Augmented-Virtual Reality: How to improve education systems

TLDR

Stakeholders in educational technology include students, faculty, institutions, and manufacturers, while the benefits of virtual and augmented reality remain under investigation and adoption is hindered by limited teacher training and technology barriers. The essay examines the growing role of virtual and augmented reality in education, focusing on how experiential modes can improve students’ learning outcomes. The author proposes a six‑step methodology that trains teachers, develops prototypes, assembles interdisciplinary teams, creates experiences, and integrates them into regular subjects. The essay concludes by outlining business opportunities for virtual reality in both face‑to‑face and online education.

Abstract

<p>This essay presents and discusses the developing role of virtual and augmented reality technologies in education. Addressing the challenges in adapting such technologies to focus on improving students’ learning outcomes, the author discusses the inclusion of experiential modes as a vehicle for improving students’ knowledge acquisition. Stakeholders in the educational role of technology include students, faculty members, institutions, and manufacturers. While the benefits of such technologies are still under investigation, the technology landscape offers opportunities to enhance face-to-face and online teaching, including contributions in the understanding of abstract concepts and training in real environments and situations. Barriers to technology use involve limited adoption of augmented and virtual reality technologies, and, more directly, necessary training of teachers in using such technologies within meaningful educational contexts. The author proposes a six-step methodology to aid adoption of these technologies as basic elements within the regular education: training teachers; developing conceptual prototypes; teamwork involving the teacher, a technical programmer, and an educational architect; and producing the experience, which then provides results in the subsequent two phases wherein teachers are trained to apply augmented- and virtual-reality solutions within their teaching methodology using an available subject-specific experience and then finally implementing the use of the experience in a regular subject with students. The essay concludes with discussion of the business opportunities facing virtual reality in face-to-face education as well as augmented and virtual reality in online education.</p>