Knowledge Tree

The iLRN Knowledge Tree is the foundation of our network ecosystem. It provides a shared framework for understanding immersive learning as a scientific, professional, and human endeavor. Like a living tree, it connects roots (foundations) , a trunk (core disciplines) , and branches (applications) into a coherent whole. 

 

 🌱 Roots: Foundations of Immersive Learning 

 At its base, the Knowledge Tree is nourished by foundational disciplines: 

 

 

 Computer Science : Technologies, systems, and architectures that make immersive learning possible. 

 

 

 Game Studies & User Experience : Design principles and interaction patterns that create engaging, meaningful environments. 

 

 

 Learning Sciences : Theories, methods, and practices that explain how people learn and how environments can best support them. 

 

 

 These roots ground the field in rigor, research, and interdisciplinary collaboration. 

 

 🌳 Trunk: The Core of Our Discipline 

 The trunk represents immersive learning as an emerging discipline in its own right. 

 

 

 It is the structural connector between roots and branches. 

 

 

 It embodies iLRN’s role as a scholarly and professional association. 

 

 

 It supports the growth of a shared identity for immersive learning professionals worldwide. 

 

 

 Through the trunk, the network cultivates coherence and stability while remaining open to growth. 

 

 🌿 Branches: Application Areas 

 From the trunk grow diverse branches that represent immersive learning in practice. These include: 

 

 

 Assessment & Evaluation (A&E) 

 

 

 Galleries, Libraries, Archives & Museums (GLAM) 

 

 

 Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Access & Social Justice (IDEAS) 

 

 

 STEM Education 

 

 

 Language, Culture & Heritage (LCH) 

 

 

 Medical & Healthcare Education (MHE) 

 

 

 Nature & Environmental Sciences (NES) 

 

 

 Workforce Development & Industry Training (WDIT) 

 

 

 Self and Co-Regulated Learning (SCILE) 

 

 

 Each branch is a space where scholars, practitioners, and communities collaborate, innovate, and apply immersive learning to specific human contexts. 

 

 🌎 The Whole Tree: A Network of Knowledge 

 The Knowledge Tree is more than a metaphor—it is: 

 

 

 A map of the field : showing connections between theory, design, and practice. 

 

 

 A community structure : organizing Special Tracks, Chapters, and working groups. 

 

 

 A living system : adapting as new branches grow and old ones are pruned or grafted. 

 

 

 

 

 📖 How We Use the Knowledge Tree 

 

 

 As a framework for conference tracks, scholarship, and professional activities. 

 

 

 As a navigation system for the iLRN Codex and Virtual Campus. 

 

 

 As a communication tool to explain immersive learning to external audiences. 

 

 

 As a vision anchor that reminds us of our roots, trunk, and branches in every initiative. 

 

 

 

 🌟 Principle 

 The Knowledge Tree reminds us that immersive learning is not one field but many, connected through shared roots and branching applications. By nurturing the whole tree, iLRN fosters a thriving ecosystem where immersive learning can flourish and serve humanity.