Abstract:

As the world continues to rely on global data networks and the accretion of multi-sourced information, educators have historically been able to leverage these technologies into the classroom in order to grant students access to breaking innovations, direct application, and samples of work that reinforce their course work. Internet access, electronic clickers, card swipers, and even cellphone quizzing have become ubiquitous components of contemporary classrooms. A consequence of this digital convergence has brought a great deal of insight into the classroom. Recent trends in augmented reality have allowed academia to reciprocate this relationship by bringing academic insights outside of the classroom into the real world. By superimposing layers of geo-located data atop real-world displays on mobile devices such as cell phones and tablet computers in real-time, augmented reality has an incredible potential to become the a major pedagogical platform in the near future.

This paper presents the prototyping, application, and adoption of an augmented reality interface in the academic context of a department of Architectural Science in Toronto, Canada. The development of augmented reality as a robust multimedia platform for educators is initially presented as a live database of imagery and data on buildings in the city but subsequently has become a powerful tool for multiple layers of information from other courses in the architecture curriculum. From detailing and structures to history and theory, the augmented reality application has become a catalyst for the use of ubiquitous computing in contemporary classrooms. Though prototyped in Toronto, the educational augmented reality tool has already begun pilot projects in other North American cities and holds the potential for use in any discipline engaging the physical world.

Keywords:

Augmented reality, ubiquitous computing, pedagogy, digital media, mobile learning.