Have you ever enjoyed using Snapchat stickers and filters that can squeeze your face or turn it into a cat? Have you ever used Google Lens? If so, then you already have witnessed the Augmented Reality application and more likely you will see its influence in your daily life in the near future. With the globe wrapped under the web of technological advancements, the world is now looking for new ways to improve its functionality. From industries, medicine, healthcare, manufacturing, maintenance, and marketing to education Augmented Reality has transformed the way they were before a few years ago. With AR being top trending throughout the world we can predict the innovative and unique applications ruling over the world. With superimposing virtuality in the real world, AR is indeed a promising technological advancement that will revolutionize the world in exceptional ways.
Let’s delve into a deeper understanding of what AR is and how it is enhancing the way of active learning for the students.
What is Augmented Reality?
AR is a wider branch that is incorporated under the tree of XR. Extended Reality (XR) is the terminology used for all the technologies that make a real-time interaction of digital and physical worlds and a true 3D identification of real and virtual objects. It is a blanket term that includes Virtual Reality (VR), Mixed Reality (MR), and Augmented Reality (AR). There is often confusion between these three. Let’s sort out to clarify they are different from one another.
To ‘augment’ is to enhance or add on something to improve it. And this is what AR is. The AR applications enhance the interaction of the real world with computerized information, sounds, visual elements, and other perceptual information. Augmented Reality applications can be easily run on smartphones and tablets. The Users interact with the screen to interpret the digital overlay applied by AR technology. AR was first introduced in the United States in the early 1990s but by 2016 it had extended its users all over the globe. The AR is now greatly used by educational institutions.
VR or Virtual Reality provides its users a mesmerizing experience making them feel they were physically introduced in a virtual environment. It makes the users feel that virtuality is part of real surroundings. Headset and hand-held controllers are required to use VR. It creates a completely simulated environment. The users use goggles, gloves, or helmets to interact fully with the artificial environment.
MR or Mixed Reality is a combination of VR and AR. The best example is zSpace which uses both AR and VR elements to interact with the physical world with the virtual environment. It uses 360-degree audio, 3D glasses, a sensor, a camera, and a stylus which help the users to connect with the virtual world. Users interpret the virtual components that appear on the screen.
Since AR can easily be accessed on smartphones and tablets and doesn’t require complex equipment like headsets, it is the best technology for teaching and learning in the elementary grades than VR or MR. Nearly all educational institutions have computers or tablets to assist students in building a better understanding of the subject.
It has now been widened using augmented reality in the classroom which has enhanced the learning process for the students. We will focus on how AR is being used by educators to create an interactive classroom for students.
Why AR Is Used For Teaching?
AR helps the student to engage in new ways. Some concepts are difficult for students to understand. AR makes it easier by giving them a chance to explore visually. The simulated scientific images and videos help them to develop a better understanding of the topic. Unlike textbooks, augmented reality has made learning personalized for individual students. AR has now made it possible for teachers and students to better sense the images in textbooks and study them in detail. It has been studied that AR improves the performance of students as it helps them to engage and develop an interest in learning.
Records found in academic and scientific literature databases indicate that a tool for teaching three-dimensional anatomy was the first augmented reality system created specifically for use in educational settings. Using a head-mounted display, an augmented reality technology registered and superimposed bone structures on true human anatomical counterparts to teach anatomy. The system’s developers presented it at the first International Conference on Computer Vision, Virtual Reality, and Robotics in Medicine, which took place in Nice, France, in 1995. The system was developed at the University of North Carolina. (J Garzón, 2021)
Anatomy is a tough and critical-thinking subject. It demands full focus and dedication of the students. Since last years Augmented Reality has been serving as the main assistance resource for the students in understanding the complex body processes and structure of organs. The visualized body parts and structure of cells help the students to retain information. On the other hand, it will be more complicated to show real organs in a physical classroom or isolate cells from a plant or human body to see them by microscope.
How The Simulations And Virtual Labs Assist Student’s Learning?
Augmented Reality gives students access to labs while staying at home. The virtual labs provide a great opportunity for the students to dissect a human body or animal on the screen to visualize its body parts. They can also click on the specific organ to see how it works. For example, you can visualize the heart pumping blood throughout the body. They can also see how the mechanism of the process works for example the virtual detail of the digestive system in which the students can view the function of each organ in digesting food. This helps the students to memorize the functions and to get a grip on the details of processes.
Learners can engage in realistic, hands-on activities in a virtual setting through simulations and virtual labs. These interactive tools provide safe and stimulating online learning opportunities for students to apply theoretical knowledge, hone critical thinking abilities, and gain practical experience—activities that would be difficult to replicate in a traditional classroom. Examples of these activities include conducting experiments in a virtual science lab and practicing real-world scenarios in a simulated business setting. ( paytotakemyclassonline, 2023)
The engineering students can use the virtual labs to operate circuits. They can design circuits in different orders to analyze their functionality. Computer-aided designs involve manufacturing, designing, and maintaining objects. They were before built in real life but AR applications such as; WEB3D and Augment are now made for CAD to assist the engineering students. AR can also help students assemble or design products on screen to help them get an idea of what their product will look like in real life.
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Conclusion:
Augmented Reality can help students to build their focus and interest in a particular subject. It helps the students to actively participate during lecture class. Educators can implement the use of AR in the classrooms for improved interaction with the students and to make them more engaged in learning. AR is gradually expanding to take the entire world under its wings. With higher accessibility by smartphones and tablets, It has the greatest potential for classroom use.
References:
Chen, P., Liu, X., Cheng, W. and Huang, R., 2017. A review of using Augmented Reality in Education from 2011 to 2016. Innovations in smart learning, pp.13-18. Online Available At < https://www.mdpi.com/2414-4088/5/7/37 >
PTTMCO.2023. 4 Ways To Enhance The Online Learning Experience. Online Available At < https://paytotakemyclassonline.com/online-learning-experience/ > [Accessed on 07/11/2023].