The age-old question of how to keep learners engaged is being answered by new age answers:  augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and mixed reality (MR). With these emerging technologies, topics come to life for students. The experiences are novel, learners have control over their interactions, and can therefore become immersed in their experience.

Without any equipment except my cell phone, I tapped into the free Google Expeditions app and invited a virtual skeleton into my office:

These images are not Photoshopped. I made the skeletons appear overlaying my office space on my phone. Such applications are learning tools because the viewer can rotate the models, change the size, and often learn more via corresponding written descriptions within the app.  Google Expeditions also has a feature where the instructor can set up stations around a room that allow learners to connect to what is being demonstrated by scanning from their portable devices. One of the benefits to AR in this application is that there is no added expense to students. No special headset is needed. With the rapid expansion of uses of AR in the classroom, it’s hard to imagine what may come with future technological advances. For a taste of what may be on the horizon, check out this blog by Lori Zalivansky.   

In the marketplace there are a few devices that make AR look three-dimensional, such as Google Cardboard (roughly $20 cost to users). There are over 1,000 free AR and VR free Expeditions by Google and a growing number of free VR videos on YouTube. For VR and MR, the cost of the headsets will vary, starting at approximately $200 each. 

Uses in the Classroom

One of the novel uses of AR, VR, and MR in the classroom is that learners are able to become situated in an environment that would be costly to recreate. For example, San Diego State University uses AR/MR to have nursing students test their diagnostic skills on hologram patients. The students can walk around and examine the patients. They also get prompts and information overlaid onto that experience. This approach, as opposed to using live subjects who volunteer or have to be paid, gives a more consistent, controlled learning experience to students.
Other uses are recreating high-risk or hard-to-recreate scenarios. This can be anything from military combat training to letting students step into the shoes of an astronaut and view the world from space. Simulations in these environments allow exploration, interaction, and manipulation. Students connect with multiple senses, including tactile, kinesthetic, auditory, and visual, making for more authentic and impressionable experiences. As an illustration of how real these experiences can be, taking a VR ride on a roller coaster causes motion sickness for some users.

When employing AR, VR, or MR in the classroom, instructors should not be concerned with needing to explain a lot to students. Let the learners explore and figure things out. As students engage in these technologies, the instructor can augment the student experiences by providing narrations. Students can also be challenged to discover answers to instructor-provided challenges.

These technologies offer a very different experience than standard textbooks and may appeal to more types of learners. With each year, more and greater advances are going to be made in this field. The time is ripe for educators to start considering opportunities to employ AR, VR, or MR in some way, to provide impactful, memorable learning experiences to students.