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This preliminary study examined how users leveraged three different types of signaling elements in Scale Worlds, an immersive virtual reality (IVR) application designed to improve size and scale cognition. Signaling elements, which are instructional cues in the form of graphics, colors, sounds, or text in IVR, may improve learning outcomes by enhancing related cognitive processes. However, it is unclear the extent to which learners utilize these signaling elements in practice. A think-aloud protocol was used to examine how participants engaged with signaling elements, with thematic analysis suggesting that numerical measures were a particularly salient cue for conceptualizing the size and scale of entities in IVR. These findings can guide design decisions for future work on educational IVR in the context of size and scale cognition or STEM education, as implementing numerical measures to facilitate mathematical reasoning in IVR environments may bolster learning outcomes related to numeracy and conceptual understanding. 

The Human Factors Extended Reality (XR) Showcase is an annual, interactive hands-on demonstration session of XR technologies and applications. Attendees can walk to different stations to experience the applications while the presenter explains. The 12 interactive demonstration stations highlight the integration of XR technologies and other technologies, including haptic devices and artificial intelligence, to enable human factor research and applications that span training, learning, research assessment, and simulations. Aligned with the mission of HFES, the purpose of the XR Showcase is to enable individuals to acquire knowledge about XR applications through interactive demonstrations, increase exposure of XR to the HFES community, support content visualization of interdisciplinary research, and create an exchange forum to support communication and collaboration. 

Virtual reality (VR) is increasingly utilized in education, yet its effectiveness can vary due to potential distractions and excessive workload. Prior research suggests that virtual signaling elements can enhance learning in VR environments. However, the effectiveness of different design elements for specific learning content and their impact on learner workload remain understudied. This study examines the influence of graphic armatures, multimodal cues, and numeric measures on scale learning in Scale Worlds, a VR learning environment for exploring scientific entities across multiple scales. Preliminary results indicate that numeric measures notably enhance learning outcomes by providing direct scale representations. It shows that different virtual elements can variably affect learners’ scale learning outcomes and behaviors and can lead to varying levels of workload. This study underscores the importance of aligning the design of virtual elements with educational objectives and ensuring they induce an appropriate level of workload for learning in VR learning environment.