Augmented reality research and applications in education

Access to quality education remains a challenge in developing nations, including Indonesia. Augmented reality (AR) has emerged as a promising tool to address this gap. This review aimed to examine AR applications in education from 2001 to 2024, focusing on their impact on learning outcomes and accessibility. The study analyzed 171 articles selected through a systematic search in databases like scopus and IEEE explore. Key aspects reviewed include AR tools, applications, evaluation methods, and target demographics. Findings highlight AR’s effectiveness in STEM education, vocational training, and cultural learning through features like 3D visualizations, interactive simulations, and animations, enhancing engagement and skill acquisition. AR aligns with sustainable development goals 4 (quality education), 9 (industry, innovation, and infrastructure), and 10 (reduced inequality) by improving access to education and reducing inequalities. However, challenges such as inadequate teacher training, limited infrastructure, and the need for localized content hinder broader implementation. The review concludes that AR tools should address pedagogical and contextual needs for optimal impact. Recommendations include expanding teacher training, improving access to technology, and developing culturally relevant content. Future research should explore scalable, long-term AR solutions to enhance global education

Reimagining our future engagement with learners through an augmented reality (AR) lens offers a range of possibilities, on a continuum from rigid materials, created with generic learning outcomes, to learner-centred, personalised and emancipatory practice. Educational paradigms are shifting to include alternatives to physical classrooms and the controlled virtual learning spaces that support traditional content delivery. Augmented reality is part of a broader mixed reality where varying degrees of virtual enhancement to the real world can be integrated into traditional delivery practice but also allow learning spaces to be explored more imaginatively and collaboratively. For educators, there are significant challenges to utilise the potential of technology to meet the increasing demands of students, institutions, industry and the expectations of society. By carefully scaffolding educators into reframing their curricula to encourage, inspire and motivate a diverse student body, technology can act as a mediator – a proxy for what Vygotsky termed the ‘more capable peer’ (Cook 2010). AR applications in education, training, marketing, medicine and other industries demonstrate both the capability of the technology and the need for designers to be aware of the possibilities. Karakus et al (2019), in their bibliometric study of augmented reality in education, identify the work by Wu et al (2013) as the most influential across the sector. This paper suggests that AR not only bridges virtual and real worlds but alsocreates an enhanced reality through a creative process. They argue that the educational values of AR are not solely based on the use of technologies but are closely related to how AR is designed, implemented and integrated into formal and informal learning settings. The recent McKinsey report (Bughin et al, 2018) modelled skills shifts in automation and artificial intelligence going forward to 2020 and found a sharp acceleration in demand for these technologies that will transform the workplace, as humans work with ever smarter machines. Transferring technology for educational use, re-use and re-purpose are key emergent themes in research as employers demand ever more technology enabled graduates, with high-level cognitive skills.

The success of Pokémon Go is demonstrating that augmented reality (AR) is reaching the masses quickly and can be a robust tool to enhance student engagement and learning. Leveraging AR for instructional purposes has the potential to become a powerful medium for Universal Design for Learning (UDL) by providing new tools for multiple means of representation, action and expression, and engagement. One of the advantages of using AR applications and AR platforms is the ability to display context relevant digital information to support students’ needs in real time and in specific contexts. Although many educational AR applications are in their developmental stages, the rapid growth of AR is likely to continue. The examples presented in this article focus on how educators can use mobile devices and AR to apply the principles of UDL. Combining AR with the principles of UDL can help educators create lessons that are accessible, engaging, and powerful for a diverse range of learners.

Augmented reality is a technology that enhances human perception with additional, artificially generated sensory inputs. This creates new experiences enriching human vision by combining natural with digital elements. Augmented reality development dates back to the early sixties but it is only in the last decade, thanks to improvements to hardware and software, when it has begun to be rapidly incorporated in several fields, including education. This study presents a systematic review of the literature on the use of augmented reality applications in primary and secondary schools, with a specific focus on collaborative, multi-user and interactive applications. The aim of the study is to investigate the characteristics of such applications, the processes that led to their adoption, and their effectiveness in enhancing the learning experience. This study synthesises a set of 100 publications from 2015 to 2020 and performs a qualitative analysis of their content. The review describes the current state of the art in research in augmented reality for education and provides future research lines, as well as trends for the future of such applications in educational settings, analysing the relevance of the multi-user interaction challenge within the augmented reality ecosystem.

