Augmented reality to change learning in classrooms

“In a classroom, each student has a different level of comprehension. While some easily visualise what a teacher is teaching and hence have a greater ability to recall, others who can’t make themselves a part of learning experience lose out in the understanding the basic concepts of subjects,” said Neeraj Jawalkar, the CEO of Hyderabad-based Smartur’s Augmented Reality Digital Classroom Solution.

“A student could understand better about say how an earthquake occurs if we show him how giant tetonic plates shift. Similarly, he can be taught about angina if we show him how heart beat pumps the blood. Chemistry could be taught better if we can show change in atomic composition of different elements result in different compounds,” Mr Jawalkar explained.

The augmented reality is yet another form of 3D technology that superimposes virtual objects upon the real world. Though this technology has been widely used by high technology sectors such avionics and automobile designing, etc, its application in education, however, has been rather new.

In their famous book ‘Strategies That Work’ on methods to improve comprehension of students, Stephanie Harvey and Anne Goudvis claim that students, who visualise as they read or listen, can create personal link between themselves and the topic and recall what they have read or heard for longer periods of time.

Virtual objects superimposed in the real classroom excel at conveying spatial, temporal and contextual concepts, especially where the real objects are too expensive, dangerous or fragile. Virtual objects can also be highly interactive letting users erupt a volcano or build a human heart.