The impact of immersive technologies and intelligent avatars on the cognitive engagement of distance learning students

Abstract

The relevance of the study is due to the transformation of distance learning under the influence of digital technologies, which actualizes the problem of increasing students’      cognitive involvement as a key factor in the effectiveness of the educational process, since traditional online learning formats often do not provide a sufficient level of active cognitive participation, which reduces the quality of knowledge acquisition. The purpose of the article is to theoretically substantiate the influence of immersive technologies and intellectual avatars on the mechanisms underlying the formation of cognitive involvement among distance learning students, and to develop a conceptual model of interaction that reflects the structural and functional aspects of this process. The methodological basisof the study is the analysis and generalization of scientific sources, structural-functional modeling, comparative analysis of educational environments and systematization of theoretical approaches. As a result of the study, the structural components of cognitive involvement were identified and systematized, including attention, depth of information processing, motivational involvement, the interactivity of thinking and the presence effect. A comparative analysis of the levels of cognitive engagement in traditional distance learning, an immersive environment and an immersive environment with an intellectual avatar was carried out, which showed a gradual increase in indicators of attention, depth of understanding, activity and quality of feedback with increasing technological integration. A conceptual model of interaction “student – immersive environment –intellectual avatar” was developed, designed to explain the mechanisms of cognitive engagement formation and substantiate the synergistic effect of the combination of sensory experience and adaptive support. Its application allowed generalizing the cause-and-effect relationships among the components of educational interaction and demonstrated that the maximum level of cognitive engagement is achieved in an integrated, immersive-intellectual environment. Conclusions. It was established that students’ cognitive engagement grows most effectively in conditions where educational interaction takes on an interactive-dialogical and personalized character. The developed conceptual model summarizes the mechanisms underlying the formation of cognitive engagement as a result of the systemic interaction among the student, the digital environment, and the intellectual avatar and can serve as a theoretical basis for designing adaptive educational systems.