Empowering Educators With Augmented and Virtual Reality: Integrating AR and VR for Enhanced Interactive Learning Environment

Introduction

A growing number of education scholars are interested in changing the educational system to enhance learning opportunities in this technologically advanced age. Technology advancements in recent years have led to the development and expansion of teaching and learning methodologies. Educators have used several technologies over time, and newer ones are being added as well (Braguez et al., 2023). We are witnessing a rapid rise in the use of visual enhancements to the spaces around us. These enhancements take the form of environments where immersive experiences that are kinesthetic, auditory, and visual thanks to virtual and augmented reality (AR) effectively engage us in a manner that cannot be replicated by any other media (Memarsadeghi & Varshney, 2020). Through computer-generated signals for sight, hearing, and touch (and, in certain situations, smell and taste), virtual reality (VR) fully replicates the sensory environment around us. With augmented reality (AR), computer-generated sensory signals are superimposed over the actual environment, giving users a rich juxtaposition of the virtual and physical worlds at the same time (Memarsadeghi & Varshney, 2020).

Technologies that create or alter reality are widely referred to by terminology like Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), Mixed Reality, and Extended Reality (sometimes, misleadingly, shortened as XR) (Rauschnabel et al., 2022). Virtual reality and augmented reality (AR) are both interactive technologies, but AR differs from VR in that it allows the user to work on a patient's teeth and anatomical structures in a 3D environment that is registered using basic imaging techniques. In other words, AR adds virtual elements to the physical world (Fahim et al., 2022). In order to prepare employees for new responsibilities in a safe and efficient manner, the industry is using more and more AR and VR-based training (Daling et al., 2023). The interactions between consumers and brands have been drastically altered by artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and virtual reality. With the use of these technologies, businesses may be able to cater their messages and offerings to the unique requirements and preferences of their target markets (Hussain & Zain Shaikh, 2023). The marketing community has been quite interested in these new technologies as a means of drawing in customers and enhancing their brand experiences (Hussain & Zain Shaikh, 2023). Because of their potential to improve the patient experience, augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are quickly taking the dental industry by storm. Although AR and VR technology has proven useful in a variety of scientific domains, their application in dentistry has not yet received enough attention, and traditional dental techniques are still widely used. Recent technological developments have had a profound impact on dental care (Fahim et al., 2022). To improve visitor experiences and make their visits more alluring and pleasurable, a growing variety of tourist destinations, monuments, and augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies and services are being designed and implemented. Gaining a thorough grasp of AR/VR apps and how they affect user experience is crucial (Wen et al., 2023).

The architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) business is paying more and more attention to the uses of augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) technologies thanks to updated equipment and maturing technology. An increasing number of academics are experimenting with AR/VR technologies, particularly in education and training, to give students or learners an immersive, interactive, and visual environment (Tan et al., 2022).

When one think of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), the first thought might be filming, gaming or the latest social media activities, such as the recently started development of Metaverse (Knoll & Stieglitz, 2022).