Lesson 2.4: Challenges of using AR technology in education
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If AR is really as promising and essential as we think it is in enhancing the quality of learner engagement and learning, then why is it that it has not yet been adopted widely in education, particularly in higher education?
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What challenges come to your mind as you consider adopting AR in your teaching? |
Studies show skepticism, hesitation, difficulty using technology, lack of training and experience, lack of sufficient educational research, lack of institutional support, and curriculum needs to be the major factors that are holding faculty back from trying out AR. (Barroso et al, 2019).
Some known challenges:
Lack of A Burning Need
We all know that teachers are busy; they have limited time and resources and their hands are full just doing with the daily tasks of teaching and administration. In the throes of the social isolation and distance learning brought about by the pandemic, everyone was looking for ways to make digital learning more engaging and students more interested in learning. With that in the rear-view mirror (more or less), the desire for digital innovation in teaching and learning also seems to have dissipated.
There is no mandate from the administration, no peer pressure from colleagues, no loud demands from students...and the current teaching method seems to be working just fine! So why fix something that isn't broken?
In disciplines such as medical training, astronomy and high risk activities, where a 3D, immersive experience can be a game changer in terms of student learning, the adoption of AR and VR has been rapid and enthusiastic. Case studies in these disciplines have shown significant enhancement in student learning and engagement with the use of AR and VR technology. In other areas, educators are skeptical of the effectiveness and need of XR tech in their own teaching. NEED REFERENCES.
So, without a burning need, educators and educational administrators are not willing to invest time, physical and financial resources into this tech, or to deal with the risks that come with any innovation.
Insufficient Technology (hardware and software)
Clunky Hardware: To experience AR, users need either AR enabled eyeglasses or smart mobile devices with camera. The hardware has to be small, light, and easily portable, fast enough to display high quality media, graphics and process a vast amount of information in real time. These competing needs present a challenge for the AR eyeglasses that have to balance weight and aesthetics with the need for high processing power and battery life. AR glasses also have a limited field of view and a small digital screen, which makes the whole experience a little clunky. However many companies are working to resolve these issues with cross platform compatibility, cloud access to data, lightweight materials, high efficiency batteries etc. (https://www.allaboutvision.com/resources/eye-news-trends/augmented-reality-ar-glasses/)
Mobile Device Issues: While mobile phones don't have the issues to the extent that the eyeglasses do, they too have issues!
Firstly, the digital content is visible only as long as one is looking through the device; this can cause fatigue for one, result in loss of focus or attention, and can feel like watching a rock concert through the camera instead of with your own eyes. It also means that one or both of the hands are occupied in watching the content, which means less flexibility to write or do anything else at the same time! So if one is supposed to take notes or refer to something else at the same time, there needs to be a way to hold the device in place. Secondly, many mobile devices are not designed to handle such dense or high resolution content. For the devices on the lower end of the spectrum, the digital objects may not provide the best immersive experience. Poor quality graphics are huge turn-offs for users and can seriously distract from learning.
App performance & Connectivity: Most rich AR experiences with high res visuals, motion and spatial detection, animation and interactivity will take up significant memory. Additionally, for AR to work, the central GPU (graphics processing unit) must detect, recognize the object, and bring up the relevant digital content. A stable internet connection and sufficient bandwidth is required for the app to perform smoothly; neither of these are a given in parts of the world and teachers may not have control over it outside the classroom. Teachers will need to have back up plans in case there are issues with connectivity or app performance, which could mean double the work and loss of interest.
Limited High Quality Educational Content
There is a lack of age appropriate, high quality, validated learning content on AR platforms. Developing rich AR experiences requires a 3D environment which is expensive and requires good software and talent.
High quality apps available in certain disciplines that have heavy adoption of AR such as medical training, biology, astronomy, etc. These have been developed by teams of experts working over many years. Developing good quality content would require that the Subject Matter expert (faculty) work in close collaboration with the technical team to collect the data for the visual information and create and record the visual digital assets for each object of interest. This could mean creating videos, audio content, captions, logos, etc. and testing extensively to ensure a smooth learning experience for students. This can be a time-consuming, tedious and expensive project. Which is why we don't see much of it yet!
In other cases, educators might find that the "canned" content does not meet their needs. While simple apps and activities can be easily designed using platforms such as Metaverse, they will not meet the needs of college professors and students. To modify the "canned" content in AR would require programming skills and open source apps, otherwise faculty will need to supplement AR content with regular classroom content.
The solution to this is of course, increased demand: the more the demand, the more content providers and tech companies will be incentivized to develop content, but it is also a bit like chicken and egg: if there is no good content, educators will not want to adopt AR, and if educators don't want to adopt AR, there isn't a strong incentive for anyone to develop good AR content.
Teacher Training and Resources
Any new technology, however user friendly it might be, requires financial support, training, time, professional development space and commitment for all. In the case of AR, educators not only need to be comfortable with the AR technology but also with what to do with that technology to create meaningful learning activities that will significantly enhance student learning. In many cases this might mean reimagining the course content, activities and assessments, piloting the implementation.
Before educators can do any of that, training on the technology and how to effectively use it for education is crucial.
Unless educators get the resources, time and support needed to create the content needed, develop or modify lesson plans with AR, and can be given the flexibility to experiment even if the first couple of tries is not very successful, only the bravest of the brave will want to take the time or the risk or initiative to be the first one!
Assessment and Reflection
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Are there ways for you to overcome some of the challenges presented here, so that you can experiment with AR in your teaching? |
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References and Resources
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/top-5-challenges-facing-virtualaugmented-reality-stuart-dalrymple
Barroso Osuna, J., Gutiérrez-Castillo, J., Llorente-Cejudo, M., & Valencia Ortiz, R. (2019). Difficulties in the Incorporation of Augmented Reality in University Education: Visions from the Experts. Journal of New Approaches in Educational Research, 8(2), 126-141.
Jon Roepke, “Solving These 5 Issues will Make Education AR/VR Go Mainstream,” VentureBeat, October 5, 2019, https://venturebeat.com/2019/10/05/solving-these-5-issues-will-make-education-ar-vr-go-mainstream.