Yu-Shan Chang

Background: Due to the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) and the widespread adoption of online learning post‐COVID‐19, the metaverse has become an important strategy for innovative teaching. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the impact of the metaverse on learning engagement, learning emotions, and creative performance in AI applications by analysing academic emotions through facial expressions. Methods: The study was conducted as a non‐equivalent group pretest–posttest quasi‐experimental construct involving 97 students from a public high school. The experimental teaching theme focused on AI image recognition and speech recognition, with the experimental group receiving online metaverse instruction and the control group receiving instruction through Google Meet. Results and Conclusion: Key findings include the following: the metaverse significantly and positively influenced cognitive, emotional, and social dimensions of learning engagement, but no impact was observed on the behavioural dimension; the metaverse had a substantial impact on the creative performance of AI application design, particularly in the empathy, definition, ideation, and testing stages; and the metaverse significantly affected academic emotions, with increased expressions of anger and sadness observed, particularly during the empathy, definition, and ideation stages of design thinking. Thus, the results of this study provide a pedagogical foundation for the adoption of the metaverse and auxiliary tools in teaching.

Due to the rapid advancement of technology, environmental sustainability education has gained significant attention. This study aimed to explore the effect of the metaverse on green building concept learning, creative design performance, and learning engagement. This research was conducted with 61 students from a public high school, employing a quasi-experimental design with nonequivalent groups. The experimental teaching theme was green building education, where the experimental group used online metaverse with Minecraft-assisted teaching, while the comparison group used internet images for assistance. Our research results were as follows: 1. The metaverse had a large effect size on the example dimension of concept learning but no significant effect on the linkages, hierarchical structures, or cross-linking terms. 2. The metaverse significantly enhanced creative design performance, including value, usability, novelty, and elaboration. 3. The metaverse had a significant effect on learning engagement, particularly in learning attitudes.

Given the importance of innovation, artificial intelligence (AI) education, and online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, we explored the effects of science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics (STEAM) hands-on learning on online AI learning and creativity. We also analyzed the effects of creative emotions on AI learning using facial expressions. We recruited 25 preservice teachers at a public university as participants. A pretest – post-test nonequivalent comparison group design was adopted. AI learning was applied to experimental teaching. The experimental and control groups received online STEAM hands-on learning and standard teaching, respectively. The findings were as follows: STEAM hands-on learning had a significant positive effect on the conjunction item, example item, and total AI concept scores, and an even greater positive effect on AI attitude scores, particularly for AI processing and output; the effect size of STEAM hands-on learning on AI creativity was large, and the effect was positive in terms of design novelty, elaboration, and usability; and participants had higher anger levels in the designing and drawing AI learning stages, implying a high degree of focus and engagement. Finally, recommendations for instruction include the use of more online resources and engaging practical software to improve professional learning and enjoyment.

The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of virtual reality (VR) application on creative performance and immersion, evaluated through electroencephalography brain wave data to achieve accurate and robust results. In this study, 72 middle school teachers were recruited as participants, and a non‐randomized control‐group pre‐test–post‐test design was employed. The experimental group received VR‐based design instruction, and the control group received lecture‐based design training. Our results revealed that VR significantly affects immersion, especially with regard to attention. Additionally, VR had a positive effect on the feasibility of the creative process, although its effects on variety and novelty were inconclusive. VR was significantly correlated with theta, beta, and gamma brain wave activity. VR also increased attention‐related and meditation‐related brain wave activity and desynchronized alpha waves. Practitioner notes: What is already known about this topic VR is used in many areas. VR in education is getting more important day after day. What this paper adds VR significantly affects immersion, especially with regard to attention. VR had a positive effect on the feasibility of the creative process, although its effects on variety and novelty were inconclusive. VR was significantly correlated with theta, beta, and gamma brain wave activity. VR also increased attention‐related and meditation‐related brain wave activity and desynchronized alpha waves. Implications for practice and/or policy User lack of familiarity with VR may also have influenced the results; more VR learning materials should be provided for learners. In addition to using a larger sample, future studies should focus on creative novelty when developing VR content to improve creative processes and outcomes. Familiarizing learners with the use of VR could effectively reduce the cognitive load, as well as contribute to the stimulation of creative brain waves.

This study explored the effects of design thinking on the conceptual cognition of artificial intelligence (AI) learning, attitudes toward AI, idea creativity, and the product creativity of AI applications. The concept map indicated that design thinking had a significant effect on the conceptual cognition of AI learning, particularly the relational conjunctions and classes of AI concepts. However, effects of cross-linking and examples were nonsignificant. In addition, it had a significant and positive effect on learning attitudes toward AI, in particular AI input and AI processing. Moreover, design thinking significantly and positively affected the idea creativity of AI applications, particularly the effects of novelty and value. It also had a significant and positive effect on the product creativity of AI applications, particularly functionality and elaboration. However, material novelty, style, idea structure, and product creativity had no significant difference.

Virtual reality (VR) can promote design performance, and may generate a high cognitive load and affect creative design thinking as well. In order to examine the effect of VR application on cognitive load and engineering design creativity, this study recruited 81 eighth‐grade students as participants and employed a non‐equivalent‐groups quasi‐experimental design to examine how VR application influences creativity components and creative performance. A creativity component scale (creative motivation, creative thinking, and professional cognition), a measurement of creative performance, and a cognitive load scale were used to collect data. The study also investigated the ability of VR application to predict creativity components and creative performance, using cognitive load as the mediator. The conclusions are as follows: (1) VR application had marked effects on professional cognition and creative motivation but no effect on creative thinking skills. (2) VR application had marked effects on the novelty and usefulness aspects of creative performance, particularly with respect to usefulness. (3) VR application had marked effects on extraneous and germane cognitive load, but no influence on intrinsic cognitive load, and (4) Both VR application and cognitive load were able to predict creativity components and creative performance. Their abilities to predict creative performance approached an acceptable level. Nevertheless, VR application had no effect on general creative thinking skills; therefore, other teaching strategies are needed to strengthen creative thinking.