Paradigm Shift from Classical to Immersive Cinema and Technology: The Impact on Teaching Pedagogy and Students’ Learning Experiences in Higher Education

This research examines the transition from traditional film to immersive cinema in relation to how this shift reconstructs narrative structure and subsequently transforms the ways in which teachers teach and students study. Immersive cinema as an approach offers the opportunity to envision different educational practices by offering new storytelling methods that adjust traditional pedagogy. The research will take a primarily qualitative filmic textual analysis of significant immersive education examples alongside a reflexive literature review, with a focus on immersive films and digital environments using Mixed Reality (MR), Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) technologies. The discussion demonstrates exploratory case study analyses of immersive educational work that illustrates how immersive storytelling can be transformational in learning experiences, potentially affecting motivation and positively improving student academic performance through simulation of the learning scenario. The research illustrates that immersive cinema provides interactive participatory learning environments that narrow the gap between theory and practice and promote a deeper level of engagement and intimacy of communication between students and teachers. With the transformation associated with immersive cinema, the research identifies barriers to the effective use of immersive cinema in traditional classroom educational contexts, including technological limitations, high expense, and consequent staff training needs. Considering the findings of the research, recommendations are included to support teachers in using immersive technologies.