Learn how AR is quickly outpacing traditional education techniques the world over.

Augmented Reality (AR), was once the hottest trend in the entertainment and the gaming industry. However, in the last few years, AR has taken the world of education by storm as well. With an estimated 1 billion users of the new technology the world over, AR has become one of the most popular tools for educators to connect with students in more meaningful and engaging ways than ever thought possible before.

Let’s take a look how this tool has crossed boundaries and become so indispensable to the Education & Leaning Industry, across the world.

1. Augmented Reality (AR) provides for an Immersive Learning Experience

An old saying goes: “Tell me, and I will forget; Show me and I will remember; Involve me, and I will understand”. Experts have long held the opinion that students who are just passive observers or listeners, can never get the same kind of expertise as somebody with a hands-on practice on the topic. By incorporating 3D virtual models in the real-life environment of the student, AR increases learner engagement and significantly enhances the learning experience.

2. The applications of Augmented Reality (AR) in E-Learning are limitless

AR can make learning any topic or concept literally come to life. AR has been successfully used to help teach Chemistry to young students, by making a boring and abstract science more fun and engaging. Students can learn about different chemical elements, their names, their properties, and even how they react with other elements right in the palm of their hands. Junior medical students have for a long time been using AR to practice surgical simulations on virtual patients, giving the students much needed practice, without putting actual humans at any risk. Those studying nature and the physical world around us can walk identify and learn about flora and fauna around them, by just pointing their smartphones to the different objects in real life and getting instant information about them. Truly, the applications for incorporating Augmented Reality into E-learning modules are limited only by the imagination.

3. The real benefits of Augmented Reality are far too many to deny

• AR can make learning any topic or concept come alive, and this can lead to a better learning experience, since students are able to visualise and interact with concepts that they are studying.
• The toughest challenge teachers face today is to keep students engaged throughout their lessons. AR provides students an elevated learning experience, through an interactive, gamified approach, which appeals to most tech-savvy youth who are 100% hooked on to their smartphones.
• Nobody has access to actual educational material and lab equipment at all times, but almost everybody has a smartphone today, which puts the lab and all the equipment needed right in the palm of their hands. With AR, of course. Students can perform experiments anywhere, at anytime, with the power of AR available on their smartphones. Effectively, AR tools can replace textbooks, posters and printed material, and condense the knowledge from all these tools into a single smartphone.
• Boring lessons can suddenly become more lively and interactive when a learner can connect and collaborate with other friends who are learning the same topic. Used effectively, shared AR experiences can be a perfect way to improve teamwork and coordination skills.

There is no doubt that the role of Augmented Reality (AR) in E-learning is a crucial one, as it has been consistently proven that AR does a far better job than traditional teaching techniques in keeping students engaged and attentive while learning. It’s a future that is already with us, and students, parents and schools cannot afford to ignore the potential role this amazing technology can play in moulding the great minds of the future.