Mobile Augmented Reality in Vocational Education and Training

Abstract

In Vocational Education and Training (VET) institutions, teachers face important difficulties in the teaching process due to a wide variety of student’s special educational needs as well as student’s lack of: the adequate level of basic competence, motivation, concentration, attention, confidence and background knowledge, among other aspects. Regarding the attention to these aspects, many studies have reported positive impact of Augmented Reality (AR) applications in primary, secondary and higher education in terms of student’s motivation, learning gains, collaboration, interaction, learning attitudes and enjoyment, among others. However, very little has been done in terms of AR applications in VET as well as their impact on wide variety of student’s special educational needs such as learning difficulties. This paper introduces a marker-based mobile AR application named Paint-cAR for supporting the learning process of repairing paint on a car in the context of a vocational education programme of car’s maintenance. The application was developed using a methodology for developing mobile AR applications for educational purposes from a collaborative creation process (Co-Creation) and based on the Universal Design for Learning (UDL). A cross-sectional evaluation study was conducted to validate the Paint-cAR application in a real scenarioThis work is supported in part by the Spanish Science and Education Ministry in the Open Co-Creation Project (TIN2014-53082-R). Jorge Bacca, Silvia Baldiris and Ramon Fabregat belong to the BCDS group (ref. GRCT40) which is part of the DURSI consolidated research group COMUNICACIONS I SISTEMES INTELLIGENTS (CSI) (ref. SGR-1469). Jorge Bacca would like to thank the financial support for the Grant (FPI-MICCIN) provided by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (BES-2012-059846). Authors would like to thank to teachers Joan Clopés (Institut Montilivi) and Narcis Vidal (Institut Narcis Monturiol) that participated in the design of PaintcAR application. The authors also acknowledge the support of NSER

Effects of Augmented Reality on Student Achievement and Self-Efficacy in Vocational Education and Training

“…These types of studies are needed to identify the ideal use of the AR technology in educational environments. It is noteworthy that studies on the use of AR in vocational education and training are insufficient while studies were conducted in various educational fields in the literature (Bacca et al, 2014;Bacca et al, 2015). While there are some studies to develop AR applications for operators and technicians (Ramírez et al 2015;Rios et al 2013;Caudell and Mizell 1992;Reiners et al 1999;Sääski et al 2008;Henderson and Feiner 2009;Tang et al 2003), the number of studies conducted for this purpose in educational environments is rather few.…”

Advancing learning through smart learning analytics: a review of case studies

“…Bacca et al (2015) found that it had positive effects on the dimensions of attention, relevance, confidence and satisfaction, which were core contributors to increasing motivation in learning. An ART application with a good design not only enhances the trainees' level of engagement, but also addresses the limitations of one-size-fits-all curricula, and hence supports a more personalized learning experience (Bacca et al, 2015). The pedagogical approach prescribed in ART can be applied in other domains as well.…”

“…Bacca et al (2015) introduced an ART application, Paint-cAR, to help students on a vocational training program in car maintenance. Specifically, it engages students to become familiar with the procedural steps for repairing the paint on a car, including safety measures and identification of chemical tools or products.…”

A Foreign Language Learning Application using Mobile Augmented Reality

“…Recently, the 3D registration for MAR uses GPS and sensors from mobile devices to provide different information about position and pose of the camera and combine them with computer vision to improve the speed and accuracy of the system. Other studies, such as [5] propose a makerbased Mobile Augmented Reality solution. The application is used by a Vocational Educational and Training (VET) program for supporting the maintenance process of a car.…”

“…The authors define VET as "education programs that are designed for learners to acquire the knowledge, skills and competencies specific to a particular occupation, trade or class of occupations or trades"(p. 49-50). Moreover, in [5] is presented an AR application used by VET students for basic mathematics skills, which is based on videogames. More studies, such as [6] present a Mobile Augmented Reality solution for learning French language which is based on gamification didactic method.…”