Improving education experience with augmented reality (AR)

In the modern world, information is everything. It is important that it can be accessed from anywhere and at any time. What is even more important is that information must be relevant to the user and presented in such a manner that it is easily understood. Emerging technologies, such as augmented reality (AR) might within short period of time be widely accepted, as smart-phones are today. If this happens, it will probably change the way we perceive information and our reality. AR is not hype any more - it is a solid technology that is already used in some creative applications. One area which might significantly benefit in the future from this technology is the education process. AR tools could guide students through learning process in enhanced way, as AR can upgrade traditional books with a digital layer. We think it will improve both, teaching and learning experience, and bring interactive dimension into the whole picture. We also predict that this new layer will encompass several senses which could speed up memorization process. Furthermore, AR learning method might raise common understanding of the learning material. Moreover, learning activities could be supervised by a mentor or automated process which might also lead to a lower school dropout rate. Our still-in-progress ARAVET project is exploring mentioned predictions about AR learning method. We will present the results we have so far.