# Virtual Environments and Augmented Reality Applied to Heritage Education. An Evaluative Study
## 4 Discussion and Conclusions  
After analysing all of the variables of the study and applying the Q-Edtatage scale, the results underline the fact that there is a coherence between the items which make up the educational structure of the programs [50,51], although their quality is average or low. A large proportion of the programs assessed do not achieve the level of quality required in terms of their educational design, or only do so with conditions. The results are an improvement in comparison with other previous studies [48,49,52] and, given that the design of the programs which make up the sample corresponds to the most up-to-date designs, this can be interpreted as a gradual improvement in the conceptualisation of educational proposals. However, aspects such as the overall focus of the heritage [53,54,55] or the internal assessment of the programs continue to be aspects in need of improvement, as has already been shown by previous studies [48,49,52,56,57,58]. In the preparation stage of this study, one of the initial hypotheses suggested that all of the programs containing the search descriptors would be confined to a virtual learning environment (VLE), meaning that all of them allow for educational interactions on the internet. However, after the analysis of the contents of the description of the programs specifically reflecting the use of environments, virtual resources, and/or AR, it can be concluded that only 44% of them contained virtual contexts, platforms, environments, spaces, and communities in their description. Of these, although the majority describe only the learning of the user, only some point towards the exchange, digital twinning, and creation of networks as learning strategies. The remaining 56% do not correspond to educational proposals developed in virtual environments. Rather, they allude to the use of digital educational resources and tools integrated within them. In this second group, the incorporation of museums, exhibitions, and virtual rooms (24%) stands out, along with the development of virtual itineraries (virtual route/walk/tour/trip are the terms recorded) (13%), the use of virtual reality (9.5%), virtual visits to digitalised environments (7.14%) and, to a lesser extent, the use of virtual guides, replicas, recreations, reconstructions, the digitalisation of monuments and 3D objects, virtual educational material, apps and virtual games, and interactive virtual tools. As far as the term AR is concerned, its use is only explicit in a minority of the programs (3.57%). However, due to their similarities, in many cases, these terms are used as synonyms. This implies that  
Figure 11: Box plots of the average scores of Item 11 (presentation of contents addressed) according to the typology of the program. these concepts are not clear for those who design the proposals, given that \"augmented reality\" (AR) enables the users to visualise elements or spaces via a digital device in the real world [17] and \"virtual reality\" (VR) transports the user to a projected context which may be immersive [14] via physical accessories such as glasses or headphones. In turn, we consider that this analogy in terms can be extended in society as it is an emerging technology [59; 60]. After analysing the possibilities that the projects show with the implementation of virtual technologies, certain aspects stand out: the elimination of barriers of space and time, facilitation in the exchange of experiences among users, cooperation and collaboration among agents, the opening of new paths for transmission and communication, an increase in motivation, the development of attitudes of awareness and respect towards the role of heritage, the appearance of new ways of approaching heritage and educational experiences, and new forms of interaction.