Challenges of Interacting with XR Technologies in Educational Contexts

This Special Issue builds upon the XR4EDU 2025 Workshop, which will take place at ACM IMX 2025 on June 3, 2025. It focuses on the challenges and opportunities of using Extended Reality (XR) technologies in educational settings, emphasizing both educator and learner perspectives.

We are pleased to invite:

  • Extended versions of selected papers presented at the XR4EDU Workshop, and
  • New original contributions from researchers and practitioners who explore XR in educational contexts.

Scope

Currently, we can observe that one of the biggest challenges in classrooms is the use of mobile devices and computers as tools to support the teaching-learning process. Specifically, we have tools in the form of games and digital environments, with an emphasis on those based on Extended Reality (XR), a term that encompasses technologies such as Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and Mixed Reality.

With that in mind, we invite you, your research group, and academic partners to participate in this Special Issue for the Journal on Interactive Systems, with the goal of bringing together educators and students from Basic Education, Higher Education Institutions, as well as other professionals and researchers in the Education field, to promote the sharing of different perspectives, experiences, and knowledge.

We welcome submissions that explore how immersive and interactive technologies—such as Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and Mixed Reality—impact the educational experience. Methods for integrating XR in the classroom

Topics of Interest (but not limited to)

  1. Case studies from Basic Education or Higher Education
  2. Barriers to implementation, such as infrastructure and accessibility
  3. Learner and educator perspectives on XR
  4. Research on XR’s role in engagement, personalization, and collaboration
  5. Ethical and sustainability issues in XR adoption

Paper Submission

All manuscripts must be submitted through the SBC Open Lib platform and conform to the JIS submission guidelines. Submissions may include:

  • Extended versions of workshop papers (at least 40% new content),
  • Case studies,
  • Original research papers,
  • Exploratory or conceptual articles.

We strongly encourage submissions from authors beyond the workshop—especially those with original contributions related to XR in education.

Submissions must follow the journal's guidelines for authors. Authors must read and follow these instructions carefully when preparing their manuscripts. We strongly recommend reading the journal's editorial workflow (all papers will follow it, including the selected papers of XR4EDU 2025 Workshop) and guidelines for reviewers.

All submissions will undergo peer review by at least three reviewers, including experts in HCI, XR, computer graphics, education, and related areas.

📎 Submit at: https://sol.sbc.org.br/journals/index.php/jis/about/submissions

📄 Use the official JIS LaTeX template and follow the submission instructions.

Important Dates

  • Submission deadline: September 29, 2025
  • Review notifications: November 15, 2025
  • Revised submissions: November 30, 2025
  • Final decision: December 10, 2025
  • Camera-ready version: December 20, 2025
  • Publication deadline: January 10, 2026

Special Issue Editors

Laura Coura, UFOP – Brazil: Laura is a Ph.D. student from Federal University of Ouro Preto - Brazil, and has obtained in the same university a Master’s degree in Computer Science with focus in technology integration in education, especially Virtual and Augmented Realities. In her research, she took part in the development and implementation of a workshop for teachers, aiming to educate them in how to design immersive games.

Reinaldo Fortes, UFOP – Brazil: Reinaldo has a wide formation in Computer Science, with Ph.D. from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) in 2022, MSc. from the Aeronautics Technology Institute (ITA) in 2004, graduation from the Federal University of Ouro Preto (UFOP), in 2002 , and Technical Course at the Federal Technical School of Ouro Preto (ETFOP) in 1993. He is an Associate Professor at UFOP, teaching algorithms and data structures, computer programming, and recommender systems disciplines. He has over 20 years of academic and professional experience, acting mainly in the following areas: artificial intelligence, recommender systems, data analysis, software development, interactive television and distributed hypermedia applications. It is currently dedicated to research involving content personalization and the use of information technologies in the teaching/learning process, guiding undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Saul Delabrida, UFOP – Brazil: Saul became Ph.D. in 2018 and is an Associate Professor at Federal University of Ouro Preto, in Brazil. He is a founder and the current coordinator of the XR4Good lab at the same university. He has experience in research by using Virtual and Augmented reality for training people on basic education and industrial scenarios. Also, he is the coordinator of granted research projects on these subjects in his home country. Saul also has experience supervising students. He has also participated in events in the field of Education and HCI.

Sílvia Amélia Bim, UTFPR – Brazil: Sílvia became Ph.D. in 2009 and is an Associate Professor at Federal University of Technology - Paraná, in Brazil, teaching Human-Computer Interaction and Introduction to Programming disciplines. She has over 20 years of academic experience, acting mainly in the following areas: Human-Computer Interaction, Education in Computing, Women in Computing, Semiotic Engineering, Altruistic Language. Sílvia is also a children's book writer, with four titles published about Computing personalities. For the past 15 years, Sílvia has worked on the Meninas Digitais Program, both as a coordinator and as a consultant. She has experience as a member of the Brazilian Computer Society Education Committees from 2020 to 2024, which determines, among other aspects, the guidelines for including computing in basic education.