Learning Effects of an AI–VR Integrated Educational Content for Age-Friendly Bathroom Design

This study examines the learning effects of an integrated educational content that combines AI-generated instructional video guides with a VR-based experiential bathroom environment designed to enhance understanding of age-friendly design principles. As the bathroom represents one of the most critical Life Spaces for older adults—closely linked to autonomy, fall prevention, dignity, and the sustainability of community-based aging-in-place—this study investigates how university students develop conceptual, spatial, and socio-contextual understanding through multimodal learning. The AI videos provided structured explanations of risk factors, design principles, and planning strategies based on convergent knowledge from gerontology, environmental psychology, behavioral science, and design studies. Complementing this, the VR environment enabled learners to visually inspect bathroom configurations across three levels and identify risk-prone spatial elements from an older adult’s perspective. Quantitative analyses showed consistently high ratings for usefulness, clarity, appropriateness, and perceived understanding across AI and VR components. Qualitative findings further revealed enhanced recognition of fall-related risks, deeper interpretation of spatial elements such as lighting, flooring, and circulation, and embodied empathy toward older adults’ perceptual and behavioral constraints. Learners also reconceptualized the bathroom as both a personal Life Space and a Social Care Space linked to aging-in-place sustainability. Together, these results demonstrate a dual-reinforcement mechanism in which conceptual explanations from AI and spatial immersion from VR mutually strengthen learning. The study confirms the pedagogical value of AI–VR integrated models in age-friendly design education and highlights their potential for broader dissemination across citizen education, community learning, and future professional training.