Special Session 6

SPECIAL SESSION #6

David Checa Cruz

University of Burgos, Spain

• dcheca@ubu.es

Carola Gatto

University of Salento, Italy

• carola.gatto@unisalento.it

Kim Martínez García

University of Burgos, Spain

• kmartinez@ubu.es

Rapid technological advancements have provided new and innovative ways to approach learning, education and cultural heritage enhancement. eXtended reality (XR) and serious games have become increasingly popular in these domains, offering unique opportunities to engage users in interactive and immersive experiences. This special session is aimed at experts in the field of XR and serious games, to discuss and showcase their latest research and development efforts in using these technologies for learning and education, cultural heritage enhancement and accessibility for people with special needs.

The session will cover a variety of topics including but not limited to:

• The use of XR and serious games in classroom education and professional training.
• Innovative applications of XR and serious games for cultural heritage preservation, including virtual museums and historical reenactments.
• The role of XR and serious games in promoting accessibility for people with special needs, such as those with visual or auditory impairments.
• Emerging trends and future directions for the use of XR and serious games in learning and education, cultural heritage preservation, and accessibility for people with special needs.

We invite researchers, educators, industry professionals, and students to submit abstracts that relate to these topics and share their insights and experiences with the community. The special session will provide a platform for cross-disciplinary collaboration and knowledge exchange, fostering the advancement of XR and serious games in these domains.

• eXtended Reality for Game-based learning
• eXtended Reality and Serious games in cultural heritage
• eXtended Reality and Serious games in education
• eXtended Reality and Serious games for accessibility for people with special needs

David Checa is Assistant Professor at the University of Burgos (Spain). His research focuses mainly on the advantages and limitations of educational applications of Immersive Virtual Reality in learning, his PhD topic. Has published numerous articles and book chapters on the same topics and has presented several papers at international conferences on virtual reality and learning. Has received mobility grants for research stays at the University of Querétaro (2019-2021). Is member of the ADMIRABLE research group at the University of Burgos.

Carola Gatto is a Ph.D. student in Science for Cultural Heritage at the University of Salento (Lecce). Her current research interests deal with digital curation in museology, eXtended Reality for cultural heritage, and the relation between museum fruition and wellbeing. She graduated magna cum laude with a master’s degree in European Heritage, Digital Media and the Information Society at the University of Salento in A.Y. 2017/2018.
After graduation, she spent one year as a research fellow at AVR Lab (Augmented and Virtual Reality Laboratory) of the Department of Engineering for Innovation of the University of Salento, during which she has been involved in some Italian and international projects in the field of Cultural Heritage.

Kim Martínez is PhD at the University of Burgos (Spain). She obtained a grant from the Spanish Ministry to develop her PhD topic: a virtual reality video game to teach depression to children. Her research focuses on the design and development of serious games, specializing in their application to mental health. She has published articles and book chapters and has presented several papers at international conferences on these topics. She has received mobility grants for research stays at the University of Gdansk and the University of Salento (2021). She is a member of the BEST-AI research group at the University of Burgos.