This study introduces an educational framework that merges 3D modeling with AI-assisted narrative interaction to apply digital technology in cultural heritage education, exemplified by an ancient carriage culture. Through immersive tasks and contextual narratives, the course notably improved learners’ professional skills and cultural awareness. Experimental results revealed significant knowledge acquisition among participants post-engagement. Additionally, the user experience improved, with increased satisfaction in the narrative interaction design course. These enhancements led to heightened interest in cultural heritage and deeper knowledge acquisition. Utilizing Norman’s three-layer interaction model, Ryan’s contextual narrative theory, and Falk and Dierking’s museum learning experience model, the study developed a systematic course for multi-sensory design and contextual interaction, confirming the positive impact of multimodal interaction on learning outcomes. This research provides theoretical support for the digital transformation of cultural education and practical examples for educational practitioners and cultural institutions to implement in virtual presentations and online learning.

The application of artificial intelligence has significantly advanced interactive storytelling. However, current research has predominantly concentrated on the content generation capabilities of AI, primarily following a one-way ‘input-direct generation’ model. This has led to limited practicality in AI story writing, mainly due to the absence of investigations into user-driven creative processes. Consequently, users often perceive AI-generated suggestions as unhelpful and unsatisfactory. This study introduces a novel creative tool named Story Forge, which incorporates a card-based interactive narrative approach. By utilizing interactive story element cards, the tool facilitates the integration of narrative components with artificial intelligence-generated content to establish an interactive story writing framework. To evaluate the efficacy of Story Forge, two tests were conducted with a focus on user engagement, decision-making, narrative outcomes, the replay value of meta-narratives, and their impact on the users’ emotions and self-reflection. In the comparative assessment, the participants were randomly assigned to either the experimental group or the control group, in which they would use either a web-based AI story tool or Story Forge for story creation. Statistical analyses, including independent-sample t-tests, p-values, and effect size calculation (Cohen’s d), were employed to validate the effectiveness of the framework design. The findings suggest that Story Forge enhances users’ intuitive creativity, real-time story development, and emotional expression while empowering their creative autonomy.

This study introduces an educational framework that integrates AI-driven contextualized narrative interaction with cultural heritage called CH-SAIN . The framework aims to apply digital technology to cultural heritage education through a cognitive synergy enhancement model grounded in immersive/embodied learning and digital heritage narrative theories. Supported by situational learning, multimodal cognitive-skill development, and cultural heritage theories, this systematic framework combines three-dimensional modeling with immersive narrative interaction (such as first-person-role embodied storytelling, simulated touch, visual perception, and auditory feedback). It develops cultural heritage classroom courseware and implements systematic courses. Immersive task design and contextualized narratives significantly enhance learners' professional skills and cultural cognition. Quantitative and qualitative analyses comparing it to web-based museum learning show improved knowledge retention, interest, and satisfaction with narrative-based interactive courses, fostering greater interest in cultural heritage and deeper cognitive understanding. This research supports the digital transformation of cultural education and provides practical examples for educational practitioners and cultural institutions in virtual exhibitions and online learning. It confirms the positive impact of AI-assisted contextualization and multimodal narrative interaction on learning outcomes in cultural heritage contexts.

Virtual reality interaction design and story co-creation design for multiple users is an interdisciplinary research field that merges human–computer interaction, creative design, and virtual reality technologies. Story co-creation design enables multiple users to collectively generate and share narratives, allowing them to contribute to the storyline, modify plot trajectories, and craft characters, thereby facilitating a dynamic storytelling experience. Through advanced virtual reality interaction design, collaboration and social engagement can be further enriched to encourage active participation. This study investigates the facilitation of narrative creation and enhancement of storytelling skills in virtual reality by leveraging existing research on story co-creation design and virtual reality technology. Subsequently, we developed and evaluated the virtual reality card-based collaborative storytelling platform Co-Relay. By analyzing interaction data and user feedback obtained from user testing and experimental trials, we observed substantial enhancements in user engagement, immersion, creativity, and fulfillment of emotional and social needs compared to a conventional web-based storytelling platform. The primary contribution of this study lies in demonstrating how the incorporation of story co-creation can elevate storytelling proficiency, plot development, and social interaction within the virtual reality environment. Our novel methodology offers a fresh outlook on the design of collaborative narrative creation in virtual reality, particularly by integrating participatory multi-user storytelling platforms that blur the traditional boundaries between creators and audiences, as well as between fiction and reality.