It should be noted that many elements are repeated in the different areas. Feedback is highlighted in several, as are goals and control, challenge, thematic coherence, and the need for direct action. It is this conceptual overlap that raises hopes for a productive synergy. Convergence Combining these approaches yields a convergent and emergent model of engaging learning. Note that embeddedness differs from immersion, which to me is the physical presentation directly and exclusively to sensory inputs, such as seen in virtual reality environments.
People can get just as engaged in a non-immersive environment as they can in an immersive one.
Interactivity includes having an appropriate level of challenge through a variety of choices of action, effected through direct manipulation of the world of interest, with quick and clear feedback from those actions in ways that reflect the semantics of the world and afford further action choices, and the presence of novel information and events that contribute to those choices. Good learning design will also propose that feedback should be rapid and linked to the problem and the action. Finally, the challenge required to maintain engagement is just the zone of difficulty where learning occurs. This is a rather sketchy treatment of what I see as a richer sharing of common ground. I will maintain that it is the cognitive challenge that distinguishes the truly engaging activity and the truly effective learning.