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Challenges of conducting site visit activities, a vital component of architecture learning during the recent pandemic have proved our unreadiness in facing the digital future. The lack of understanding of learning technology has affected the education experience. Thus, there is a need to investigate immersive learning technology such as immersive virtual reality (IVR) to replace students’ concrete experience in the current learning setting. This study aims to answer: (1) What is the influence of IVR in experiential learning (EL) in enhancing the personal spatial experience? (2) Does IVR in EL influence students' approach to learning during the architecture design process?

The research was conducted as an action research design approach. Action research was employed in the first-year architecture design studio by the lecturer as a practitioner-researcher. The personal spatial experience survey was performed in the earlier phase to identify the students’ prior spatial experience. Architectural Spatial Experience Simulation (ASES) a learning tool was implemented and assessed with Architecture Design Learning Assessment (ADLA) rubric, which was developed to evaluate EL and student’s approach to learning during the architecture design learning process.

The outcomes revealed that ASES as a learning tool in EL could improve the participants’ spatial experience, particularly those with minimal prior personal spatial experience. ASES was recognized to enhance the participants’ EL experience and encourage changes in student’s approach to learning from surface to deep learning.

This research benefits the architecture design learning process by offering a learning tool and a framework to resolve challenges in performing site visit activities and digital learning. It also contributes by expanding the EL theory and students’ approach to learning knowledge in the architecture education field.

Formal architecture curriculum necessitates students to observe their architectural experience and environment, which cannot be comprehended entirely in a classroom alone. However, complications in handling site visits and the Covid-19 pandemic can affect their overall learning experience. This study seeks to uncover (1) how a learning tool can be designed to actively enrich novice designers' personal spatial understanding and (2) how will the experiential learning (EL) with immersive learning technology (ILT) replace the actual concrete experience (CE) in enriching the novice designers' personal spatial experience during the architecture design process.

The current research focuses on novice designers (first-year architecture students) who seem to lack personal spatial experience. Findings from a personal spatial experience survey (PSES) conducted in the earlier stage of the research established that each learner had had a different level of spatial experience, which affected their approach in the design process. A learning tool called Architectural Spatial Experience Simulation (ASES) was designed, developed, implemented and evaluated with an experiential learning model (ELM) framework.

The findings suggest that the use of ASES in the ELM significantly increased the learners' spatial experience. However, the simulation and framework demonstrated a different effect on the participants' spatial experience, particularly on learners with minimal spatial experience.

This study benefits the architecture learning process by providing a tool and a framework to remedy the emerging issue concerning novice designers. The finding contributes to the body of knowledge by expanding the application of EL theory in architecture education.

This study intends to review the existing studies on the application of immersive learning technology (ILT) in architecture education field. A systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted on the characteristics and implementation of ILT, research purpose, approach and outcome of research.

The PICO concept (Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome measures) was used to form the research keywords. The Scopus database was searched and supported by supplementary search on Google Scholar, ProQuest, Emerald Insight and Springer Link. Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 19 peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2013 and 2019 were identified.

Virtual reality was found to be the most prevalent ILT applied in architecture education and commonly used as simulation. Most of the studies were applied in year-two architecture study and were mainly implemented for architecture design subject. Very few studies have associated the use of ILT with learning theories, and most of the existing studies have examined the effect of ILT on learning performance. Motivation was found to be the dominant emotional state, and most of the interventions deal with a higher cognitive level.

Only a small number of articles were selected due to the limited number of studies on the subject. Nevertheless, analysis of the selected few has provided valuable insight into the current scenario of the research topic.

This study adds to the existing literature by examining the existing empirical evidence on ILT intervention in the architecture education field. The findings will contribute towards innovating the learning process among architecture students and encouraging the use the ILT as part of architecture education system in higher education institutions.