  With rapid developments in consumer-level head-mounted displays and computer
graphics, immersive VR has the potential to take online and remote learning
closer to real-world settings. However, the effects of such digital
transformations on learners, particularly for VR, have not been evaluated in
depth. This work investigates the interaction-related effects of sitting
positions of learners, visualization styles of peer-learners and teachers, and
hand-raising behaviors of virtual peer-learners on learners in an immersive VR
classroom, using eye tracking data. Our results indicate that learners sitting
in the back of the virtual classroom may have difficulties extracting
information. Additionally, we find indications that learners engage with
lectures more efficiently if virtual avatars are visualized with realistic
styles. Lastly, we find different eye movement behaviors towards different
performance levels of virtual peer-learners, which should be investigated
further. Our findings present an important baseline for design decisions for VR
classrooms.
