A Quick Guide to E-Learning Tools: Virtual/Augmented Reality

E-learning has long proved to be a part of our lives with numerous educational platforms and online courses offered by renowned universities — as well as small groups of enthusiasts — not to mention dedicated corporate courses and trainings. At Sciforce, we also give our colleagues an opportunity to obtain new skills and deepen their knowledge at our Sciforce Academy.

Yet, modern technologies let us go far beyond traditional online lectures, peer forums and occasional tutoring — adding a new dimension to teaching practices and bringing fun and the feeling of discovery to students.

In this brief guide we’ll ponder over modern technologies in education and their potential to change the learning experience.

The first tool we are going to discuss is virtual/augmented reality — the reality which has been around in one form or another for many years. The term virtual reality is used to describe an immersive experience in an environment which is generated by the computer and doesn’t actually exist but which is presented to our senses in such a way that we experience it as if we were really there. Augmented reality, on the contrary, combines digital information with the existing environment: a physical, real-world environment whose elements are augmented (or supplemented) by computer-generated sensory input, including sound, video, graphics or GPS data.

Everyone remembers the recent PokemonGo craze and the desire of almost every teenage to be an owner of the Google Glass. As a toy, it may keep you busy for a month. As a learning tool, it has the potential to revolutionize the educational process. It enables students to immerse themselves in a highly engaging 3D environment while letting them practice without fear of any harm.

High-Risk Training

The sphere that immediately comes to mind is simulation of high-risk scenarios. Virtually any industry that involves risk-taking can benefit from augmented reality which mimics every aspects of the real world. Ideally, it can be done in real time so that students will experience the same pressure and stress. As a result, students would gain valuable experience about the consequences of their actions and decisions without leaving the safety of their classroom. Virtual reality will lead them through a volcano eruption or extinguishing a fire in a skyscraper without staking their lives and health.

Medical training

Another sphere which would benefit from both virtual and augmented reality is training of future health professionals. Perhaps one of the main features of virtual reality is that it can be used to teach healthcare professionals new skills or refresh their existing skills within the safe environment and without causing any danger to patients.

The new technologies will help medical practitioners to immerse themselves into the 3D view of the human anatomy and lead them through complex medical procedures by letting them practice by virtually touching and manipulating objects. The ability to get real-time live feedback regarding a serious medical situation is quite profound and much better than any viable solution at the moment then see which body part was affected or visualize ways in which to treat or assess the situation.

Language learning

Virtual or augmented reality can reinvent the process of language –and culture — learning. Ideally, a student could be sitting at the desk learning French, and an augmented reality glasses could project a French classroom setting. This would immerse students not only in the language but in the culture. Or to go a step further, augmented glasses could project a real-time French classroom that they would be able to interact with just like the one they were currently in.

And can you imagine studying Shakespeare in the engaging yet safe 3D setting of the medieval town as it was seen by the poets’ contemporaries?

AR Microlearning Resources

Augmented reality click-and-scan technology is already in use. People can scan an augmented reality code or trigger object to learn more about the corresponding. In education, a chemistry textbook might transport students to a virtual lab where they conduct experiments learning about chemical reactions and compounds.

Augmented reality resource links can also be incorporated into eLearning materials to enrich them with interesting facts, stats, and ideas that allow online learners to explore on their own. Educators might develop an augmented reality resource list that features microlearning content to provide learners with immediate eLearning support, as the augmented reality activities are bite-sized and easily accessible.

3D Learning Models

In the past, online learners were able to view static images, diagrams, and charts on their computer screen. Augmented reality gives them the ability to manipulate three-dimensional visualizations or even interact with hot spots to learn more about the individual components. For example, a clickable 3D diagram of manufacturing equipment or a process line highlights the characteristics and functions of each part and component. These same principles can be applied to any complicated process in every field, from a model that illustrates photosynthesis at a cellular level to a visualization of deep learning process.

Online Group Collaboration Projects That Span The Globe

With eLearning augmented reality geography is no longer a barrier, and all online learners can share ideas and feedback in a virtual meeting space. They’re able to use mobile devices and smart glasses to make the experience even more interactive, the feature that changes the whole concept of the classroom. As Sharon Stoerger, a professor at Rutgers University, put it, “These virtual world experiences also extend the boundaries of the traditional classroom where collective intelligence, as opposed to individual experience, becomes an important approach.”

Surely enough, virtual and augmented reality applications are quite costly and require much effort to transfer all types of learning to virtual & augmented reality due to the resources required. Nevertheless, they have the capacity to engage learners and this is the heart of any instruction. Now, when students want to be both educated and entertained, these technologies are poised to become prevalent in the future.

Augmented reality is just taking its first steps into the consumer world, and the possibilities associated with this technology are fascinating. Whether it will be a huge commercial success has yet to be seen, but its potential is unavoidable.