Industry 4.0 is slowly revolutionizing the way we work. Words like ‘AR, VR, MR, IoT, AI, ML and Big Data’, which were considered prerogative of larger industry, suddenly began to become popular as all these technologies have the potential to change the way we live and work. The recent COVID 19 pandemic has highlighted the need to accelerate development of technologies and solutions that let society work in a manner hitherto unheard of. The ‘Work from home’ concept, while not unheard of, was relatively rare. COVID 19 forced everyone to embrace it, and it has bought about a radical change not only in work, but also in other fields like education and training. Before we discuss how new technologies like AR, VR and MR can change education for better, let us first briefly understand what these technologies are.
Augmented Reality (AR)
To augment is to add. Augmented reality technologies overlay digital information on the physical world in order to enhance it. AR employs computer vision, mapping, and depth tracking. Usually, some software fuses the real world with the captured information to augment a user’s physical surroundings with contextually appropriate digital content. One of the most popular ways of experiencing AR is with a smartphone.
Virtual Reality (VR)
VR is a computer based 3D technology that simulates visual, auditory and other sensory aspects of a user to give feeling of real life situations. It requires the use of a headset with some type of screen displaying a virtual environment.
Mixed Reality (MR)
Mixed reality is a type of hybrid system that augments the real world with virtual objects as if they are really placed within the real environment. It allows you to see and immerse yourself in the world around you even as you interact with a virtual environment using your own hands—all without ever removing your headset. In this respect, it lies somewhere between fully real-projections and completely virtual projections.
AR, MR and VR are sometimes called as immersive technologies, as they immerse the user in some kind of simulated environment. Augmented reality is partly immersive, virtual reality is completely immersive and MR lies somewhere between these two.
Sometimes, the term eXtended Reality is used to address all these three technologies. That is, XR is an umbrella term that encompasses augmented, virtual, and mixed reality technologies.
AR, VR and MR are finding uses in different fields like medical, entertainment, education and training. For this article, we will focus on AR, MR and VR use cases in education.
AR / VR / MR in Education
Let us start with an example. Let us suppose there is a history class going on in a classroom in India, and the teacher wants to talk about the marvels of ancient Indian architecture – say the JantarMantar at New Delhi, which is an astronomical observatory constructed in 1724. Instead of taking the students all the way to Delhi, the school can develop a VR program that shows the ins and outs of the observatory by using a special head mounted device. With VR, it is possible to capture real-world locations with specialist cameras and equipment. The footage is then taken back to the studio where it is produced into VR content that the students can experience from their classroom.And of course, the Geography teacher can highlight the environmental importance of Amazon rainforest in South America by taking these students on a VR tour of this breath taking forest, replete with majestic trees and incredibly diverse animals that live there.AR / VR / MR makes it possible for kids to visit the seven natural wonders of the world virtually, understand how planets orbit around the sun, discover how a storm forms, or study how electrons spin around the atom. This immersive experience will make the students grasp important concepts in a better manner. They will realize the importance of preserving artifacts and natural wonders, and help them appreciate how science works.
How many of you remember dissecting a frog in biology class? That was not an exactly pleasant experience, both for you and the poor frog! With AR, it is now possible to develop apps that allow students to explore the internal organs of a frog without harming alive frog.
Or let’s say you need to deliver a speech in the school, and this is your first time. Using a VR headset, you can practice the speech in front of a virtual audience, preparing you for the actual speech.
The key strength of MR is the virtual-physical coupling. It is therefore best used for overlaying 3D dynamic information. Just as an example in the field of medical education, MR finds uses in overlaying pre-captured X-ray images over the real body part, making it easier for students to read the X-ray better. These are but a few examples of the potential AR, MR and VR have in the field of education.
In a nutshell, here are some benefits of AR / VR / MR in education:
Developing AR / VR Experiences
The experience of immersion is powerful in education and the use of VR, MR and AR is on the rise. Many medical institutes and research institutes are adapting them as a means to enhance teaching. These technologies are also beginning to play a role in areas such as athletics. Games like cricket, football, etc. are popular in India, and serious players stand to gain from XR experiences. Gears like Google Cardboard are striving to make VR experiences highly affordable. However, developing AR / VR / MR experiences requires a whole bunch of skill sets like software programming in Java, C#, Python, Javascript, UI / UX development, and knowledge of SDK platforms like Vuforia Engine and others. While schools and colleges know they can benefit from XR technology, they lack the skill set to develop AR / VR / MR software. There are competent AR / VR / MR Service providers in India that can assist these schools and colleges. Together, the schools and such XR service providers can raise the standard of education by increasing the students’ cognitive abilities.