From Curiosity to Understanding: Immersive Technologies and Interactive Exhibits in Informal STEM Learning – A Case Study of MOTIO

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6239-817-7_5How to use a DOI?

Keywords

informal STEM education; science centres; VR; AR; guided interpretation; hands-on learning; science communication

Abstract

Informal STEM learning environments provide opportunities to engage with science and technology through exploration, interaction, and direct experience beyond formal education. This paper presents the MOTIO Science Centre at the University of Žilina as a case study of integrating virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR), hands-on exhibits, and guided interpretation in informal STEM education. The study uses a descriptive case-study approach based on internal visitor records, programme data, and visitor feedback. Visitor participation, visitor groups, and technology-oriented activities were analysed to describe the development and reach of the centre and the opportunities it provides for informal STEM engagement. Between January–May 2025 and January–May 2026, visitor attendance increased from 1,733 to 2,449, representing an increase of approximately 41%. From January to August 2026, MOTIO and ROBOLab recorded 4,665 visits across school, public, university, Erasmus, summer camp, and other organised and international groups. Visitor feedback from 200 respondents showed that 178 (89%) selected guided visits with spoken explanations, while 17 (8.5%) selected both guided and independent exploration, and 5 (2.5%) did not provide a response. The findings highlight the potential of combining immersive technologies with hands-on exploration and human guidance rather than treating VR/AR as standalone tools. The study demonstrates how a university-based science centre can integrate emerging technologies into accessible informal STEM experiences, while recognising that attendance and participation data do not directly measure learning outcomes or cognitive engagement.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Veronika Obertova
AU  - Katarina Holla
AU  - Elena Birošová
AU  - Monika Antalová
AU  - Nikola Sýkorová
AU  - Natália Maršalová
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/29
TI  - From Curiosity to Understanding: Immersive Technologies and Interactive Exhibits in Informal STEM Learning – A Case Study of MOTIO
BT  - Proceedings of the SAFAR Scientific Conference 2026 – Building Awareness through Immersive Learning (SSC-BAIL 2026)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 40
EP  - 51
SN  - 2667-128X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6239-817-7_5
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6239-817-7_5
ID  - Obertova2026
ER  -