Design and Evaluation of Student-Centred Virtual Learning Environments: A Digital Neuroeducation Approach

Abstract

The accelerated expansion of virtual learning environments has profoundly reshaped educational dynamics, creating the need for models that place the student at the centre and attend to their cognitive well-being. In this context, digital neuroeducation has emerged as an integrative approach that brings together knowledge from the neurosciences, human cognition, and educational technology to more accurately understand how students process, organise, and apply information in digitally mediated settings. This conceptual framework supports the design and evaluation of learning experiences that are more personalised, adaptive, and emotionally meaningful, provided that pedagogical structures incorporate attentional, motivational, and socio-emotional factors from the outset. The aim of this study is to examine the models, approaches, and criteria reported in the scientific literature that underpin the design and evaluation of student-centred virtual environments from the perspective of digital neuroeducation, in order to clarify their theoretical bases, conceptual contributions, and implications for the development of experiences aligned with cognitive processes. Employing a systematic review approach, a rigorous protocol was applied to identify relevant trends, gaps, and principles, highlighting the need to balance technology, pedagogy, and brain functioning in order to strengthen the quality of contemporary digital education.