Designing Gaze-Adaptive Immersive Learning Support

The field of immersive learning has emerged through the application of technologies such as Virtual Reality (VR) and Mixed Reality (MR) to create interactive educational experiences. In contrast to passive content consumption, typical for learning on 2D screens or with printed materials, immersive learning enables presence and active exploration of abstract concepts within situated environments. However, challenges remain in these systems: the interactive elements and high immersion that make immersive learning effective can also overwhelm learners, leading to distraction and cognitive overload. To address this, gaze-adaptive support has been recognized as an effective design intervention to facilitate cognitive processing. Yet, while modern head-mounted displays (HMDs) used for immersive learning are increasingly equipped with eye-trackers, there is a lack of knowledge on how to transfer technical capabilities and eye-tracking data into learner-centered designs that effectively support immersive learning. Therefore, this dissertation investigates three research gaps: i) a conceptualization of the state-of-the-art of mixed reality in higher education, ii) the design of gaze-adaptive support, and iii) the extension of gaze-adaptive support to ex-situ learning with cross-device interaction. ... mehrThe research is conducted through four studies. The first study establishes a conceptual framework through a systematic review of head-mounted MR systems in higher education. The second study implements a gaze-adaptive support design in immersive learning systems, introducing attention feedback to promote self-reflection. Recognizing that learning extends beyond the immersive session itself, the third study introduces a cross-device interaction technique that facilitates seamless note-taking between a headset and a tablet. Finally, the fourth study presents the learning ecosystem AttentiveLearn, comprising an immersive virtual classroom, an attention-aware personalization pipeline, and an integrated mobile assistant. This ecosystem utilizes eye-tracking data captured in VR to personalize post-lecture quizzes and was evaluated in a four-week field study. This dissertation contributes to the field of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). First, the dissertation provides a conceptual framework for MR system design in higher education. Second, it offers empirical insights into improving learners' attention management, user experience, and learning outcomes through gaze-adaptive support. Lastly, it contributes a set of artifacts and technical pipelines for cross-device and gaze-adaptive support. Overall, these findings offer researchers and practitioners insights to create learner-centered immersive learning experiences.