The shift from traditional learning to eLearning is bringing new and advanced technologies to the education industry. Augmented reality is one such technology that’s changing how teachers, parents, and students perceive the art of learning.
Statistics show that 70% of students feel they can understand concepts faster when taught using AR, while 80% of the students are more likely to regularly attend classes if they experience learning through AR. Augmented reality helps create inclusive classrooms and aids students with disabilities to learn more easily.
We’ll discuss the role of AR in the education sector, the challenges, benefits, and ways to implement it to create a modern and inclusive learning environment.
How AR is Transforming the Education Industry
It’s no surprise that every student is different. The same teaching process doesn’t help all of them. Some students learn faster with a visual experience. They understand concepts when you “show” them what it is rather than simply explain them in words. Augmented reality and virtual reality help such students to “see” and understand the concept.
AR and VR are joined under ER (Extended Reality) technologies and are used to create immersive classrooms for students. AR is replacing physical textbooks. Students don’t need to carry heavy backpacks and can bring their smartphones instead. Schools and universities can replace white/blackboards and banners with screens and ER equipment.
Augmented reality provides students with a chance to have a virtual experience using 3D models. Whether it’s a class about fixing an electric motor or performing surgery, students don’t have to imagine it by reading textbooks. They can visualize it through 3D models and “see” how it’s done.
Key Benefits of AR Technology in Education
Augmented reality is an enhanced 3D version of a real-life experience. Animation, graphics, etc., are used to combine the real and virtual worlds and provide a new experience to users. AR is already a part of the gaming and marketing industry. It offers major benefits to the education industry as well.
- Student Engagement
Advanced technologies make learning an interesting and exciting process. Using smartphones and AR applications keeps students engaged when they get bored and lose interest while reading pages and pages of textbooks. Student engagement is directly proportional to productivity.
- Immersive Learning
Immersive learning is the process of using AR and VR to simulate real-life scenarios in a virtual setting to train students/employees in a safer environment. It reduces the risk of error when students and trainees attend their first practical/hands-on sessions. For example, medical students will be more prepared to perform an autopsy if they have experienced the process through AR.
- Combined Learning
AR can be easily combined with traditional learning. EdTech plays a vital role in bridging the gap between the two worlds and bringing them seamlessly together in the classrooms. Digitalized textbooks can be used for teaching where teachers and students can collaborate and share comments for discussions.
- Versatility and Visualisation
A range of topics can be covered through AR technologies. From the engineering field to the medical sector to space and the military, augmented reality can be used to train students, medicos, pilots, soldiers, astronauts, and many others. Research has shown that people retain more than 70% of the information through visualization.
Challenges of AR in Education
Even though augmented reality has a lot to offer, implementing it in the educational sector has its own set of challenges.
- Cost of Investment
Creating the AR setup in the classroom requires investing in new technology and hardware. School Districts wrestle with the question of whether schools should provide the hardware to students or ask them to bring their own?
- Internet Connectivity
The material for augmented reality is stored in the cloud. Access to this information requires an internet connection. Lack of access to the internet can be challenging in the learning environment, make it difficult for both teachers and students to attend sessions.
- Lack of Proper Training
Teachers need to be trained to use advanced technology in classrooms before the school/university can adopt and integrate AR.
- Hardware and Infrastructure
Students require a smartphone to access AR lessons, and not all students own a smartphone. Students from marginalized communities and remote areas might suffer.
- Maintenance and Support Services
Should the educational institutions hire IT professionals in-house to monitor, maintain, and upgrade the AR systems, or should they opt for offshore managed services? Most of the time, schools and colleges that are already using AR in classrooms prefer IT-managed services and development team outsourcing services partners to overcome the maintenance challenges.
Ways to Implement Augment Reality in Education
Augmented reality can be implemented in different ways. AR apps can be used in classrooms and for distance learning. Whether the process is a success or failure depends on the way the establishment has dealt with challenges and roadblocks.
- Start by understanding the target audience. Will the technology be implemented in k-12 schools, universities, engineering colleges, medical institutions, pilot training, etc.?
- Reach out to EdTech companies to create the MVP (minimum viable product) for testing and feedback to determine if the technology is delivering the kind of results, you want or to create a customized cost-effective solution for your specific requirements by hiring the services of an outsourced development team and take a free 40-hour trial with VLink.
- Make the necessary changes to the app/tools to customize it based on the feedback provided. You can also buy existing AR apps and customize them to save costs.
- Understand that the AR product must be regularly updated to ensure that students and teachers use the latest version of the app/tool. This improves the learning experience.
Augment Reality Apps for Transforming Education
Augmented reality can be used from elementary school to universities and in the corporate sector for training students and employees. AR technology is set to make learning a better, more inclusive, and immersive experience. Are you interested to create such an app for your organization or education firm? Please fill in your requirement in the below form, and our software experts can start at the earliest.