An educational Augmented Reality (AR) application with Head Mount Display (HMD) is developed for the revitalization of the Hales.The proposed application allows a user to have a dynamic learning experience of the Hale by 1) full immersion into an extended reality, 2) enabling the hands-on construction & assembly process with real-time feedback, and 3) visualizing context-specific information and concepts.Through this intact experience, tacit knowledge embedded in the Hawaiian Hale design is delivered.In this paper, the implementation of the proposed application is explained, and the usage of the application is also demonstrated.

"Digital technologies advancements have reshaped the framework of the traditional classroom and taken educational curriculum to a different new level. More than ever, the education systems all over the world, strongly affected by the shock of the COVID-19 crisis, need to rely on innovation and digital resources. Augmented Reality (AR) technology can enable educators and students to access specialised materials beyond time and space. This paper presents a systematic review of literature on AR in education in the last 3 years. In total 30 research papers were analysed in this review, by using the content analysis method. Further research topics concerning the affordances of AR applications in education have been identified. "

As technology advances, mobile devices have gradually turned into wearable devices. Furthermore, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR) are being increasingly applied in medical fields such as medical education and training, surgical simulation, neurological rehabilitation, psychotherapy, and telemedicine. Research results demonstrate the ability of VR, AR, and MR to ameliorate the inconveniences that are often associated with traditional medical care, reduce incidents of medical malpractice caused by unskilled operations, and reduce the cost of medical education and training. What is more, the application of these technologies has enhanced the effectiveness of medical education and training, raised the level of diagnosis and treatment, improved the doctor-patient relationship, and boosted the efficiency of medical execution. The present study introduces VR, AR, and MR applications in medical practice and education with the aim of helping health professionals better understand the applications and use these technologies to improve the quality of medical care.

The aim of this study is to examine the effects of Augmented Reality (AR) applications, which are a new approach in education, on students' achievement and attitudes. For this purpose, on the basis of science education, a content, which was consistent with the syllabus, about atomic structure and atom models in the topic of structure and properties of matter was developed by the experts for the 7th grade students in secondary education and AR applications were integrated into the content. The Vuforia SDK software was used to design the content. The study was conducted on 205 secondary school students from six classes enrolled in a school in province of Gaziantep, in 2017-2018 academic year. Experimental group (n=103) and control group (n = 102) were randomly assigned. In this study, pretest-posttest with control group quasi-experimental design was used. The data of the study were collected using the achievement test, the Augmented Reality Applications Attitude Scale (ARAAS) and a semi-structured interview. The quantitative data were analyzed using t test while the qualitative data were analyzed using descriptive analysis. The results of the statistical analysis indicated that the teaching method integrated with AR applications was a more successful method in promoting students' achievement of Atomic Structure and Atom Models compared to the traditional teaching method. In addition, students with a high level of interest in technology have been more successful in the tests than those with less interested. On the other hand, the data from the ARAAS applied to the experimental group indicated that student attitudes are positive, they are satisfied with using the AR, they do not carry concerns about use and they want to use them in different courses in the future. The experimental group students, through the semi-structured interview form, reported that the AR applications made significant contributions to the educational environment and the teaching process.

There is a growing interest for the broad use of Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) in the fields of bioinformatics and cheminformatics to visualize complex biological and chemical structures. AR and VR technologies allow for stunning and immersive experiences, offering untapped opportunities for both research and education purposes. However, preparing 3D models ready to use for AR and VR is time-consuming and requires a technical expertise that severely limits the development of new contents of potential interest for structural biologists, medicinal chemists, molecular modellers and teachers. Herein we present the RealityConvert software tool and associated website, which allow users to easily convert molecular objects to high quality 3D models directly compatible for AR and VR applications. For chemical structures, in addition to the 3D model generation, RealityConvert also generates image trackers, useful to universally call and anchor that particular 3D model when used in AR applications. The ultimate goal of RealityConvert is to facilitate and boost the development and accessibility of AR and VR contents for bioinformatics and cheminformatics applications. http://www.realityconvert.com. dfourch@ncsu.edu. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

This study explores the integration of mobile Augmented Reality (AR) applications within the context of the National Museum of Malaysia, focusing on enhancing the educational experience for visitors. The project aims to address the challenge of enhancing museum experiences through innovative technologies. The research problem centers on designing an AR application for the National Museum of Malaysia to enrich the visitor engagement and understanding, as stemmed from the decline in museum visitors, with the National Museum of Malaysia experiencing a staggering 70% drop in income in 2020 and 2021. Utilizing Unity Editor and other libraries, the project developed the National Museum AR App, featuring four distinct AR experiences corresponding to different exhibits within the museum. Methods involve AR content creation, user testing, and data analysis. Overall, findings suggest that the AR application effectively meets visitors' learning needs and enhances the educational value of museum exhibits by providing unique AR features. The significance of the project lies in its potential to transform cultural heritage tourism by bridging the gap between traditional museum experiences and digital engagement. The study also serves as a preliminary investigation to guide the future development and deployment of AR applications within the museum setting.

