Evaluating Augmented and Virtual Reality in Education Through a User-Centered Comparative Study

Augmented and virtual reality proved to be valuable solutions to convey contents in a more appealing and interactive way. Given the improvement of mobile and smart devices in terms of both usability and computational power, contents can be easily conveyed with a realism level never reached in the past. Despite the tremendous number of researches related with the presentation of new fascinating applications of ancient goods and artifacts augmentation, few papers are focusing on the real effect these tools have on learning. Within the framework of SmartMarca project, this chapter focuses on assessing the potential of AR/VR applications specifically designed for cultural heritage. Tests have been conducted on classrooms of teenagers to whom different learning approaches served as an evaluation method about the effectiveness of using these technologies for the education process. The chapter argues on the necessity of developing new tools to enable users to become producers of contents of AR/VR experiences.

Role of Emotions in Interactive Museums

Virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and artificial intelligence (AI) are increasingly being used by educational institutions and museums worldwide. Visitors of museums and art galleries may live different layers of reality while enjoying works of art augmented with immersive VR. Research points out that this possibility may strongly affect human emotions. Digital technologies may allow forms of hybridization between flesh and technological objects within virtual or real spaces. They are interactive processes that may contribute to the redefinition of the relationship between identity and technology, between technology and body (Mainardi, 2013). Interactive museums and art galleries are real environments amplified, through information systems, which allow a shift between reality, and electronically manipulated immersive experiences. VR is emotionally engaging and a VR scenario may enhance emotional experience (Diemer et al., 2015) or induce an emotional change (Wu et al., 2016). The main purpose of this chapter is to verify how art and VR affect emotions.

Employing Digital Reality Technologies in Art Exhibitions and Museums

The global AR, MR, and VR markets will reach USD$40.6 billion in 2019. As a result, digital reality technologies have become a key component of promoting art exhibition and museum industries to the general public around the world. Emerging applications such as ARCHEOGUIDE, ARCO, and 3D-MURALE have allowed museum-goers to access archeological artefacts and sites remotely without physically visiting the museums. Digital reality technologies have therefore been perceived to have the great potential to promote (creative) cultural industry contents, because of the characteristics of these platforms (e.g., interactivity, realism, and visualization). This chapter employs a case study approach to discuss the current state of digital reality technology applications in museums and art exhibitions around the world. The study provides several best practice examples to demonstrate how digital reality technologies have fundamentally transformed the art exhibitions and museums.

Reinventing Museums in 21st Century

The forthcoming Industry 4.0 is expected to change not only manufacturing and industrial services, but will rearrange how services are offered in a variety of sectors, including museum's services. Museums will inevitably be led to more digital (VR & AR) and promoting (Social Media) paths. A forthcoming “digital convergence” between VR & AR technologies and social media's promoting logic could enlarge museums' potentialities in attracting more visitors, younger visitors, while new patterns for connecting learning effects and amusement should be established. This chapter contributes to the following: • Presenting existing theoretical and empirical research on Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality technological implementation in Museums. • Presenting current tensions on social media's usage from cultural organizations. • Exploring how VR & AR applications can incorporate various elements coming from social media operational logic.

Constructing Virtual Radio Center

Radio channels lack visuality and virtual reality platforms are designed to overcome this problem. Virtual objects are very common these days and people get used to virtual platforms. Does this mean people are ready to be involved in such a system? Is this necessary? How to make sounds visible? Use of Virtual Reality is growing rapidly in industry as well as in education area. This chapter is about the virtual radio center construction necessities, usefulness, and its adaptability to real life and to courses.

Where Is Hanuman?

The chapter presents the interpretative strategies used by designers of an immersive environment on Hindu mythology and Hampi, an archaeological site in India, and their own knowledge of Hindu deities and their attributes. The process of animating an Indian Hindu deity for a potentially international audience means not only mastering 3D computer graphics and producing high-quality panorama of the sacred and historical place, but also working carefully on the interpretation and representation. The chapter uses concepts and theories from different disciplines (iconology, hermeutics, design research, museums studies, etc.) with the aim to describe, deconstruct, and understand the design choices. The study uses as main method the grounded theory: data are interviews and observations and the patterns emerging from qualitative data are compared with previous theories, during the process of theoretical comparison.

Employing Real-Time Game Technology for Immersive Experience (VR and Videogames) for all at MAIO Museum

3D real time game technologies create an opportunity to design interactive immersive experiences developing affordable, easy-to-use, and incredible virtual worlds for Museums. This chapter presents the potential of these technologies for the development of edutainment content for their visitors at MAIO - Museum of Art Taken Hostage in Cassina de' Pecchi (Milan). The Museum presents the story of 1,623 masterpieces such as Michelangelo, Tiziano, Raffaello, and Canaletto that were stolen in Italy during World War II and never found again. Visitors can explore the artworks through 2 installations: MAIO Virtual Museum, through VR inside an oniric 3D environment, and MAIO Play, a multiplayer video game.

Nursing Education in the Era of Virtual Reality

Today's new technologies have impacted many different areas of education, with nursing education one such area. Nursing education, as a learning process, targets the combination of cognitive, affective, and psychomotor learning domains. However, traditional teaching methods may not meet all of the Y and Z generations' learning needs. Today's learners are accustomed to multimedia learning environments and have come to expect a certain level of technology integrated into their curricula. Virtual Reality (VR) technology enables students to become immersed within a 360-degree view experience of scenes that have been completely digitally created, whilst no longer viewing the real world around them. Virtual simulation has been used to teach communication, disaster relief, teamwork, and interviewing techniques, among other skills; and can also provide immersive personalized learning experiences. This chapter presents some of the many facets of VR in today's nursing education.

An Augmented Reality (AR) Experience for Lorenzo Lotto

Virtual interactive experience created for the Picture gallery of Jesi (Italy). Namely, three interactive works realized with Unreal Engine 4 to give the spectator a greater immersiveness on the immortal pictures of Lorenzo Lotto. The goal was achieved by creating three choreographies with audio supervised by a historian, recreation of the works with three-dimensional graphics and a specially composed soundtrack by Tecla Zorzi. The augmented reality (AR) application was realized specifically for Android tablets.

Gamification

This chapter will discuss Gamification and video games, analyzing their peculiarities. After a brief historical introduction to the disciplines that intertwine the design of Gamification applications, such as User interaction, User Interface, and Game Design, authors analyze the real areas in which Gamification can be applied with verifiable results, citing scientific studies and examples of applications. We will see then how from the video games Toca Boca for children, to the “tourist” version of Assassin's Creed Oringis presented at the British Museum, up to the latest interactive applications for business training, the techniques of the game are exceeding the playful areas to make more deep human interaction with the real surrounding it.