scholarly journals Use of Augmented Reality (AR) to aid bioscience education and enrich student experience

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura E. Reeves ◽  
Edward Bolton ◽  
Matthew Bulpitt ◽  
Alex Scott ◽  
Ian Tomey ◽  
...  

In recent years, development of new technologies designed to enhance user experience have accelerated, often being used in modern media including in films and games. Specifically, immersive experiences such as Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) have redefined how digital media can be delivered, encouraging us to interact with and explore our environment. Reciprocally, as the power of these technologies has advanced, the associated costs to implement them has decreased making them more cost-effective and feasible to deliver in a variety of settings. Despite the cost reduction, several issues remain with accessibility due to the knowledgebase required to generate, optimise and deliver 3D-digital content in both AR and VR. Here we sought to integrate an AR-based experience into a level 4 Biochemistry module to support the delivery of university lectures on protein structure and function. Traditionally, this topic would comprise 2D still images of complex 3D structures. By combining a breadth of subject-specific and technological expertise from across the university, we developed an AR-enhanced learning experience hosted on Zapworks AR platform. AR enabled full illustration of the complexity of these 3D structures while promoting collaboration through a shared user experience. Assessing the impact of the AR-experience via a formative test and survey revealed that despite only a modest increase in test performance, students overwhelmingly reported positively on the engaging nature and interactivity of AR. Critically, expanding our repertoire of content delivery formats will support the forward-thinking blended learning environments adopted across the higher education sector.

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 127-153
Author(s):  
Joseph Schembri

This study probes the MCAST insurance apprenticeship scheme and the impact of apprentices on the local insurance companies, acting as sponsors. This study is of particular relevance since the local insurance firms are experiencing growth but have the challenge of employee turnover and skills shortage. This research study investigates the work-based learning experience of students, the mentoring of apprentices and the supervising procedures adopted by MCAST and the insurance firms. The purpose is to analyse the impact of MCAST trainees on local insurance firms and depict practical recommendations to ameliorate the learning experience of the apprentices. The recommendations emanating from this study, assist MCAST to develop high-performance apprenticeship schemes and assist the local insurance industry, in the recruiting and training of young employees. This qualitative research gathers data through nine in-depth, semi-structured interviews and adopts the Grounded Theory Methodology to address the research problem and attain the stated objectives. The researcher adopts the constructivist approach incorporating an inductive and abductive stance. The findings emanating from the data illustrate the need to promote the insurance industry as a provider of stable and fulfilling careers with the possibility of job mobility. MCAST and the insurance firms need to enhance their collaboration to promote the insurance apprenticeship, among young learners, even at secondary level. An overhaul of the mentoring and supervising approach is needed to provide a work-based learning experience of excellence to MCAST apprentices. MCAST apprenticeship is considered by the insurance executives as the best training opportunity to recruit skilled workers and create networks. The scheme is cost effective to the firms and is considered as a long-term investment in human resources. A well-planned strategy to enhance collaboration and share knowledge between the leading VET provider of the Maltese Islands and the insurance industry is required for the benefit of the apprentices who are the future employees of the local insurance firms.


2018 ◽  
pp. 1660-1678
Author(s):  
Giuliana Guazzaroni

Mobile augmented reality offers important opportunities for learning. Moreover, it may represent new challenges for teachers and researchers. Implementing an augmented reality (AR) or a virtual reality (VR) learning experience involves the exploration of unusual pedagogical and technological boundaries. According to recent studies, it would be more productive to consider the augmented reality as a concept rather than an educational technology (Guazzaroni, 2015; Wu et al., 2013). This chapter is devoted to analyze a high school class of 23 students invited to use AR and VR tools to create their own study material. They are about 16-year-old attending Istituto Tecnico Tecnologico “Eustachio Divini” in San Severino Marche, Italy. The basic idea of the trial is to create a short printed document augmented with the technologies of AR and VR. The experience is evaluated using tests and direct observation. The aim is to observe the impact of augmented mobile learning and to demonstrate that AR and VR study material may represent a new communication object adequate to teach future students.


