technologies that define and shape them. Every technological innovation leads back to a social process and context that forms the basis of its existence. This paper aims to identify reasons for the failure of Mixed Reality as a widespread tool for learning. Based on the results the authors develop a process that puts a special focus on the social context and didactic requirements of lecturers in the field Engineering Education. Their interdisciplinary research is based on principles of Engineering combined with sociological principles of knowledge. By adapting the Social Construction of Technology Theory (SCOT), the authors acknowledge that in order to understand the reasons for the acceptance or ignorance of Mixed Reality, knowledge about the social context is the key: Who defined the features of Virtual and Augmented Reality and what purpose was it supposed to fulfil? By analyzing examples of successes and failures of existing technologies, the authors aim to draw conclusions and recommendations towards the future use of Mixed Reality for learning contexts.