XXX-X-XXXX-XXXX-X/XX/$XX.00 ©20XX IEEE Design and Evaluation of an Augmented and Virtual Reality Flipped-Learning Course for K-12 Educators Maria Fragkaki Scientific Coordinator Open University of Cyprus Nicosia, Cyprus maria.fragkaki@ouc.ac.cy Stylianos Mystakidis Lead Scientific Expert Open University of Cyprus Nicosia, Cyprus smyst@upatras.gr Giorgos Filippousis Scientific Expert Open University of Cyprus Nicosia, Cyprus filvisg@outlook.com Abstract—Augmented and Virtual Reality are emerging Immersive Technologies that have the potential to enhance learning in schools when applied in meaningful contexts and combined with student-centered pedagogical frameworks. Augmented Reality (AR) enhances the physical environment and can bring any object in the classroom. Virtual Reality (VR) can transport learners anywhere in this universe, immersing them in synthetic environments. In this article we describe the design of a blended training course on AR and VR for K-12 teachers. The overall aim of the course is to facilitate the creation of communities of practice that will inspire, motivate, and empower educators to apply innovative, pedagogically informed learning scenarios using AR and VR. This eight-week professional development course is one of the first of its kind to be developed and offered nation-wide to all educators of a European country. We also outline an elaborate evaluation scheme based on pilot runs and mixed research methods, interconnected with the European Framework for the Digital Competence of Educators. In this course we demonstrate how best practices from previous digital learning and educational technology paradigms, such as Open and Distance Learning and Flipped Learning, can be applied to facilitate teacher training and the mass adoption of Immersive Technologies by teachers in the primary and secondary education. Keywords—virtual reality, augmented reality, teacher professional development, K-12 education, flipped learning, blended learning I. INTRODUCTION: IMMERSIVE TECHNOLOGIES IN K-12 EDUCATION Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) are Immersive Technologies that have the potential to enhance learning in schools and widen the horizon of learning when applied in meaningful contexts and combined with student- centered pedagogical strategies that permeate the narrow boundaries of the classroom [1], [2]. Immersive Technologies enable teachers in all levels of formal education to design and implement lesson plans and projects, to visualize concepts, phenomena and objects, to organize role-play activities, to negotiate empathetically various opinions on a problem or debate, so that learners are capable to handle and eventually solve it [3], [4]. Augmented Reality combines virtual and real objects in an existing, physical environment, and is based on a system that overlays virtual and real objects and interacts in real-time [5]. Virtual Reality features interactive three- dimensional, computer-generated environments that evoke psychological - social or multimodal immersion [6], [7]. AR enhances the physical environment and enables educators and learners to bring and visualize any object in the classroom. VR can transport learners anywhere in this planet and universe, immersing them in synthetic, realistic or fictional environments [8]. In the context of education, AR primary interface devices are smart phones and tablets, while VR can be experienced mainly through computers (desktop VR) and head-mounted displays (immersive VR). In this paper we present the design and evaluation process of a distance education teacher professional development course for AR and VR in Primary and Secondary Education, available to all educators of a European country. II. TEACHER DIGITAL COMPETENCE DEVELOPMENT: THE CASE OF CYPRUS Digital competence is a critical factor for effective teaching and learning. The Digital Education Action Plan [9] of the European Commission includes actions organized under priority areas to assist European Union member states meet the challenges and opportunities of education in the digital age. The two of the three areas of priority are directly linked to teaching/learning issues:  Making better use of digital technology for teaching and learning and  Developing digital competences and skills. The Cyprus Pedagogical Institute initiated a five-year Κ- 12 teachers training programme on digital competence. The programme features ten training courses. Each course has a duration of 8 weeks and will award 2 ECTS that correspond to approximately fifty hours of total study effort. After a successful tender, the authors, affiliated with the Open University of Cyprus, undertook the design and development of the course “Augmented and Virtual Reality in Teaching and Learning”. Other courses focus on the following digital competences: technology-enhanced learning design, internet safety, programming and robotics, interactive whiteboards, collaborative web tools, learning management systems, evaluation and assessment with digital environments, artificial intelligence, and maker spaces. III. DESIGN OF A BLENDED LEARNING COURSE FOR AUGMENTED AND VIRTUAL REALITY IN EDUCATION A. Course Outline and Content The course is organized in four units. The first three units empower educators to reflect theoretically, and interact practically with immersive technologies through a variety of