Progressive Pedagogy for Extended Reality

Abstract

This chapter provides an insight into the theoretical perspectives which form the foundation of extended reality (XR) and its emergence in practice as a fundamental part of science curricula. Issues such as the authenticity of learning, the validity and reliability of XR within processes of assessment, and the theoretical underpinnings of pedagogical approaches in health professions pedagogy are illuminated. Also considered are the implications of XR within the context of science-based learning and the delineation of cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains of learning in relation to patient outcomes at the front line of care in applied scientific practice. The Covid-19 pandemic, which has impacted all science based pedagogic practice since March 2020, is also considered in the context of moves to ensure that science education can continue, albeit via hybrid models of learning as opposed to traditional pedagogical approaches which have remained little altered over the last century.