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Augmented reality (AR) applications are growing in popularity in educational settings. While the effects of AR experiences on learning have been widely studied, there is relatively less research on understanding the impact of AR on the dynamics of co-located collaborative learning, specifically in the context of novices programming robots. Educational robotics are a powerful learning context because they engage students with problem solving, critical thinking, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) concepts, and collaboration skills. However, such collaborations can suffer due to students having unequal access to resources or dominant peers. In this research we investigate how augmented reality impacts learning and collaboration while peers engage in robot programming activities. We use a mixed methods approach to measure how participants are learning, manipulating resources, and engaging in problem solving activities with peers. We investigate how these behaviors are impacted by the presence of augmented reality visualizations, and by participants? proximity to resources. We find that augmented reality improved overall group learning and collaboration. Detailed analysis shows that AR strongly helps one participant more than the other, by improving their ability to learn and contribute while remaining engaged with the robot. Furthermore, augmented reality helps both participants maintain a common ground and balance contributions during problem solving activities. We discuss the implications of these results for designing AR and non-AR collaborative interfaces. 

Augmented reality (AR) can be a useful educational tool which allows the representation of concepts that are otherwise invisible and difficult to visualize. We designed an augmented reality tool (the Holoboard) for learning about circuits and voltage, and deployed it in a summer school course for students to use. The students were hesitant to use the tool for several reasons, but those who did had a positive experience and found the tool to be helpful. Overall, tools were used by students who had an independent approach to problem-solving, and students preferred tools that were easily accessible and did not disrupt their workflow. We conclude with suggestions to improve the Holoboard to tailor it to the needs of students. 

In this paper we explore how Kinect body posture sensors can be used to detect group collaboration and learning, in the context of dyad pairs using augmented reality system. We leverage data collected during a study (N = 60 dyads) where participant pairs learned about electromagnetism. Using unsupervised machine learning methods on Kinect body posture sensor data, we contribute a set of dyad states associated with collaboration quality, attitudes toward physics and learning gains. 

Emerging technologies such as Augmented Reality (AR), have the potential to radically transform education by making challenging concepts visible and accessible to novices. In this project, we have designed a Hololens-based system in which collaborators are exposed to an unstructured learning activity in which they learned about the invisible physics involved in audio speakers. They learned topics ranging from spatial knowledge, such as shape of magnetic fields, to abstract conceptual knowledge, such as relationships between electricity and magnetism. We compared participants' learning, attitudes and collaboration with a tangible interface through multiple experimental conditions containing varying layers of AR information. We found that educational AR representations were beneficial for learning specific knowledge and increasing participants' self-efficacy (i.e., their ability to learn concepts in physics). However, we also found that participants in conditions that did not contain AR educational content, learned some concepts better than other groups and became more curious about physics. We discuss learning and collaboration differences, as well as benefits and detriments of implementing augmented reality for unstructured learning activities.