Teaching Staff Attitude Towards Using Augmented Reality as a Pedagogical Tool During Covid 19 Pandemic Crisis Period

Abstract

Advanced digital technology has given rise to modern visual tools known as Augmented Reality (AR). AR integrates virtual information into the real environment, and recent studies have demonstrated its potential to enhance teaching and learning practices in higher education. However, while university learners have become increasingly adept at utilizing technology to support their learning, many faculty members have been slower to embrace technology for enhancing their teaching practices. This study aims to investigate the attitudes of academic staff towards adopting Augmented Reality Technologies (ARTs) in higher education. Additionally, it seeks to determine whether there are any differences in attitudes based on age, utilizing the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) as a theoretical framework. A survey was conducted, and a total of (851) usable responses were received from participants. The study results reveal that most faculty members have a positive attitude towards using AR as a pedagogical tool in teaching and learning, particularly to support students remotely during crisis periods. Additional results indicate that the response to crises factor strongly influences academic staff attitude towards AR. Moreover, the attitude factor strongly influences academic staff members' intention to use AR in the future. Additionally, the results show that there are no differences between the teaching staff and their age regarding their attitude. The paper concludes with some recommendations.