Smartglasses in STEM laboratory courses – the augmented thermal flux experiment

Abstract

Augmented reality (AR) learning scenarios with see-through smartglasses create a wearable education technology providing active access to various additional information without distracting from the physical interaction with reality. We already have introduced such an AR version of a standard physics experiment of introductory lab courses on heat conduction in metals, using real physical data from external sensors for analyzing and displaying thermal phenomena in real-time. Besides a direct feedback, ensuring that students get an immediate impression of the effects of the experimental parameters, this scenario is also able to visualize invisible physical processes, using false-color representations to show the temperature of the apparatus. In a previous study conducted in an introductory STEM laboratory, we were able to show that such an AR learning environment indeed is suitable to foster learners' conceptual understanding of thermal phenomena. In the current paper we focus on the question how learners can benefit from such a scenario by influencing cognitive load (CL). In a second study we use the cognitive load scale (CLS) to discriminate the different types of learners' CL. We confirmed the structure of the scale by a factor analysis, finding three factors corresponding to the three types of CL, each with high reliability. Moreover, we were able to show that with our AR scenario extraneous load could significantly be reduced, compared to a non augmented traditional setup.

The use of augmented reality to foster conceptual knowledge acquisition in STEM laboratory courses—Theoretical background and empirical results

“…Less distal and more sensitive performance measures would have possibly made learning gains more visible and emphasized the effects of AR. Moreover, the developed AR application could also be used with smartglasses, potentially leading to more pronounced effects compared to tablet‐based AR and non‐AR conditions (Strzys et al ., ; Thees et al ., under review). Smartglass applications render the learners' hands free for experimentation, which could foster embodied learning (Korbach, Ginns, Brünken, & Park, accepted) and reduce interruptions, caused by tablet use, leading to more temporal contiguity of corresponding information.…”

“…The two conditions were contrasted for changes in conceptual knowledge and perceived cognitive load. Due to their broad acceptance and availability, tablet PCs were used as displaying technology instead of smartglasses, which have also proven useful for this type of application (Kuhn et al ., ; Strzys et al ., , ; Thees et al ., under review).…”

“…Billinghurst and Dünser () outlined several goals that AR may achieve when applied within educational settings, such as illustrating spatial and temporal concepts, and emphasizing the contextual relationships between real and virtual objects. Prior work showed that AR‐based learning environments can avoid split‐attention effects in the context of university STEM laboratory courses by presenting virtual information in close spatial proximity to their physical counterparts in real time (Strzys et al ., , ; Thees et al ., under review). In this research, smartglasses were used as an advanced display technology.…”

“…The overarching goals of using AR technology in this manner were to reduce students' extraneous processing and to promote the construction of conceptual knowledge by providing contiguous information (Dounas‐Frazer & Lewandowski, ; Kuhn et al ., ; Lai, Chen, & Lee, ; Strzys, Thees, Kapp, & Kuhn, ; Thees et al ., under review).…”

Investigating the Usability of a Head-Mounted Display Augmented Reality Device in Elementary School Children

“…Based on this approach, through AR it is attempted to combine the best of two worlds: situated active learning in a meaningful real-world environment and virtual learning environments carefully designed according to the principles of the Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning [ 12 ]. Initial studies indicate that through fulfilling the spatial contiguity principle, AR-based learning environments can reduce cognitive load [ 13 , 14 ] and increase learning gains [ 15 ]. Moreover, Szajna et al [ 16 ] found that HMD-AR-based applications for training can significantly reduce the time required to perform tasks.…”