AR in Education

Introduction

Traditional non-digital gaming environments offer physical interaction to real-world objects, in which players would perceive a variety of information while observing social cues within the interaction process. These games would involve players learning ground rules for appropriate behaviors and modeling the behaviors of adults. Traditional board games and role-playing games would act as a tool for formal learning. Ideally, this principle of using gaming concepts from traditional board games and role-playing games has been brought forward through the use of concepts and technology and applied to Higher Education. These concepts of non-gaming elements would support the learning process with minimum interference, while the technologies would enhance and enrich the educational setting. Currently, these trends for enhancing and enriching the learner experience within the learning process are focusing on AR. Through the development of AR, educators can bring interactive gaming concepts to learning activities that make challenges more interesting through virtualization. The learning activities, coupled with AR and enriched activities, would provide information that is relevant to the learning environment at appropriate timing to influence the learner's decision, engagement, and problem-solving skills.

As Stefan et al. (2016) and Lupton (2017) points out that using games/apps can assist in individuals tracking their progress for health reasons, educational purposes, monitor physical activities, or for leisure. These apps, like Pokémon Go, according to Stefan et al. (2016), would enable educators to bring History, Health & Fitness, Architecture, and Culture into the lessons when learners are engaged in tasks. According to Glover (2013) and Gawley et al. (2016), FitBits can be used to challenge others within a community to monitor their achievements or keep them more engaged and motivated with their own desired results.

Modern technology should be blended within the learning activities to support actions, behaviors, and promote motivation. According to Jang et al. (2017), another area that is heavily influencing Higher Education (HE) at the moment is AR that enables the learners to explore structures, see environments, and experiment in 3D. Han, Weber, Bastiaansen, Mitas, & Lub, (2019) developed a virtual enhancing visitor experience that used sounds and enriching documentation to support individuals to walk around to build upon culture within tourism. Boboc, Duguleană, Voinea, Postelnicu, Popovici, & Carrozzino, (2019) had similar ideas to Han et al. (2019) about using AR for heritage purposes in which used a combination of culture, digital resources, to enhance the direct interaction of individuals who wanted to learn. These approaches, aided in enhancement, imagination, and experience (Hassan, 2019; Abdalla, 2019)