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Overview & Workspace

This page serves as the single-source overview and shared workspace for the 4th State of XR & Immersive Learning Report, part of iLRN’s global Immersive Futures initiative. It provides the structural backbone for synthesis, coordination, and progress tracking across all five Continental Regions and the Indigenous-Led XR Special Call. All contributors should regard this page as the primary reference point for project scope, timelines, workflows, and submission pathways.

The book operates as both a coordination hub and the final home of the 2026 report. It brings together regional environmental scans, community-submitted signals, scholarly papers, simulations, and Indigenous-led contributions into a unified publication to be released in early 2026 and showcased at iLRN2026 (online and in Athens).

Project Overview

iLRN has launched the fourth edition of the State of XR & Immersive Learning Report, an expanded cycle that now integrates:

  • A coordinated global environmental scan, organized through Continental Regional Hubs

  • A Call for Papers and Simulations for the scholarly collection

  • A Special Call for Indigenous-Led XR Contributions

  • Community-driven data collection feeding into a peer-reviewed, internationally indexed publication

From now through December 2025, educators, researchers, designers, technologists, and practitioners across the five Continental Regions are examining developments shaping immersive learning worldwide. Each regional team is identifying signals across technologies, pedagogies, cultural contexts, and application domains in education, workforce, and public engagement.

Scan Participation (Nov–Dec 2025)

Contributors take part in several coordinated activities:

  • Weekly horizon scans within Continental Hub Discord channels

  • Cross-regional discussions comparing insights, approaches, and developments

  • Signal identification across educational, cultural, societal, and industry contexts

  • Collaborative sensemaking to inform report structure, priorities, and emerging themes

This distributed scan forms the evidence base for the 2026 report.

Synthesis Phase (Jan 2026)

In January 2026, Regional Teams and iLRN Chapters will produce concise geographic synthesis reports (4,000–6,000 words + appendices). These reports integrate the signals, trends, and regional narratives surfaced during November–December scanning. They form the core analytic chapters of the Immersive Futures: State of XR & Immersive Learning 2026 volume.

Our Delphi-Inspired Approach

The synthesis phase follows a structured, Delphi-inspired methodology adapted for distributed global collaboration. The intent is to combine inclusive participation with a systematic process capable of producing scholarship that can withstand external peer review. Each Regional Team will use the following shared protocol:

1. Round One: Signal Prioritization

Participants review the full set of regional signals collected during scanning and undertake a structured sorting process:

Teams may supplement this round with brief surveys or voting instruments inside Discord or Invision Community.

2. Round Two: Interpretive Consensus

Regional Teams then work toward interpretive clarity rather than unanimity. Expectations include:

  • Drafting short interpretive summaries for each cluster

  • Comparing perspectives across subregions or national contexts

  • Surfacing minority viewpoints when interpretive differences reflect meaningful regional variation

  • Documenting unresolved tensions rather than forcing alignment

The emphasis is on transparent reasoning and acknowledgment of complexity.

3. Round Three: Narrative Construction

Teams then develop a cohesive regional narrative supported by evidence:

  • Constructing trend statements grounded in clustered signals

  • Identifying accelerators, constraints, and contextual modifiers

  • Situating findings alongside 2024–2025 benchmarks, prior iLRN reports, and relevant literature

  • Integrating lived contexts—including cultural, educational, environmental, and industry factors—where they shape regional interpretation

Teams are encouraged to include data visualizations, comparative charts, and methodological appendices.

4. Cross-Regional Calibration

A mid-January calibration session aligns interpretive approaches across regions:

  • Reviewing definitions, rating practices, and inclusion criteria

  • Ensuring that regional chapters remain comparable

  • Noting areas where statements require nuance due to regional asymmetries

This step ensures that the final report reflects both global coherence and local specificity.

5. Finalization and Submission

Each Regional Team submits:

  • A 4,000–6,000 word synthesis chapter

  • Appendices (e.g., signal inventories, rating instruments, data visualizations)

  • A short methodological note documenting how their team applied the Delphi-inspired steps

These materials will undergo light editorial review by the Immersive Futures editorial group before integration into the full report.

Co-Authorship

All contributors who participate substantively in the January synthesis—signal rating, clustering, interpretive rounds, drafting, or methodological work—will be listed as co-authors of the published Immersive Futures: State of XR & Immersive Learning 2026 volume.

