Adapting to digital transformation is one of the biggest challenges facing universities, vocational training centers and business schools. These institutions must train professionals of the future according to the demands of companies that, nowadays, are looking for talent first and foremost.
Technology 4.0, in general terms, and Augmented Reality, in particular, have a prominent role to play in this change. They can not only help schools to offer their content in a more interactive way. They can also train professionals in these fields, which have great possibilities for the future.
What is Augmented Reality?
Even if you have never heard of Augmented Reality, surely you have seen it or used it without knowing it. It consists of a technology that amplifies the visual or auditory information of a reality by means of a virtual layer.
Unlike Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality combines the virtual with the real, without creating a new alternative world. It is a real-time experience in which the physical world appears enhanced with these virtual layers of information (texts, images, videos), with which the user can interact.
Augmented Reality allows not only to add information to a reality, but also to remove it. Thus, there are developments that make us stop hearing certain noises, such as traffic or the sound of construction sites that prevent us from working.
QR codes and other modules for storing information also play an important role in this scenario. They act as quick response keys that we interact with via the smartphone. When scanned, they return information in two dimensions that complement reality. For example, they are used in static ads to complete the advertising message.
Both companies and users are beginning to integrate Augmented Reality into their lives. The market has a fascinating projection, estimated at $198 billion by 2025. The figure is achieved, to a large extent, thanks to Web AR, which is the union of this technology with the web itself.
Currently, Augmented Reality is being widely used in the following fields due to its multiple applications:
- Medicine
- Science
- Video games
- Fashion
- Education
What does Augmented Reality bring to the education sector?
The debate over whether or not technology contributes to education is long over. During the 1990s and early 2000s, some schools of thought argued that it could distract students from their goals. They argued that the channel would have more impact than the content. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The researcher Margarita Anastassova in the study 'Engaging Computer Engineering Students with an Augmented Reality Software for Laboratory Exercises (2014)', refuted these theses. The essay highlights the improved academic performance and increased motivation when new technologies are used for learning.
Nowadays, not only Augmented Reality is successfully used, but also other 4.0 technologies. Thus, Virtual Reality and Artificial Intelligence, without going any further, already have applications in the educational sector.
Augmented Reality applications in education
Generally speaking, the most notable applications of Augmented Reality are being:
- Autonomy. Students choose the contents to be studied freely. It encourages self-evaluation and the feeling of self-competence.
- Attention. Thanks to the immersive experience, students assimilate the content better and avoid distractions from their environment.
- Motivation. The use of digital devices and Augmented Reality makes the predisposition to learning greater.
Their level of penetration in education is higher than one might think. The high cost is no longer a barrier to entry for this technology. Today, there are many educational centers that not only use it, but also develop their own content for Augmented Reality.
However, it does not generate learning by itself, but it is a channel. Its application must be accompanied by training methods and an evaluation process that supports it.
Depending on the stage of the training period, its applications and uses are different. Currently, Augmented Reality is used from kindergarten to university.
Virtual Reality in the early stages of education
Augmented Reality is having good results in the early stages of formal education, including kindergarten. By allowing immersion in the content, it has become an ideal tool for students.
At these stages, students are full-fledged digital natives. They spend many hours a day using screens, so they are offered part of the syllabus in a language they already know. By adapting to them, attention is retained, as the retention of each new generation is decreasing due to digital change.
On the other hand, Augmented Reality also serves to accommodate their high energy levels. In these early stages of training, students are much more restless and need to be active. Leaving students anchored to a desk staring at a blackboard no longer works. Communication ceases to be unidirectional and aspires to be multidirectional.
The gamification of educational processes, especially in secondary school, can be an ally against school dropout. Currently, multiple initiatives are being developed in Spain to curb its increase. Augmented Reality could be an ally to achieve it.
Augmented Reality in Vocational Training
Due to its own characteristics, Augmented Reality is already being implemented in Vocational Training. These degrees have a more hands-on approach than others and, with these virtual layers on top of reality, a process or a subject can be better exemplified.
The immersive experience also has a notable impact in terms of occupational risk prevention. Vocational training students can simulate at first hand the professional environment in which they will work and thus learn about the risks they may encounter.
The practical part of the syllabus is reinforced compared to the theoretical part. In addition, it avoids trips that were previously essential for the training of students.
Using Augmented Reality, it is possible to label the parts of a machine or a laboratory with stickers or QR codes. These elements can be scanned with a smartphone at any time, providing additional information through links, videos and images to students who require it.
The employability of vocational training students can be enhanced by creating creative resumes in Augmented Reality. It is a growing trend that allows HR departments to have more information than they have in a conventional resume.
Augmented Reality at University
The highest stage of the training cycle is also taking advantage of this technology. As in vocational training, it is possible to experiment with reality without having to move from the center where the studies take place.
Compared to those who completed their university studies years ago, new students have quick access to information. The usual libraries can become obsolete. There is no longer a need to be aware of whether the textbook needed to pass a certain subject is available. Since the information is digitized, the copies are infinite.
Experimenting in almost real environments with the combination of other technologies such as Virtual Reality is a great leap forward. Practices that pose a higher risk can be performed safely. It is especially interesting for disciplines such as:
- Medicine
- Chemistry
- Architecture
- Engineering
Students' decision making also changes thanks to Augmented Reality. By having a closer experience with their future professional reality, they will know it in more detail. With all the extra information acquired, they can orient their specialization with less risk of abandonment.
Not only university students are taking advantage of this technology, but also teachers. The educational method at the university is changing and they can now incorporate this technology into the thematic units they consider. Students' attention in class is increased by not having to take notes, having all the information they need at the touch of a smartphone.
Augmented Reality in Business Schools
As for Business Schools, these educational institutions are also taking advantage of Augmented Reality. A priori, one might think that immersive experiences do not contribute as much in these centers as in others previously analyzed. Nothing to do with reality.
The content offered by these institutions ceased to be entirely face-to-face after the pandemic. Augmented Reality allows not only to complement the didactic units for those who opt for remote training, but also to lower the prices of these courses.
Business schools have been able to save costs thanks to Technology 4.0, which opens up the possibility of lowering their prices. This training becomes more accessible by having more competitive rates. Education is democratized.
In these educational institutions, students demand interactive and personalized content. For their part, Business Schools seek to differentiate themselves from their competitors by offering a current and innovative academic curriculum.
Warwick Business School uses Augmented Reality to give presentations in which the speakers' backgrounds are replaced by layers of virtual reality. This institution has been offering distance learning content since 1986 and is committed to innovation.
MBA students now want to interact with the content. In addition, another demand that has increased after the pandemic is the need for content to be flexible and always accessible.
In Spain, there are also business schools using Augmented and/or Virtual Reality in their teaching:
- IESE Business School in Madrid uses technology in the integration of collaborative methodologies in all its programs.
- Instituto de Empresa or IE University is committed to high flexibility and the ability to move between the physical and digital worlds. A concept that fits directly with Mixed Reality.
- ESADE adopts the slogan of pushing technology forward, becoming pioneers in technological innovation and educational experience. They are committed to extended reality models that include mixed reality and mixed methodologies among other 4.0 technologies.
Augmented Reality and Digital Transformation in Education
All stages of the education system are undergoing significant changes due to digital transformation. Once the debate on whether these help or distract in the acquisition of knowledge has been overcome, it is necessary to bet on technological change.
Augmented Reality is one of these technological developments that is already revolutionizing training. Thanks to it, it is possible to strengthen distance education, reduce the school dropout rate and help students visualize the work environments in which they will perform their future jobs.