This study investigates the benefits of augmented reality (AR) in the tourism industry and its impact on data security. The background of the research highlights that information technology is becoming increasingly important in the tourism industry, with augmented reality (AR) being a major focus for enhancing visitor experiences. In this context, concerns about user data protection arise since AR applications may require personal information such as user location and travel preferences. A comparative research method was used to compare two popular augmented reality (AR) applications: Smartify, Arts and Culture, Zome, Augmented Reality, Maps AR, Guideo, and AR Trial. The results indicate that most applications have adequate data security policies, including data transfer encryption and user control over their data. Zome was found to be the best in terms of data security and user privacy, scoring 90% in the assessment. This research underscores the importance of using AR applications to maintain data security and user privacy in the tourism industry and suggests further research to learn more about the data privacy practices of AR applications.

It is thought that it would be appropriate to use augmented reality technology, which provides many educational advantages for effective environmental education. This research aims to examine the effect of environmental education using augmented reality (AR) applications on the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of primary school third-grade students towards the environment and to find out the children's views on AR. The case study design, one of the qualitative research methods, was used in the research. The research was carried out with seventeen primary school third-grade students from a public school in the 2021-2022 academic year. Environmental education was given to the selected class with augmented reality applications for six weeks. The data were collected with the ‘Semi-Structured Interview Form’ prepared by the researcher. Content analysis technique was used in the analysis of the data. According to the findings obtained from the interviews; it has been concluded that environmental education using AR applications is effective in the knowledge, attitude, behavior, and environmental awareness of third-grade students towards the environment. In addition to these, in the interviews; it has been determined that students have positive emotions towards AR reality applications; they want to use the applications in other lessons; AR applications facilitate their learning and positively affect their approaches towards living / non-living beings, the environment and environmental problems.

The purpose of teaching aid is important to attract students to always be active in the classroom. It is important to focus on educational activities among students such as the usage of teaching aid during the teaching and learning process. Therefore, the objective of this study is to identify the usability of augmented reality (AR) application 'Fertigation System' among form 1 students of SMK Behrang 2020 who took Design and Technology subject. The application was developed using the ADDIE model which has five phases including analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation. The design of the studies used was quantitative method (survey method). The instrument of study used was a questionnaire. In the first phase (Analysis), a questionnaire that was endorsed by experts was distributed to 35 respondents to identify the needs of the AR application development. In this phase, there were 72% of respondents agreed the needs of the AR application development. For the next phases, an AR 'Fertigation System' has been designed and developed. A questionnaire was distributed together with the AR application that has been developed and verified by three experts from different fields (language, education, content). After that, a pilot study was conducted among 50 students of form 1 who took Design and Technology subject at SMK Behrang 2020 as respondents for improvement purposes (Implementation phase). For the final phase (Evaluation), a questionnaire and application of AR 'Fertigation System' which has been verified and improved was distributed to 76 respondents comprising form 1 students who took Design and Technology subject at SMK Behrang 2020. The results of this study showed that 62.72% of the respondents strongly agreed with the usability of the AR application 'Fertigation System'. All data obtained was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) to obtain the average value, percentage, frequency and standard deviation. In conclusion, the results of this study show that the AR application of the 'Fertigation System' that has been developed can be used among form 1 students who took Design and Technology subject at SMK Behrang 2020, Perak.

Extended-Reality Technologies: An Overview of Emerging Applications in Medical Education and Clinical Care.

Virtual reality applications in education have emerged as rapidly developing technologies that have the potential to change education. However, the adoption of these applications has been relatively slow comparing to other applications. This study investigated the factors that affect students' intention to adopt virtual reality applications in education. Utilising the innovation of diffusion theory, the study investigated the factors that affect VR applications' adoption. These factors include social influence, image, and self-efficacy. The moderating influence of gender and age was also investigated. Results show that relative advantage, observability, compatibility, and complexity have a significant positive impact on VR apps adoption, complexity has a negative impact, and trialability has no significant impact. The results also supported the moderating impact of gender and age. Implications, recommendations, and suggestions for future work are presented and discussed.