This inclusive authorship model reflects the collaborative nature of the methodology and ensures that contributors receive recognition for both analytic and community-driven labor.

Special Call: Indigenous-Led XR Contributions

The Indigenous-Led Special Call invites contributions from Indigenous scholars, Elders, youth, storytellers, designers, researchers, and community partners. Submissions may include:

  • Protocols and guidance for immersive storytelling

  • Land-based learning practices

  • Approaches to sovereignty-centered design

  • Community-informed XR or mobile immersive projects

These contributions form a dedicated section of the report and will be highlighted during iLRN2026 (online and in Athens).

Ways to Participate

  • Join your Continental Hub on Discord
    Email futures@immersivelrn.org to request access and take part in weekly scans.

  • Submit a full paper, short paper, or simulation
    Upload via EasyChair by January 10, 2026 (link provided below).

  • Respond to the Indigenous-Led Special Call
    Share culturally grounded work for inclusion in the report.

  • Volunteer as a reviewer or sensemaking partner
    Regional synthesis occurs throughout January 2026.

  • Contribute regional or institutional data
    Support development of a more complete comparative global picture.

The full Call for Papers, Simulations & Regional Scans is linked at the bottom of this page. Additional onboarding opportunities—including the Immersive Futures Webinar Series and orientation sessions—are listed on the iLRN Events Calendar at immersivelrn.org.

Purpose of This Workspace

This page anchors the project’s mission and provides the tools required for effective collaboration across the network. Contributors will find:

  • Structural guidance for regional and global synthesis

  • Links to onboarding resources, submission pathways, and templates

  • Progress tracking and coordination notes

  • Access to interim analyses and cross-regional signal discussions

The 2026 cycle is designed to strengthen global capacity for immersive learning scholarship and to build a shared, regionally informed foundation for understanding where the field is heading.

We welcome your participation in shaping this collective effort.

Jonathon Richter
Jonathon Richter  commented 2 months ago
#1

Immersive Learning Futures Scan for Friday, November 21, establishing a weekly rhythm and organized into a three-layer structure (Signals → Trends → Implications), with explicit notes where assumptions deserve scrutiny.


Immersive Learning Futures Scan — Friday, November 21


1. Signals of Change (Short-Horizon Indicators)

These are early weak signals or fresh data points that suggest potential near-term movement in the XR, learning, and societal ecosystems. I integrate a degree of skepticism to highlight where signals may be noise rather than true indicators.

A. XR Platforms & Technology

  • Accelerated browser-based 3D performance continues to surface across WebGPU demos, reducing the performance gap with native VR.
    Dissent: It remains uncertain whether education systems can actually adopt these advances quickly; bandwidth and device diversity in schools create friction that enthusiasts often underestimate.
  • Growing interest in low-code authoring ecosystems—Matterport, FrameVR, and Oncyber all expanding template-based creation tools.
    Dissent: Ease-of-use is not the same as educational quality; user-friendly creation tools may flood the ecosystem with shallow experiences.


B. Policy & Institutional Movement

  • Universities in North America and Europe are quietly launching “immersive literacy” or “multimodal fluency” task forces or working groups.
    Dissent: These groups are often non-binding and may dissolve without producing sustainable frameworks or adoption


C. Indigenous & Place-Based XR

  • Increased traction in Indigenous-led XR showcases at conferences (IDCs, AIATSIS-linked groups, etc.), emphasizing sovereign data governance.
    Dissent: There is a risk that institutions tokenize these efforts while failing to resource Elder-led cycles or protocols with the needed time, trust, and budget.


D. AI + Simulation Convergence

  • Expansion of agent-based simulation tools with natural-language control interfaces (e.g., open agents in Unity).
    Dissent: Most AI agents remain brittle and biased; integration in educational XR is still experimental.


2. Emerging Mid-Range Trends (6–24 months)

Where signals cluster and begin to shape coherent movement. Each trend includes a constructive-dissent check.


A. The Shift Toward Open Immersive Societies


Aligned with iLRN2026’s theme, multiple indicators show governments, academic consortia, and NGOs examining XR in relation to transparency, civic engagement, and knowledge equity.

