Augmented Reality, Gaming, and Simulation in Education

Augmented Reality, Gaming, and Simulation in Education

By Michelle Arbogast

Gaming, simulation, and virtual reality were once terms only thought of in the aspect of personal entertainment.  Today, these experiences are fast becoming infused in all aspects of our everyday world, including the classroom and our overall educational experience.  To research this genre of educational tools, three articles were chosen for summary and evaluation.

First, the main points of each individual article will be reviewed, followed by a synthesis of the articles as a whole.  Finally, the synthesized information will be applied to Internet-based applications in education using augmented reality, gaming, and simulation tools. 

Article Summaries

Article One:  Augmented Reality Trends in Education:  A Systematic Review of Research and Applications

The first article reviewed is on the subject of Augmented Reality (AR) by Jorge Bacca, Silvia Baldiris, Ramon Fabregat, Sabine Graf, and Kinshuk.  The focus of the article is the current and future research of AR in the educational setting and its benefits and limitations.   AR is defined by the authors as follows: “an AR system allows for combining or ‘supplementing’ real world objects with virtual objects or superimposed information,” and “AR supplements reality, rather than completely replacing it” (Bacca, Baldiris, Fabergat, Graf, & Kinshuk, 2014, pp. 133-134).

Bacca, et al. (2014) evaluated current research of over 155 studies on AR and found that although AR overall was gaining momentum in research, very little was being conducted in the areas of education and teacher training.  In fact, most often AR technology was only present in the sciences due to AR’s particular benefits in laboratory settings, and also in the Humanities due to the applications in language training and cultural diversity. The consensus of the studies determined more information and research was needed to fully understand the impact AR can have on an educational setting.  One area in particular is the area of instructional design and how one incorporates IR into the classroom to take advantage of the benefits while minimizing the challenges.

The research noted several advantages to using AR including the fact AR is not limited to one sensory stimuli.  Hearing, smell, touch, as well as sight are all involved in the AR realm.  In addition, AR learning environments versus non-AR learning environments were found to show enhanced learning through increased content understanding, and long-term memory retention.  Incorporating AR into the classroom allowed the user a real-world experience enhancing collaboration, motivation, and also facilitated learning language associations and spatial structure.  Supported by contextual and vision-haptic visualization foundations, AR is supported by three main educational theories:  a) Multimedia learning theory; b) Experiential learning theory; c) Animate vision theory (Bacca, et al., 2014).

Not all of the studies of AR were positive.  In several studies, Bacca, et al. (2014) found AR to have unique challenges including: attention tunneling, usability difficulties and ineffective integration into the classroom.  Issues with maintaining the superimposed images and the technology overall were also noted as “limitations.”  Advancements in the AR technology are needed to create interactive 3D content in a user-friendly application.  The studies showed that AR currently resides more frequently in Bachelor’s degree training at the higher education level, and has some exposure to the primary and lower secondary education levels.

Although support and enthusiasm for AR has grown rapidly over the past few years, Bacca et al. (2014) propose more research is needed, especially longitudinal research, to explore the AR concept with regard to special needs, diversity, higher education applications, and the impact to student learning and motivation. With this research, AR has the potential to expand to all levels of education, and all subject levels.

Article Two:  Multi-User Virtual Environments Fostering Collaboration in Formal Education

The second article reviewed is authored by Nocoletta Di Blas and Paolo Paolini and centers on a large case study conducted from 2002 to 2009.  The case involved over 9,000 students (ages 12-18) from multiple countries collaborating on a program designed to test the impact on collaboration using Multi-User Virtual Environments (MUVEs) and the corresponding data developed (Di Blas & Paolini, 2014). 

Participants in the study were asked to engage in online gaming programs in which the instructional design was such that success was determined by the level of collaboration and cooperation.  Benefits of the highly collaborative and interactive gaming situations elicited enhanced language and technical skills, along with changes in attitudes and cultural awareness.   The authors list three main reasons triggering cooperation:  “external compensation, building relationships, and sharing and enriching the activities the participants are involved in” (Di Blas & Paolini, 2014, p. 55).  In addition, computer-supported cooperative learning (CSCL) such as the program designed in the case study has roots in three major theories:  constructivism (peer related learning), sociocultural theory (learning by participation), and situated cognition theory (the teacher as tutor) (Di Blas & Paolini, 2014).

Article Three:  Dewey and Video Games:  From Education Through Occupations To Education Through Simulations

With regard to the fascination video games hold for children, author David Waddington pulls a quote from B.F. Skinner who wrote “what would teachers not give to see their students applying themselves with the same eagerness?” (Waddington, 2015, p. 1).  This simple quote represents the overall tone of the article that video games promote educational success by reinforcing the educational instruction programmed within.  The article focuses on the principles set forth by John Dewey, a renowned psychologist and educational reformer, who composed the principles of education through occupation.  The basis of the education through occupation program was to recapture the education and experiences lost due to the industrialization of America.  Where once many goods were completely made from scratch from home, now were purchased without the experience of the process put forth to make them.  Dewey’s educational principles, therefore, were to teach students about a process or system first using the very basic raw materials before progressing to the modernized system.  In this way, Dewey theorized, the lessons encompassed not only the learning of the process, but an appreciation of the social implications behind the systems and processes (Waddington, 2015).

