Designing Augmented Reality Applications as Learning Activity

Abstract

This chapter examines the conceptual design of AR applications as a learning activity with low technical requirements. With the help of the learning activity, the principles of AR and of the subject area can be conveyed, and the learners’ engagement with the learning content should be stimulated. In this study, Bachelor students of civil engineering (N = 71) have been assigned the task of designing an AR application for the subject domain of technical infrastructures, such as traffic management or energy supply. The students describe the design of the AR application with an own photo shot of the technical infrastructure with the augmentation on the photo and an explanatory text of 100–200 words. Combined these three elements serve as an illustration, which is made available to fellow students in an online gallery for peer review by means of a questionnaire. The peer review is intended both to examine the quality of the contributions—and thus possible learning outcomes among the submitters—and to stimulate the reviewers to engage with AR and the subject domain. A subsequent survey evaluates the students' assessment of learning success. Although the study only suggests actual learning outcomes of the learning activity, it demonstrates how complex technologies, such as AR, can be integrated into learning contexts with low technical requirements.