Dissent: Open frameworks are politically appealing but technologically and legally complex. Many institutions default to closed vendor ecosystems, undermining the “open society” aspiration.


B. Multimodal Literacies Become Foundational


As AI-generated media proliferate, educators are reframing XR not as novelty but as a core literacy space (spatial, embodied, sensory, emotional).

Dissent: There is insufficient consensus on assessment frameworks, making it difficult to credential these literacies at scale.


C. Hybrid Conferences Mature


Organizations are beginning to treat hybrid as a legitimate format rather than a pandemic artifact.

Dissent: Yet cost models are brittle; financial pressure may push some groups back toward single-mode events.


D. Low-code XR Storytelling for Cultural & Environmental Narratives


Convergence of mobile AR, browser-based VR, and narrative engines supporting Elder-led or community-led projects.

Dissent: Low-code platforms risk oversimplifying complex cultural protocols and ceremonial knowledge structures.


3. Long-Horizon Foresight Themes (2–10 years)

These extrapolated futures highlight both potential and risk.

A. XR as a Civic Infrastructure


Spatial knowledge environments used as public commons: virtual archives, community planning sandboxes, digital twins for climate resilience.

Dissent: Without governance, these commons may be dominated by commercial actors or become data-extractive.


B. Synthetic Learning Companions

AI-driven multisensory tutors embedded in XR environments.

Dissent: Ethical and psychological impacts are insufficiently researched; over-reliance on synthetic teachers could widen educational inequity.


C. Indigenous Sovereignty as a Technological Paradigm

Indigenous-led XR design becomes a major influence on global practices, centered on relationality, place, ceremony, and knowledge stewardship.

Dissent: Adoption will require fundamental restructuring of academic timelines, funding cycles, and Western epistemic norms—changes institutions often resist.


D. The Global Immersive Learning Supply Chai

Standardized pipelines for XR creation, documentation, dissemination, and preservation—including iLRN’s Knowledge Tree, Innovation Garden, and Repository ecosystem.

Dissent: Long-term sustainability requires stable funding and staffing; volunteer models alone cannot support global infrastructure.


4. Implications for iLRN (Operational & Strategic)

Where each trend intersects with your current initiatives.


A. The Knowledge Tree as a “Field Spine”

Your approach positions iLRN as a central nervous system for the global field. This aligns well with open-society futures.

Critical tension: To avoid fragility, each branch must have a clear ownership and volunteer pipeline.


B. Innovation Garden & Searchlight Integration

Weekly walkthroughs, GVA templates, and platform spotlights provide the “soil” for grassroots contributions.

Critical tension: Rapid turnover of tools/platforms demands a more agile maintenance and archival plan.


C. Global Scan & 2026 Report

The five-continental approach is well aligned with future governance models.

Critical tension: Ensuring regional autonomy while maintaining consistency may require a refined tagging ontology and RACI matrix for Chapter Leads.


D. Blackfeet EcoKnowledge as North America’s Lead Node

Your Elder-led protocol work positions BEK as the strongest example of ethical immersive practices.

Critical tension: Scaling Indigenous-led XR internationally requires carefully negotiated reciprocity—not replication.


5. Recommended Actions for the Coming Week

Based on this scan, these steps would strengthen coherence and resiliency.

  1. Finalize the Searchlight–Garden linkage language for Codex (knowledge → evidence → practice → showcase).
  2. Push a brief to Geographic Chapter Leads summarizing the Scan Entry format for December.
  3. Draft a crosswalk table connecting multimodal literacies with the Knowledge Tree trunk disciplines for the Hong Kong keynote.
  4. Create a mini-playbook for low-code XR storytelling aligned with Elder-led protocols—frame it as principles rather than methods.
  5. Prepare a 5-slide version of this Futures Scan to share during the Monday leadership sync.


6. Closing Tension Summary

Your current trajectory is strong, several productive tensions deserve continued attention:

  • Openness vs. Platform Dependency
  • Volunteer creative energy vs. institutional sustainability
  • Global standardization vs. local autonomy
  • Indigenous knowledge sovereignty vs. tech-driven acceleration
  • Multimodal literacy frameworks vs. unclear assessment infrastructure

Each tension is a productive boundary rather than a flaw; treating them as negotiation spaces will strengthen the entire 2025–2026 architecture.


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