Abstract:

The laboratory environment is a daunting place for students as it is full of equipment and unfamiliar practices. Students are bombarded with information which results in cognitive overload causing disengagement and a feeling of being ‘lost’. Enabling provision of ‘on-demand’ information and accessible support to each student encourages engagement and active learning. Technology provides a range of options to address this need. Augmented Reality (AR) is a form of virtual reality where digital information is added to the ‘real world’ providing additional active content and ‘just-in-time’ support.

Two simple forms of AR were employed in a large level four science laboratory class and a clinical skills laboratory for nurse training at undergraduate level. The first involved the use of quick response (QR) codes. These 'barcode-like' patterns provide a door to digital content accessed by the student using a reader app on their mobile device. Secondly, Auras generated by the online and mobile device application Aurasma allowed students to discover additional content by simply pointing their mobile device camera at an image to reveal the linked video content. Codes and tags were added to equipment, documentation, chemical reagents and even laboratory learning spaces. These provided additional technical information, safety documents and tutor recorded demonstrations of techniques and equipment, allowing students to navigate their way through the previously uncharted environment.

The practicalities and lessons learnt from the implementation of this intervention will be discussed, highlighting students’ perceptions of mobile technology, AR and its role in supporting the students’ laboratory learning experience.

Keywords:

Augmented reality, flipped classroom, laboratory, digital learning, mobile devices, learning environment.