Incorporating Tech like AR & VR in Schools: Are we heading towards metaverse school system?

Emerging technologies like Augmented Reality or Virtual Reality are changing the education field with innovation in the teaching methods many schools adopt today. As the learning experience becomes more immersive and engaging for students, should schools be more receptive to technological innovations in education dissemination?

Today, technology has incorporated itself into education in ways that give a new face to learning. Technologies like augmented and virtual reality have been used to teach students methods of science and arts efficiently. Augmented reality is a digital simulation that allows users to augment their surroundings using digital elements. According to Krogstad, augmented reality has the following attributes: a) it should combine the real and the virtual, b) augmentations should be interactive in real-time, and c) the simulations should be registered in 3 Dimensions. (Aastveit) 

Since the advent of these techs in the education space, students can learn creatively, and getting them to experience what they learn is helping them retain their learning better. Technologies like Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality in education are now popularly called Education 5.0. The new tech in education fosters efficient learning experiences for students through the 5 Cs, i.e. Communication, Collaboration, Competency, Creativity and Critical Thinking. By incorporating these elements into teaching pedagogy at all levels of education, learning spaces can be empowered with a new set of values to meet the teaching demands of today. 

A Data Infographic

Research shows that classrooms today welcome technology in their learning methods to accommodate today's tech demands and foster a tech-cohesive environment for students. 

Traditional teaching methods develop a passive environment for learning for students as it is primarily a one-way or two-way communication without much physical or intellectual engagement. The most active participant in the traditional method of teaching is the teacher. However, education spaces are changing because technology is becoming readily available to students. AR and VR engage students through visual, auditory and spatial environments, enabling them to understand concepts better. Technologies like these are helpful at every stage of education, for instance, primary, secondary or higher levels of education. At Primary levels, augmented reality can visualise simple concepts into creative, colourful images so that primary school students can learn in a fun and interactive way. 

Today, kids have smartphones and can engage and participate in cyberspace. According to the Pew Research Centre, 73% of teens have smartphones.   Thus, incorporating tech in learning will be interactive and an exciting method of utilising their devices for better learning. Upper levels of education help the students to learn their concepts cohesively and interactively. Research shows that AR-powered image-guided therapy is used better to understand medical education or surgical training concepts. Students can learn through guided imagery about dissections, experiments or surgeries through hands-on visuals in augmented reality. Unlike physical experiments, augmented or virtual reality enables students to perform the same experiments over again as often as they like without any arrangements of apparatus each time. AR/VR improves their learning process as they can practice experiments repeatedly to understand the concepts better. A personalised learning experience is formed when using augmented reality or virtual reality, unlike a traditional classroom learning experience. Students can learn by their preferred learning styles suited to their temperaments. (Saidin et al.)

Schools must adopt these new technologies to make their learning spaces more accessible and diverse. The AR/VR technologies can accommodate a student with locomotor disabilities, and they can learn efficiently in their comfort and time. Also, students can virtually travel to other places, which cannot be physically possible. They can learn about space sciences with extraterrestrial simulations, making complex concepts more accessible. Becoming familiar with these technologies can also help students prepare for a career in these fields. They can learn about augmented reality or virtual reality software to enhance their digital understanding and venture into Graphic/UI/UX designing or animations as an offbeat career option. 

According to Durrani and Pita, 92% of studies in significant disciplines have shown a positive impact of incorporating augmented and virtual reality in their curriculum. Saidin et al. have researched the use of augmented reality in different disciplines. As per the research they conducted, there are a variety of implications of augmented reality in education. For instance, in medical education, interactive 3D animated imagery could be used to demonstrate the functioning of organs. Electrocardiogram AR System, called the EKGAR System, uses vision-based 3D tracking technologies and interactive features to make students learn the anatomy of the heart organ. Likewise, in history, chemistry or mathematics, AR-tech like educational games, model displays, head-mounted displays or personal interaction panels. 

Thus, because of the rapidly changing technologies around us, education has to incorporate the latest tech to meet the current learning aspirations of present students. The current generation is tech-savvy and has different learning styles. Thus, schools must adapt and adopt engaging AR/VR tech for an excellent learning experience, ensuring readiness for the ever-changing metaverse - a confluence of both Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality.     

References 

Aastveit, Knut Erik Krogstad. DinosARs - Learning with the help of Augmented Reality. 2023, file:///C:/Users/janvi/Downloads/Aastveit,%20Knut-Erik%20Krogstad.pdf.

Saidin, Nor Farah, et al. "A Review of Research in Augmented Reality in Education: Advantages and Application." International Education Studies, vol. 8, no. 13, 2015, pp. 1-8, https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/11c7/7089b13d02cf069fa0c665474fe34239b858.pdf. Accessed 2023.