Augmented Reality to Improve STEM Motivation

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Augmented Reality to Improve STEM Motivation

Teresa Restivo, Fátima Chouzal, José Rodrigues IDMEC-FEUP, Faculdade de Engenharia, Universidade do

Porto Porto, Portugal

[email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

Paulo Menezes Instituto de Sistemas e Robótica

Universidade de Coimbra Coimbra, Portugal [email protected]

J. Bernardino Lopes

CIDTFF – Research Centre "Didactics and Technology in Education of Trainers" and Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto-Douro

Vila Real, Portugal [email protected]

Abstract—This paper presents an exploratory study about educational potentialities of an augmented reality (AR) application developed for DC circuit fundamentals. Particularly the study aims to characterize student involvement using the application as well as its use as an additional experimental tool and to characterize how students perceive their experience and their learning through the use of this AR application. It is also briefly described how this application was developed and how the exploratory study was implemented involving STEM students.

The AR application confirmed to be manageable and students have explored its configurations intuitively. Additionally, the AR tool usability according to our preliminary results showed to be effective for the AR developed application purposes, has induced student satisfaction and revealed very good student perceptions about learning perspectives. So, this study showed this AR application for DC circuits has a great educational potential.

Keywords—augmented reality; STEM learning; electrical circuit

I. INTRODUCTION

Experimentation is a fundamental activity in the acquisition of knowledge. Other approaches based on the use of emergent technologies can offer alternatives and can be used as additional resources.

Experimentation accomplishes two fundamental purposes in the learning scenario. It permits students to observe how real systems work particularly by checking effects when changing some input variables and/or system parameters. On the other hand, technical aspects undoubtedly need experimental activity.

However, nowadays systems and their behaviors can be recreated with a high degree of realism in the virtual world of a computer by using simulators. Some systems with high complexity and/or high cost may never be available to be tested by a considerable number of users. On the other hand, a simulator is often the only accessible resource for initial training before the real use of a given system. Flight simulators are an example of excellence.

Simulators, in general, allow us to learn how to do but normally not how to react. Simulators based on virtual and augmented reality can lead to a higher level experience in which the user can explore a large number of pieces and parts in detail "penetrating" in them in a way not possible in reality – for example, when visiting or exploring a jet engine. Virtual and augmented reality systems can provide an added feeling of presence and immersion of great value in education and training.

In fact, feelings like "I was there" and "I felt" are two key ingredients of unforgettable experiences [1].

Virtual reality is a very powerful and useful tool in the engineering field, becoming relevant since 1960 and offering high significance for online experimentation.

Augmented reality (AR), instead of transporting the user to a virtual environment as VR does, mixes the virtual elements with the real world. By consequence the user perceives his/her surrounding environment with added virtual objects that can be modified by the environment itself, or by the user. This gives the necessary ingredients for creating virtual instruments, tools, or components that may be manipulated by the user to accomplish some mission, perform an experiment, etc.

Based on such perspectives an AR application was developed. This application intends to explore the basics of DC circuits and is addressed to STEM education. It has been evaluated how students:

• Engage themselves and use the AR application as an

"experimental" tool;

• Analyze their experience with AR;

• Perceive their learning with the use of AR.

The developed AR application, simple and easy to use, is available to all at home and at school, and only needs a computer with internet access and a webcam connected to it.

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The following paragraphs will present the developed application, its educational perspectives, a brief description of the tests and discussion of the results.

II. AN AUGMENTED REALITY TOOL FOR DCCIRCUITS

A. Developed application

The developed application aims to contribute to the understanding of certain concepts related to DC electrical circuits namely open/closed circuit, current direction, series/parallel components, etc.

The AR system is based on a set of markers associated with different circuit elements: a battery, a switch, lamps and a DC motor, Fig. 1. Using the markers like LEGO pieces, the challenge is to understand the evidence of circuit operation and to perceive different situations or even practice the implementation of particular solutions.

Fig. 1. Augmented reality DC circuit.

The developed "device", even when corresponding to a very simple DC circuit, has several possible configurations.

The easy handling configuration and reconfiguration of the circuit allows immediate comparison (use of short-term memory) leading users to ask themselves the reason of the circuit behavior in the current configuration.

Different components (battery, light bulbs, motor and switch) are integrated in the circuit by placing the respective marker in one of the free positions of the circuit that will be viewed by the webcam. The image processing is performed using the JavaScript library, JSARtoolKit, leading to the creation of the respective 3D image by using the modeling program Blender3D. It is not necessary to fill all the available positions, since the implemented circuit is a closed circuit.

In image processing using current equipment some limitations on image processing may occur leading to an unstable system. To optimize the AR system operation some conditions were defined as a compromise between handling characteristics and AR system performance. Therefore, lamps and motor markers should not need to be always present in the camera view field but only when the user builds the circuit.

