Interdisciplinary Research Towards Creating a Design Framework for Adaptable Virtual Learning Environments

This work-in-progress paper describes an interdisciplinary research project which relies on innovation in computer science to enhance pedagogy for second language learning and teaching. A design framework for adaptation was applied to a virtual reality teaching environment aimed at teaching prepositions to learners of English as a foreign/second language. The design was informed by Cognitive Learning Theory [1], [2], [3], Cognitive Linguistics [4]-[6], and Enaction Theory [7]; more precisely, the virtual reality teaching environment presents physical tasks specifically designed to teach the different senses of the preposition `over' based on Tyler and Evan's theoretical framework [8]. The dynamic environment provides real-time data on the actions and progress of the students allowing for empirical analysis of the effects of changes on learning outcomes.