You can handle, you can teach it: Systematic review on the use of extended reality and artificial intelligence technologies for online higher education

Abstract

Over the past year, defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, we have witnessed a boom in applying key emerging technologies in education. In such challenging situations, technology and education expanded their work together to strengthen and interactively impact the learning process in the online higher education context. From a pedagogical perspective, extended reality (XR) and artificial intelligence (AI) were accessible toolboxes to amplify an active and learner-centered teaching method. Whether and how such activities will continue in a post-COVID-19 situation remains unclear. In this systematic literature review, we document the application of XR and AI in online higher education settings and build up an accurate depiction of their influence after the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. A significant contribution of the thorough analysis conducted was the corroboration of the growing interest of these fast-emerging technologies and their impact on learner agency and outcomes, making online education more accessible, effective, engaging, collaborative, self-paced, and adapted to the diverse academic trajectories. The momentum brought about by the pandemic has served as an impulse for educators and universities to expand the use of these technologies progressively, meet new challenges, and shape the future of online higher education.