Author(s):  
Steve Mackay ◽  
Darrell Fisher

The purpose of this chapter is to provide an overview and subsequent application of research into the impact web conferencing and remote laboratories have on engineering and science education within the context of blended learning. The impact is examined especially in assessing the reaction and achievement of learners in using these new technologies compared to that of a traditional classroom or (the currently popular approach of) asynchronous e-learning. In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the level of remote or distance learning (or e-learning) using the Internet. One of the gaps in current research is the examination of the impact of web conferencing and remote science and engineering laboratories on the learning experience. The chapter is commenced by defining e-learning, synchronous, asynchronous and blended learning. Hereafter, web conferencing and remote laboratories are then defined and reviewed in detail. The impact that web conferencing and remote labs have on the e-learning experience as compared to the classroom and asynchronous approaches is then examined. The chapter is concluded by an examination of our research into what the perceived requirements are for web conferencing and remote laboratories and suggestions are given on how to apply web conferencing and remote labs to engineering and science education.


Author(s):  
Lisa Jo Elliott

Technology seems to be here to stay and academics are encouraged to incorporate it into their classrooms. Yet, little has been written about the human side and how the widespread use of technology by students changes the expectations of their effort, the instructor's approach, satisfaction with the learning experience, and the students' ability to apply what they have learned to future coursework or their life. This chapter reports research that informs this topic, synthesizes the current literature as it pertains to technology and pedagogy, and correlates this information with what is known about the development of metacognition during learning in adults. The chapter ends with some helpful approaches.


Author(s):  
Łukasz Tomczyk ◽  
Vladimir Costas Jáuregui ◽  
Cibelle Albuquerque de La Higuera Amato ◽  
Darwin Muñoz ◽  
Magali Arteaga ◽  
...  

Abstract The aim of the article is to highlight the key elements related to the implementation of new technologies in education from the perspective of the opinions and experiences of educators in the field in Bolivia, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Finland, Poland, Turkey, and Uruguay. The text compares issues related to attitudes towards the use of new media in education, experiences with different forms of e-learning, and the level of restrictions on the use of smartphones in school. These variables are juxtaposed with the self-assessment of digital competence and how cyberspace is used. The survey was conducted using a standardised survey questionnaire translated into the relevant national languages in the first half of 2019, and involved a sample of 873 teachers representing eight countries. On the basis of the pilot studies it was noted that: 1) Teachers from LAC and EU like to use digital media - this is a constant trend independent of geographical location; 2) Teachers note that new technologies are not always better than analogue didactic aids; 3) Teachers from selected countries (the Dominican Republic, Brazil, Turkey, and Uruguay) have much greater techno-optimism in themselves than teachers from Bolivia, Poland, Finland and Turkey in terms of the impact of ICT on student motivation and engagement; 4) In all countries teachers prefer free online courses (the different forms of e-learning are used most often by those in the Dominican Republic, and the least often in Bolivia and Poland); 5) In each country teachers who highly value their own digital competences and have a positive attitude towards new media use ICT much more actively; 6) There is also a global trend in that the extensive use of cyberspace (typical e-services) appears in combination with the extensive use of various forms of e-learning; 7) Teachers from Ecuador are most likely to want to ban the use of smartphones in schools. The most liberal approach in this respect is taken by the Uruguayans; 8) The knowledge of the conditions related to restricting the use of smartphones goes beyond the analyses related to the style of use and attitude towards new media. This article is the result of pilot studies conducted within the framework of the SMART ECOSYSTEM FOR LEARNING AND INCLUSION project carried out in selected Latin American, Caribbean (LAC) and European (EU) countries.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 13
Author(s):  
Amalina Binti Hasbi ◽  
Melor Md. Yunus

This paper presents and discusses a part of an action research conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of Augmented Reality for English (AR4E) in vocabulary learning among Primary 2 pupils as indicated in the results of the pre-test, post-test and observation checklist. An action research was employed. However, this paper reports on the pre-test, post-test and observation checklist conducted in the observation, evaluation and reflection stages only. Purposive sampling was employed as the participants were of the same proficiency level in which it was carried out with 14 below average Primary 2 pupils in SKTEN. Two data collection instruments which were pre-test, post-test and observation checklist were analysed statistically and thematically. The pre-test and post-test were analysed using SPSS Version 25 and it showed a higher mean score in the post-test and this is supported by the findings obtained through the given themes of observation. The results reflected that the implementation of AR4E has shown a significant improvement in learner’s vocabulary learning. In addition, the findings have also raised the concern regarding the impact of AR4E in encouraging fun learning, collaborative learning and providing the learners with new language learning experience. Accordingly, the use of AR4E is recommended in vocabulary teaching and learning for English. Finally, the researcher suggests future research can be carried out taking into account differentiated learning tasks in AR4E, larger target users and different language skills to be integrated in AR4E.