The article provides insight into the changing nature of general attitudes towards video games in classrooms and sets out to demonstrate that many of the same goals and principles set forth by Dewey, such as being an informed and capable citizen, can be found in the use of video and simulation games.  Dewey’s principles also include self-discipline, cooperation, scientific inquiry, and understanding how social systems work.  Waddington takes the opportunity in the article to systematically address and debunk critics concerns regarding the positive aspects of video games in the classroom using a climate simulation game called Fate of the World in which students must analyze data and find solutions to global warming issues.

Waddington points out that using Fate of the World as a simulation for global warming could not be recreated by traditional classroom means. The video game provides an element of social reform and responsibility along with Dewey’s technological transparency and scientific inquiry.  While solving age-old problems of lethal mutation toward vocationalism, video and simulation games do pose new problems and issues to overcome, such as the deliverance quality of experience and the development of problematic patterns of thinking.  Critics argue that the use of simulation games can “induce callousness,” lead to “an inflexible or mechanical response pattern,” “promote a slack or careless attitude”, and “promote scatterbrained habits” (Waddington, 2015, p. 14)

            Waddington addresses, debunks, and at times agrees with some of the negative aspects of video and simulation game use, but comes to the overall conclusion that video and simulation game play allow students of all ages, education and skill levels, to enter a complex societal and technical world impossible to recreate in a traditional classroom lecture-type setting.  Advances in technology make it possible to design programs that overcome the main obstacles to education through occupation, and with purposeful focus, can ensure the concerns of the critics are also addressed.

Summary and Implementation of Synthesis of Articles’ Ideas

            The principles outlined in each of the three articles are as follows:

1.      Gaming, simulation, and VR (and/or AR) have aspects of fun and enjoyment that appeal to students of all ages, providing motivation for enhanced educational experiences.

2.      All systems provide unique and complex situations difficult to recreate in the classroom, or with the ability to deliver more effectively and efficiently.

3.      All systems come with a series of advantages and disadvantages to their implementation and use.  However, all of the authors addressed the concerns and concluded these educational experiences are valuable enough to overcome, or outweigh, any disadvantages as technology continues to progress.

4.      Each article stressed the need for more research in the gaming, simulation, and augmented reality genres with respect to educational applications and integration into the classroom.

Applications to Internet-Based Instruction

            The implications of the findings of these three articles is that Internet-Based instruction is here to stay and systems such as gaming, simulation, and VR (and AR) have, and continue to become fixtures in the classroom of today.  Through the use of gaming, simulation, and VR, teachers can provide students with lessons or units using multisensory educational experiences to enhance social skills, problem solving and scientific inquiry.  Subjects once taught in only book and lecture formats, such as history, and sociology, can now be augmented and come alive through virtual environments requiring students to question and explore solutions to problems in a safe, structured-yet-flexible system.  Perhaps walking through a simulated disaster area can teach students in public health societal lessons along with health-related analysis.  There are many free or affordable online, Internet-based resources available to teachers and students to incorporate gaming, simulations, and even VR into a student-based educational curriculum.  Heading to caution however, these resources should always be used in an intentional, directed manner by the instructor to avoid the potential pitfalls, such as complacency, and robotic or mechanical learning.  Through additional research into the systems applications into educational environments, tools and resources can be employed to solve major obstacles and fully understand the impact of these tools in an educational environment and fully enhance the well-rounded learning experience.

References

Bacca, J., Baldiris, S., Fabergat, R., Graf, S., & Kinshuk. (2014, October). Augmented reality trends in educaton: A systematic review of research and applications. Retrieved from Journal of Educational Technology & Society: http://encore.cl.utoledo.edu:61080/ebsco-w-b/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=e56f0a72-4946-4d90-88b5-2c066384a30a%40sessionmgr113&vid=1&hid=109

Di Blas, N., & Paolini, P. (2014). Multi-user virtual environments fostering collaboration in formal education. Retrieved from Journal of Educational Technology & Society: http://encore.cl.utoledo.edu:61080/ebsco-w-a/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=f3b6be86-3575-4944-be3e-b5549dfe4c5f%40sessionmgr4005&vid=1&hid=4109

Waddington, D. I. (2015, February). Dewey and video games: From educaiton through occupations to education through simulations. Retrieved from Educational Theory: http://encore.cl.utoledo.edu:61080/ebsco-w-a/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=ac454577-6288-4551-b4bd-4c24269cdbda%40sessionmgr4001&vid=1&hid=4109