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Using Augmented Reality in STEAM Education

By: Seham Elsherif

Have you tried the "IKEA Place" app or watched someone playing "Pokémon GO" before? These are two examples of Augmented Reality (AR) apps. But, what is AR technology? And, how does it relate to education and STEAM education?

What is AR Technology?

AR is an enhanced version of reality that is created through adding visual, digital, audio, or sensual elements. It is different from Virtual Reality (VR) technology, which depends on a virtual computational environment. AR has several applications in different fields such as advertising, enhancing shopping experience, architecture and interior design, industry, education, training, research, development, military training, gaming, and entertainment.

Let us take "IKEA Place" app as an example of using AR to enhance shopping experience; an approach that some large businesses deploy. For example, if you would like to buy a desk for your room, all you need is open the "IKEA Place" app, direct the camera to the area you intend to place the desk, then navigate through the available desks. Using AR, you can view the different desks in your room; a digital image of any chosen desk will appear and you will able to see whether it fits. This is how AR provides you with a reality-like experience, so that you do not need to take measurements or buy a product that does not fit your needs.

AR aims to the enhance our understanding of reality. It comes in two main types: Marker-based AR and Markerless AR. Marker-based AI depends on markers such as QR Codes; when you scan the code, the AR app shows the related content. Markerless AR, on the other hand, has several subtypes; some based on item-recognition, some based on location information, and others on the projection of 3D images.

What is STEAM?

STEAM is an educational approach that fosters the student's appreciation of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics at an early age. What distinguishes STEAM from STEM is that the first integrates arts, with the aim of activating both the right and left hemispheres of a student's brain. STEAM aims at enhancing students' creativity, to graduate as innovative people capable of problem-solving and distinguishably succeeding at the university and in their careers.

The approach depends on completing projects and acquiring critical and scientific thinking skills. STEAM was first suggested by Georgette in 2006. In addition to including arts, Yakman says that the STEAM approach integrates them, as well as creative thinking and introducing the "why and who" questions, side by side with the "what and how" questions that the STEM appraoch raises. STEAM is about combining creative thinking and applied arts into real applications. Introducing arts into science and technology develops in the student the mindset of the scientist and engineer, in addition to that of the artist and designer.

Using AR in STEAM Education

Some educational studies found that using AR in STEAM education make students more enthusiastic and interactive inside the classroom; it also deepens their understanding of abstract concepts and theories.

For example, in mathematics, AR helps students visualise geometric and 3D shapes. In science, it allows conducting experiments without exposure to hazardous material. It can also be used to study complex chemical compounds and design new ones.

Here are the key advantages of using AR in STEAM education:

Deep understanding of abstract concepts and theories;
Increased interaction in the classroom;
Amplified passion in the students' towards exploration;
Enhanced immersive learning;
Reinforced active and interactive leanring;
Dynamic learning environment;
Promoting group learning;
Putting the student at the heart of the educational process;
Facilitating the the recollection and retrieval of ideas;
An affordable substitute to expensive books and references;
A suitable technology for different learning styles;
Provision of assistance to people with special abilities;
Conducting dangerous experiments safely;
Designing and amending engineering prototypes for free;
Fostering creative thinking and problem-solving skills.

Examples of AR Educational Apps

The "Merge Cube" app enables the student to point the camera at a specific cube to show some scientific models, such as models of planets, the human body, or the anatomy of a frog. The student can interact with the interactive content through controlling the movement of the cube. Another AR educational app is "Star Walk", which allows the student to view interactive images of the stars, planets, satellites, and constellations.

There is also the "Human Anatomy Atlas" app, which the student can use to scan an image of an internal organ from a book, so it appears in 3D form on the phone screen. Also, there is the "Anatomy 4D" app, which requires the student to use the camera to view the structure of the human body, as well as different organs in motion from all directions.

Challenges of Using AR in STEAM Education

Only few educational institutions deploy AR technology. This can be attributed to lack of awareness of its benifits, besides other challenges such as poor internet infrastructure and poor quality cameras and batteries. Also, using AR technology requires developing content that is appropriate to the learning objectives. The future may witness developments in AR technologies. Moreover, as the fifth generation networks cover more and more areas in the future, they will contribute largely to solving the mentioned internet problems. Without doubt this will lead to more educational institutions using AR technology.

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