Unlocking academic gains in smart-classroom settings: A moderated-mediation study among Chinese undergraduates

China's higher education system has invested heavily in the development of sensor-rich smart classrooms, but how these environments translate into academic benefits remains a mystery. Guided by the sociocultural theory of Vygotsky, this paper surveyed 421 undergraduates selected from 3 large universities in Project 985, Project 211, and local universities. Three waves of survey data were collected to obtain demographic information and assessment of the immersive smart-classroom environment, smart tech learning enjoyment, teacher artificial intelligence facilitation, study-oriented social media exposure, and perceived technology-enhanced academic performance. All instruments were based on validated scales, piloted with 30 students to optimize wording and verify reliability and the data were analyzed using partial-least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) with mediation, moderation and multi-group analyses. The model fit was fairly good (SRMR = 0.058, NFI = 0.91). P-ISCE was a direct predictor of technology-enhanced academic performance (b = 0.308, p < 0.001) and an indirect predictor of technology-enhanced academic performance through smart tech learning enjoyment (b = 0.220, p < 0.001). Indirectly, the teacher AI mediation was strengthened, whereas the social media exposure of a study did not. Measurement invariance tests showed that the model was robust across gender, major, and year of study. Results suggest that psychological enjoyment triggered by immersive smart-classroom infrastructure is an important source of perceived improvement in academics. Teacher-directed scaffolding with AI boosts this pleasure-performance relationship, while off-campus social-media cues provide little additional gain. Universities should therefore combine hardware investment with professional development to help faculty use AI dashboards for just-in-time scaffolding and learning design that will make lessons fun for students.