Mixed Reality and Collaborative Experimentation Environments: Higher Education Mentoring in Latin America

Abstract

In recent years, the integration of immersive technologies in education has increased exponentially, leading to a proliferation of use cases, particularly within higher education. Nevertheless, recent bibliometric analyses and systematic reviews indicate that adoption remains largely concentrated in a limited set of countries, notably the United States, China, Canada, and across Europe. However, its implementation in Latin America continues to be constrained by several factors. These include limitations in infrastructure, technical expertise, and the availability of suitable software. In this broader context, and as part of the 'Scientific Mentoring in Latin America' project, the present study seeks to facilitate knowledge transfer through immersive technology, using the Edison eDesk mixed reality software. A series of 16 lectures on empirical research and scientific writing was delivered across six countries, involving eight universities from Ecuador, Argentina, Peru, Colombia, Mexico, and Brazil. The mentoring programme was implemented in the following manner: two live lectures were conceptualised and subsequently delivered via the Teams platform. The initial session focused on the design and conceptualisation of social science research, encompassing the formulation of research problems, the development of the conceptual framework, and the overall structure of a research project. The second session concentrated on methodological design, the analysis of collected data, empirical strategies, the use of technological tools, and guidelines for preparing scientific articles and achieving their publication in high-impact journals. The project was systematically organised into six sequential phases: the coordination and selection of participating universities; the design of training materials and their adaptation to the Edison environment; the implementation of mentoring activities in virtual settings; the collection, cleaning, and processing of data; the conduct of empirical analysis; and the dissemination of scientific outputs.