skip to main content

Explore Research Products in the NSF-PAR

Title: Meta-AR-App: An Authoring Platform for Collaborative Augmented Reality in STEM Classrooms
Augmented Reality (AR) has become a valuable tool for education and training processes. Meanwhile, cloud-based technologies can foster collaboration and other interaction modalities to enhance learning. We combine the cloud capabilities with AR technologies to present Meta-AR-App, an authoring platform for collaborative AR, which enables authoring between instructors and students. Additionally, we introduce a new application of an established collaboration process, the pull-based development model, to enable sharing and retrieving of AR learning content. We customize this model and create two modalities of interaction for the classroom: local (student to student) and global (instructor to class) pull. Based on observations from our user studies, we organize a four-category classroom model which implements our system: Work, Design, Collaboration, and Technology. Further, our system enables an iterative improvement workflow of the class content and enables synergistic collaboration that empowers students to be active agents in the learning process.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1839971
NSF-PAR ID:
10200086
Author(s) / Creator(s):
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Proceedings of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
Page Range / eLocation ID:
1-14
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. ; ( , British Journal of Educational Technology)
    Abstract  
    more » « less
  2. ; ; ; ; ; ; ( , Proceedings of the 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition)
    Recent advances in Augmented Reality (AR) devices and their maturity as a technology offers new modalities for interaction between learners and their learning environments. Such capabilities are particularly important for learning that involves hands-on activities where there is a compelling need to: (a) make connections between knowledge-elements that have been taught at different times, (b) apply principles and theoretical knowledge in a concrete experimental setting, (c) understand the limitations of what can be studied via models and via experiments, (d) cope with increasing shortages in teaching-support staff and instructional material at the intersection of disciplines, and (e) improve student engagement in their learning. AR devices that are integrated into training and education systems can be effectively used to deliver just-in-time informatics to augment physical workspaces and learning environments with virtual artifacts. We present a system that demonstrates a solution to a critical registration problem and enables a multi-disciplinary team to develop the pedagogical content without the need for extensive coding. The most popular approach for developing AR applications is to develop a game using a standard game engine such as UNITY or UNREAL. These engines offer a powerful environment for developing a large variety of games and an exhaustive library of digital assets. In contrast, the framework we offer supports a limited range of human environment interactions that are suitable and effective for training and education. Our system offers four important capabilities – annotation, navigation, guidance, and operator safety. These capabilities are presented and described in detail. The above framework motivates a change of focus – from game development to AR content development. While game development is an intensive activity that involves extensive programming, AR content development is a multi-disciplinary activity that requires contributions from a large team of graphics designers, content creators, domain experts, pedagogy experts, and learning evaluators. We have demonstrated that such a multi-disciplinary team of experts working with our framework can use popular content creation tools to design and develop the virtual artifacts required for the AR system. These artifacts can be archived in a standard relational database and hosted on robust cloud-based backend systems for scale up. The AR content creators can own their content and Non-fungible Tokens to sequence the presentations either to improve pedagogical novelty or to personalize the learning. 
    more » « less
  3. ; ; ; ; ; ( , ASEE annual conference exposition)
    Recent advances in Augmented Reality (AR) devices and their maturity as a technology offers new modalities for interaction between learners and their learning environments. Such capabilities are particularly important for learning that involves hands-on activities where there is a compelling need to: (a) make connections between knowledge-elements that have been taught at different times, (b) apply principles and theoretical knowledge in a concrete experimental setting, (c) understand the limitations of what can be studied via models and via experiments, (d) cope with increasing shortages in teaching-support staff and instructional material at the intersection of disciplines, and (e) improve student engagement in their learning. AR devices that are integrated into training and education systems can be effectively used to deliver just-in-time informatics to augment physical workspaces and learning environments with virtual artifacts. We present a system that demonstrates a solution to a critical registration problem and enables a multi-disciplinary team to develop the pedagogical content without the need for extensive coding. The most popular approach for developing AR applications is to develop a game using a standard game engine such as UNITY or UNREAL. These engines offer a powerful environment for developing a large variety of games and an exhaustive library of digital assets. In contrast, the framework we offer supports a limited range of human environment interactions that are suitable and effective for training and education. Our system offers four important capabilities – annotation, navigation, guidance, and operator safety. These capabilities are presented and described in detail. The above framework motivates a change of focus – from game development to AR content development. While game development is an intensive activity that involves extensive programming, AR content development is a multi-disciplinary activity that requires contributions from a large team of graphics designers, content creators, domain experts, pedagogy experts, and learning evaluators. We have demonstrated that such a multi-disciplinary team of experts working with our framework can use popular content creation tools to design and develop the virtual artifacts required for the AR system. These artifacts can be archived in a standard relational database and hosted on robust cloud-based backend systems for scale up. The AR content creators can own their content and Non-fungible Tokens to sequence the presentations either to improve pedagogical novelty or to personalize the learning. 
    more » « less
  4. ( , American Society for Engineering Education, 2023. https://sftp.asee.org/43945)
    One of the key knowledge areas in Computer Science (CS) is Digital Logic and Computer Architecture where the learning outcome is an understanding of Boolean algebra, logic gates, registers, or arithmetic logic units, etc. and explaining how software and hardware are related to a computing system. Experimental Centric based Instructional Pedagogy (ECP) with portable laboratory instrumentation might provide real hands-on experience to obtain a practical understanding of those concepts at a lower cost compared with virtual hands-on laboratories that lack direct interaction with real apparatus or no integration of labs in the course. This work presents the initial adaptation of ECP to introduce the fundamentals of digital logic concepts in a Computer Architecture course in Spring 2022 for the first time in a CS department at a university teaching such courses without a lab and serving predominantly minority students. To establish a conducive and dynamic classroom environment by discovering course content through exploration, students majoring in CS were introduced to several logic gate types, worked with breadboards to connect circuits, and carried out operations to produce the necessary output using the commercial ADALM 1K Active Learning Module. To evaluate the impact of the ECP on students; performance in the class, three different evaluation methods were used, such as classroom observation, a signature assignment, and a Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) survey. The Classroom Observation Protocol for Undergraduate STEM (COPUS) findings indicated greater student engagement when ECP is used; the Signature assignment results indicated improved learning outcomes for students; and the MLSQ survey, which measures students; motivation, critical thinking, curiosity, collaboration, and metacognition, determined a positive impact of the ECP on the CS participants. 
    more » « less
  5. ; ( , British Journal of Educational Technology)
    Abstract  
    more » « less
  • Citation Formats
  • MLA
  • APA
  • Chicago
  • BibTeX
  • Save / Share this Record
  • Send to Email