The Effect of Augmented Reality on Students’ Learning

At first, augmented reality (AR) looked like a super-neat feature that will work great in video games. However, as we started exploring its possibilities, it turned out augmented reality can have a disruptive effect on many practices and industries. It’s used in business, entertainment, industry… Most interestingly, it’s successfully used in education.

Unfortunately, AR in education mostly has a place only in progressive and innovative schools. Still, we are seeing its application increasing across many education systems, from elementary school to higher education. 

In this overview, we’re looking at some of the effects that AR made on students’ learning and education.

• Optimization of education models

Excellent results have been obtained since the application of augmented reality in the field of education. In this case, it is an additional factor that is used as a learning and teaching resource. This process can be verified at different levels of education.

At this point, augmented reality has not yet managed to conquer most of the classrooms in different educational institutions. On the other hand, it is one of the ways to optimize the understanding of different objects of study. At the same time, the objects of study of different sciences have more innovative research techniques.

Kristin Savage, a writing educator working with SupremeDisserations and Best Essays Education, says “the greatest effects of augmented reality are visible on those objects of study that require a great deal of abstraction on the part of students. Nevertheless, augmented reality might be combined with virtual reality to provide an even better experience”. 

On the one hand, virtual reality offers the student a different world from the real one. In this case, a special helmet, visors, or lenses are used. On the other hand, augmented reality provides a great deal of extra and digital information. In turn, this information is presented within the same real-world in the video, audio, and image format. 

It is also possible to find this type of technology in certain devices such as visors, lenses, tablets, and smartphones. Finally, in some sites, both aspects are combined. Thus, mixed reality combines a digital environment with a real environment.

• Lessons about hard-to-grasp concepts

When students have the possibility of accessing technology in education, this is a great incentive for them. In this way, augmented reality makes it possible to optimize the learning of each of the students. Also, both the motivation and the attention of each student are considerably improved.

Different objects of study that are common in primary and secondary education are also optimized. Some of them are the solar system, space, and different planets, or satellites. Therefore this improves the creativity and other qualities of each student. In other words, it is an excellent way to bring astronomical sciences, among others, closer to the students. AstroReality, for example, combines the power of augmented reality with the real world to bring students closer to concepts of planets and space education. 

In fact, according to a lot of studies and scientific research, the whole learning process is much more enriching. Thus, in different educational contexts, interactivity, imagination, and creativity are encouraged. In this case, these are qualities that are of great importance for the adult life of each student.

Therefore, in these times, there are some projects throughout the world that seek to promote this type of technology. Besides, there are ways to encourage the use of technology within each classroom.

This, in turn, requires more training for each of the teachers in the classrooms. Therefore, the possibility of expanding these technologies to the entire world continues to be a challenge. 

• Students taking on a more passive role

Generally, the classic education paradigm establishes students in a passive role. In this sense, teachers provide all content and training to students.

Thus, another advantage of augmented technology is the change in students’ roles. They have the possibility of assuming a much more active role with different learning. Therefore, they can acquire what is known as meaningful learning.

Dorian Martin, a writer in the education section at TopEssayWriting, says that “the AR learning process provides greater cooperation between students. So, this cooperative learning allows for strengthening the students’ interpersonal relationships. In the same way, the experiences lived by each student are enriched by the experiences of others”.

In other words, the result of this novel learning process is also a set of skills, both social and individual. This is why collaboration and negotiation are two aspects that are optimized in students in general. 

• First steps of augmented reality

In this case, it is an innovative technology that allows us to revolutionize the whole learning process. This is why appropriate planning by teachers is required.

In this way, it is possible to avoid a great number of potential problems for the students’ learning process. As this is a new process of change, these potential problems have not yet been overcome.

On the one hand, one of the effects of these changes is the need to have professional techno pedagogical designers. Thus, this undoubtedly influences the entire learning process of each student. 

At the same time, the support of these expert designers is necessary to optimize the implementation of these technologies in education. Otherwise, the most important educational centres will not have these additional resources.

Moreover, augmented reality allows students to have different types of electronic media. Some examples are portable devices mentioned above.

However, traditional computers can also be used along with additional accessories. Also, vision and capture devices that are integrated into special glasses have not yet been applied uniformly in schools. So, it may be the next step we see in all this change.

Finally, this can lead to a general increase in the academic performance of students. So, if increased technology is applied at the early levels of education, then the higher levels will also benefit. So, this could mean an increase in the performance of universities in general. So, all that remains is to wait for the massive implementation of these technologies.

Conclusion

We are yet to explore the possibilities and capacities of augmented reality and education. As of this moment, we are especially witnessing its effectiveness in teaching concepts that are abstract and hard to grasp, such as space, solar system, chemistry structures (atoms, molecules, etc.).

One thing is for sure – we can expect the field to progress even further as more schools adopt this exciting technology in their classrooms. 

Bio

Diana Adjadj is a professional content creator, academic writer and editor at GrabMyEssay (a research paper writing company), ClassyEssay (essay source) and TrustMyPaper (research paper writing agency). She’s especially interested in the topics of education, learning and foreign languages.