Learning Analytics and Classroom Management in Specialized Environments: Enhancing the VR Classroom for CS Teacher Education

The teachers’ attention is an important factor in managing a classroom effectively. It affects students’ learning outcomes and is different for novice and experienced teachers. However, teaching classroom management, especially for specialized subjects like computer science where specific equipment is necessary, can be challenging. Moreover, it is difficult to provide real-life training opportunities as lessons cannot be repeated and experimentation time is very limited. This is particularly problematic for novice teachers and teacher students. To address this and support this issue, virtual reality and immersive learning can be used to simulate classroom scenarios and provide (data-driven and personal) feedback to pre-service teachers. In this paper, the subject-specific dimensions of computer science classroom management are discussed and a virtual computer lab for training purposes is proposed. Additionally, the potential of learning analytics to help learners reflect on their experiences is theory-led derived. The developments presented can be used to examine subject-specific differences between computer science and other subjects, as well as cultural differences between teachers around the world and differences between novices and more experienced teachers.