Ph.D. Candidate's AR Project May Transform Physical Science Learning
Can learning your periodic tables in chemistry class actually be fun? Kantida Nanon, a Ph.D. candidate, thinks her augmented reality (AR) solution may provide the eureka moment that every science teacher seeking to better engage students has sought for decades.
Her project titled “Enhancing Chemistry Education Through AR” uses the technology to motivate better learning outcomes for students who may sometimes struggle when learning logical or fact-based information. The game-based project features an immersive experience matching atomic numbers with element names. By matching elements, participants can further engineer their own complex matter, including water, smoke, fire, earth, air, et al.
Forty-one participants aged 18-35, from NJIT and surroundings, were evaluated on enhanced cognitive perception, usability, experiences and preferences across three different platforms: a head-mounted display, tablet and desktop computer. Proven learning outcomes included greater retention, senses of accomplishment, immersion and enjoyment.
“By adding AR to the game, users are allowed to interact with virtual and real environments simultaneously. In AR games users are encouraged to make a full body movement — walk, turn around, hand move/rotate/pinch object, etc. — during the learning process,” Nanon said. “They can create their own learning/memorization environment while engaged in the game. It can help to maximize the user's sense of presence and optimize the learning performance. AR games mediate visual media and enhance cognitive perception.”
The results indicate that head-mount displays, particularly Microsoft HoloLens, outperformed tablets and desktops in several usability categories, including being the most suitable platform for learning purposes, better for remembering, most engaging and preferable for future use.
Tablets demonstrated moderate usability, while desktops were perceived as the hardest and longest to learn how to use. Regarding the senses of accomplishment, immersion, enjoyment, and gameplay suitability, head-mounted displays received higher scores.
“The findings emphasize the importance of user-friendliness and immersive experiences when designing AR games,” Nanon said. “The research provides valuable insights for developers and designers in optimizing AR gaming experiences to meet user preferences across platforms.”
The paper on which the project is based, co-authored with Assistant Professor Margarita Vinnikov and Associate Professor Michael Lee in the Department of Informatics, was accepted to the 2022 Annual International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation (ICERI) in Seville, Spain, and will be presented at the 2024 Annual Modeling and Simulation Conference (ANNSIM) in Washington, D.C.
Vinnikov, Nanon’s Ph.D. advisor, praised her self-motivation and dedication in pursuing a next-level solution to developing better learning and greater appreciation for STEM related subjects through AR.
“This technology is coming to our classrooms very soon, and it’s crucial to investigate and understand it well before developing the curriculum,” Vinnikov said. Some schools already have VR/AR labs, noted Nanon.
The findings emphasize the importance of user-friendliness and immersive experiences
“We are in the digital age. It’s time to make learning fun and transform the way we teach at the K-12 level. Hopefully, the days of saying that science and math are boring will be a thing of the past,” Nanon said.
Nanon credits the guidance and support she received from Vinnikov and Lee in choosing to use AR to research the potential future of education.
“I came to NJIT because it allowed me to design my program in a way that matched my expertise and interests,” she said, having previously earned a master’s in Information Technology with a concentration in AR in her native Thailand.
