SEBERAPA EFEKTIF MEDIA VIRTUAL DALAM PENDIDIKAN JARAK JAUH? TINJAUAN SISTEMATIS DAN SINTESIS HASIL CAPAIAN BELAJAR

Virtual media—including instructional video, virtual laboratories/simulations, virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR), and synchronous virtual classrooms—has been widely adopted in distance education (DE) to substitute for or complement face-to-face interaction. However, evidence on the extent of its impact on learning achievement remains scattered across reviews that each focus on a single media type or discipline. This study presents a systematic literature review (SLR) and cross-media synthesis of virtual media within the context of distance/open education, examining 25 studies—including several meta-analyses—published between 2014 and 2026. The synthesis shows that the effectiveness of virtual media on learning achievement is heterogeneous and depends on the type of media: instructional video shows a strong positive effect (g = 0.80) on higher-education learning; virtual laboratories/simulations consistently show large effects on concept mastery (SMD ranging from 0.94 to 0.98), particularly in science and engineering; whereas VR/AR and synchronous virtual classrooms show more variable results—positive for engagement and motivation, but not always significant for academic achievement scores compared with conventional learning. This cross-media review also reveals that intervention duration, educational level, and degree of interactivity (students manipulating versus merely observing simulations) are important moderating factors that are rarely discussed explicitly in prior single-medium virtual media SLRs. These findings underscore the need for an evaluation framework that distinguishes virtual media types explicitly, rather than generalizing “virtual media” as a single intervention category in distance education.