Week 5 - Augmented Reality (AR)

Figure 1. ZapWorks Example - picture taken by me (2023)

AR, Education & Creativity

Augmented Reality (AR) refers to a system of real and virtual elements that combine through real-time interaction and contextual relevance to create enhanced, semi-real experiences (Azuma, 1997; Billinghurst et al. 2001). As it exists on Milgram's (et al. 1994) Reality-Virtuality Continuum (Figure 2) AR simply elevates the physical environment and provides a plethora of creative access points for interactivity, including AR that is image-based or location-based.

Figure 2. Milgrim's Reality-Virtuality Continuum (1994. p. 3).

Beyond novelty, the instant feedback and interactivity of AR has shown to provide captivating experiences and increased engagement for children and adults in various contexts (Arghashi & Yuksel, 2022; Diegmann et al. 2015). Despite its potential for generating cognitive overload for students, AR creates a variety of new, meaningful learning experiences and acts as a motivator for engaging with creative design (Wei et al. 2015; Wu et al. 2013). Therefore, its relevance to educational pedagogy, learning, and fostering creativity for students cannot be overstated.

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Tool 1 - Virtual-Tee by Curiscope

Figure 3. Virtual-Tee by Curiscope in the IOS App store - screenshot taken by me (2023)

Virtual-Tee by Curiscope is a simple but effective AR tool that creates a three-dimensional and interactive model of the human body that allows you to select and study specific bodily systems, which then provides unique descriptions and visualisations of these systems (Figures 4).

Figure 4. Three screenshots showing different anatomical layers using Virtual-Tee - taken by me (2023)

Outside of my KLA, this technology could substantially benefit students studying the Stage 5 Biology Syllabus, specifically in achieving outcomes such as SC5-14LW whose objective is to “analyse interactions between components and processes within biological systems” (NESA, 2019). So an effective lesson would be having students in groups each use the tool to study a specific system and have students alternate wearing the shirt, which would be fun and support student engagement through interaction. However, this assumes students both have smartphones and will use them appropriately, demonstrating potential limitations in application.

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Tool 2 - ZapWorks

Figure 5. ZapWorks creation menu example - screenshot taken by me (2023)

Through QR code anchoring, Zapworks is a highly accessible AR designer tool that allows users to hand-craft unique AR experiences. Including selecting various unique assets and models, which you can then code specific functions and animations. For example, I was able to create an interactable AR slideshow of planets in the solar system (Figures 6, 7, 8).

Figure 6. QR code Anchor, scan the QR code to view the planet slideshow by me using ZapWorks (2023)

Figure 7. Slide example of the Sun using ZapWorks - screenshot by me (2023)

Figure 8. Slide example of Earth using ZapWorks - screenshot by me (2023)

This would be amazing for a Stage 3 primary student lesson to achieve outcomes like ACSSU078 (ACARA, n.d.) which involves knowing “The Earth is part of a system of planets orbiting around a star (the sun)”. Whilst the full feature version is held behind a steep paywall, ZapWorks stands to create substantial opportunities for creative learning through designing unique AR experiences.

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References

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (n.d.). The Australian Curriculum: Science. https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/science/?strand=Science+Understanding&strand=Science+as+a+Human+Endeavour&strand=Science+Inquiry+Skills&capability=ignore&priority=ignore&year=12005&elaborations=true&cd=ACSSU078&searchTerm=acssu078#dimension-content

Arghashi, V., & Yuksel, C. A. (2022). Interactivity, Inspiration, and Perceived Usefulness! How retailers’ AR-apps improve consumer engagement through flow. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 64, 102756.

Diegmann, P., Schmidt-Kraepelin, M., Eynden, S., & Basten, D. (2015). Benefits of augmented reality in educational environments-a systematic literature review..

Milgram, P., & Kishino, F. (1994). A taxonomy of mixed reality visual displays. IEICE TRANSACTIONS on Information and Systems, 77(12), 1321-1329.

NSW Education Standards Authority (2019) Biology: Stage 5 Syllabus. Available at: https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/k-10/learning-areas/science/science-7-10-2018/content/989

Wei, X., Weng, D., Liu, Y., & Wang, Y. (2015). Teaching based on augmented reality for a technical creative design course. Computers & Education, 81, 221-234.

Wu, H. K., Lee, S. W. Y., Chang, H. Y., & Liang, J. C. (2013). Current status, opportunities and challenges of augmented reality in education. Computers & education, 62, 41-49.