The recent evolution of the HTML 5 language [2] has allowed the development of an easy to use AR application without requiring the installation of any plug-in. Using the Google Chrome web-browser, the access to the webcam image and the use of WebGL [3,4] is supported natively.

B. Educational potential

An application based on AR can have the characteristics of a learning object if it is manageable [1] and if it promotes the interaction of the user with the reality under study [5] by exploring its configurations.

If these requirements are met, the subjects may have cognitive and emotional experiences that can provide new insights into what they are studying. An AR application (in this case DC electrical circuits) may have the potential of a simulation increased by the manipulation of real objects (markers that can be handled and observed as electrical components).

In conclusion, the educational potential of this specific AR application will be demonstrated if [6, 7]:

• It allows intuitively to bring the reality into study;

• It provides emotional and cognitive experiences that involve students in the rational learning effort;

• It gives correct information about the system according to the settings, which are relevant to test ideas and their feasibility;

• It permits new ways of representing the reality under study.

III. DESCRIPTION OF EXPLORATORY STUDY

Like any educational resource the developed application needs exploratory studies in real situations to be improved and to see if its potential is confirmed [8]. Thus, this study aims to characterize:

• the involvement of students using the application and its use as an experimental device;

• how students perceive their experience and their learning through the use of an AR application;

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A. Samples

The proof of concept of the developed application was evaluated using a sample of 20 STEM students, aged from 14 to 16 years and integrated in a project of the UJr program of University of Porto (UP) [9], which brings to UP youth groups to make various activities. The referred young group was integrated in the activity named "Discovering Mechatronics"

performing different tasks in the Mechanical Department of the Faculty of Engineering, within the Automation, Instrumentation and Control teaching and researching group.

B. Implementation

The elementary concept of augmented reality was explained. A set of selected videos were presented in order to convey and to explain the interest of those tools in many fields of the real world.

Then, the AR DC circuit application was presented, explained and demonstrated.

After this step, students were split into working groups of 2 to 3 elements, Fig. 2 and two young monitors were guiding the first contacts with the AR tool. For half an hour they were allowed to accomplish the proposed guided activities and, in addition, any other exploration they would like.

At the end of this activity a survey was filled by each element. The survey was oriented to assess the AR tool concept proof, i.e., to evaluate the AR tool usability in three of its main aspects:

• Effectiveness;

• Satisfaction;

• Achievement of specific goals (in the learning and training perspectives).

The number of questions related with effectiveness, satisfaction and goal achievement were balanced and the survey was short in order to guaranty an easy students’

collaboration.

C. Results

Table 1 shows the students sample results. Six satisfaction levels (from “totally disagree” to “totally agree”, identified as notes in Table I) are proposed in order to avoid centered answers.

Fig. 2. UJr young facing AR activity.

TABLE I. SURVEY RESULTS (%)

Questions TD D SD SA A TA

Effectiveness

1 - Is the application intuitive? 60 40 2 - Does the application convey

the concept of AR? 5 5 90

3 - Is the topic easily explained to a colleague by using this application?

75 25

Satisfaction

4 - Is the application user-

friendly? 5 75 20

5 - Does it offer nice

interactivity? 20 50 30

6 – Do you enjoy this AR tool? 5 40 55 Achieving specific goals

7 - Is the application clear about open and closed circuit conditions?

5 35 60 8 - Is the application clear for

the serial circuit concept? 5 40 55 9 - Is the application clear for

the paralel circuit concept? 10 50 40 10 - Does this application allow

to implement different circuit configurations?

5 45 50 TDtotally disagree, Ddisagree, SDslightly disagree, SAslightly agree, Aagree, TAtotally agree

Fig. 3 shows in a graphical way the results for each question.

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Fig. 3. Survey results.

IV. FINAL COMMENTS

Having in mind that hands-on activity can be helped by some emergent technology tools but never overcome by them, the present AR application was conceived to improve the students understanding and involvement in DC circuit fundamental concepts and so to contribute to increase STEM motivation by fostering their interest in the use of technologies.

The concept proof has been validated according to the presented results. In fact, all evaluated aspects show that students answers are significantly within the sector between

“agree” and “totally agree” even for questions related with goal achievement.

Some aspects of the educational potential of the AR application referred in the second section have not been evaluated in what concerns its efficiency. Those will be the object of our attention in the present academic year.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The authors wish to thank the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation for funding the Experiment@Portugal 2012 project making possible the present contribution for resources with the Portuguese Consortium for online experimentation. The described activities are also in line with works within PEst- OE/EME/LA0022/2013, FCT.

R^EFERENCES

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