The potential of extended reality in engineering education: a systematic review

As engineering education (EE) has been revolutionised by the Fourth Industrial Revolution, XR—virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR)—technologies have emerged to fill the gap between academia and practice. This systematic review explored how XR is integrated and used in...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Hester Jackson, Surendra Thakur, Oludolapo Akanni Olanrewaju
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2025-12-01
Series:Cogent Education
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Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/2331186X.2025.2541442
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Summary:As engineering education (EE) has been revolutionised by the Fourth Industrial Revolution, XR—virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR)—technologies have emerged to fill the gap between academia and practice. This systematic review explored how XR is integrated and used in EE, the challenges of XR, and what it means for future use in student engagement, learning, and technical training. Literature was reviewed on whether XR can transform EE by enhancing students’ learning experience, performance and technical training needs. Furthermore, research gaps were identified, including a lack of longitudinal research and ethics issues, and calls for cooperation between educators, industry and policymakers to promote the successful and broad use of XR technologies. The review identifies a need for institutional strategies, educator training and collaboration with industry and policymakers to support effective and equitable XR adoption. XR technologies have the potential to transform EE, but their success depends on overcoming implementation barriers and ensuring long-term impact.
ISSN:2331-186X