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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.

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