2019 ◽  
Vol 299 ◽  
pp. 03006
Author(s):  
Sven Maricic ◽  
Donald Radolovic ◽  
Ivan Veljovic ◽  
Roberta Raguz

The progress and development in the fields of technologies in the past few decades are impressive. With so many innovations that have had an impact on human lives and have changed them so drastically, living in a time where new technologies are still making massive changes, and, unquestionably, it wil continue with that trend. As the techniques are continuously evolving, people are forced to prepare ourselves and our descendants to the new and upcoming technologies so that they would be able to understand them, use them, teach others about them and also make some improvements in the specific fields of applications. This article presents an overview of the principal results of research on the impact of Virtual Reality (VR) 3D education for students in industrial vocational training. They were introducedto the generated model and had to explore all elements to have personal experience in the virtual environment. After the training, a user experience survey has been conducted, and the results obtained after the use of the system were presented.


2000 ◽  
Vol 44 (21) ◽  
pp. 3-398-3-401 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.S. Kalawsky ◽  
A. W. Stedmon ◽  
K. Hill ◽  
C.A. Cook

Research into human factors issues surrounding the use of AR technology is very limited, and there is a need for formal guidelines to underpin human factors integration (HFI). The DERA Centre for Human Sciences (CHS) and the Advanced VR Research Centre (AVRRC) at Loughborough University are evaluating the potential of Augmented Reality (AR) for providing operator feedback in an embedded training system. An important aspect of the research is concerned with investigating the cognitive ergonomics of AR technology and human information processing issues that may arise through its use, when information is presented via AR and overlaid upon one or more primary display surfaces such as a visual display unit. Two main issues have been addressed: first, the impact of AR on human information processing; and, second, the most appropriate symbology sets for displaying information via the AR medium. The experiments reported in this paper assess issues of re-accommodation and reaction times to alarms on different display formats, illustrating that AR performs as well as standard display formats.


Author(s):  
Costin Pribeanu ◽  
Dragos Daniel Iordache

Augmented Reality (AR) is merging real and virtual environments within a single interaction space. This tight integration of computer technologies into a real environment is creating new opportunities and challenges for the designers of e-learning systems as well as a new kind of user experience (UX) for the learner. More recently, AR-based educational systems were developed that are implementing learning scenarios for primary and secondary schools. An important goal of these novel teaching platforms is to enhance the students’ motivation to learn. This chapter reports on the perceived educational and motivational value of an AR-based learning scenario for chemistry based on the results of a user-centered formative usability evaluation. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected during two experiments with students from secondary schools. While the comparison between the two types of measure increases confidence in the evaluation results, the qualitative measures also provide a detailed description of the user learning experience.


Author(s):  
Giuliana Guazzaroni

Mobile augmented reality offers important opportunities for learning. Moreover, it may represent new challenges for teachers and researchers. Implementing an augmented reality (AR) or a virtual reality (VR) learning experience involves the exploration of unusual pedagogical and technological boundaries. According to recent studies, it would be more productive to consider the augmented reality as a concept rather than an educational technology (Guazzaroni, 2015; Wu et al., 2013). This chapter is devoted to analyze a high school class of 23 students invited to use AR and VR tools to create their own study material. They are about 16-year-old attending Istituto Tecnico Tecnologico “Eustachio Divini” in San Severino Marche, Italy. The basic idea of the trial is to create a short printed document augmented with the technologies of AR and VR. The experience is evaluated using tests and direct observation. The aim is to observe the impact of augmented mobile learning and to demonstrate that AR and VR study material may represent a new communication object adequate to teach future students.


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