By Alice Liu
Image Credit: Pixabay
Virtual reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to reinvent education in the future classroom from a culture of teaching to “learning through experiences”. From virtual science labs to virtual escape rooms to machine learning robots, VR, AR, and AI can reshape the future of education. Throughout the years, these three technological tools have collaborated to reach major milestones in many aspects of life: specifically education. VR, AR, and AI are super versatile and serve as valuable resources for the classroom. The new breakthrough in AR/VR technology will prove to be a game-changer in future education. Harnessing these tools can empower and boost students’ learning and offers promising opportunities to transform education to virtually anytime and anywhere in or outside of the physical classroom
Learning By Doing - The Best Way to Learn
There is a recent upsurge with using all kinds of technology in the classroom, which has become a norm even for kindergarteners -- something we didn’t see very often a decade ago. The future of learning will be a blended learning ecosystem, infused with technology in a classroom (virtual or physical) made possible by AI and immersive technologies such as VR and AR. Hands-on learning is found to be more effective at information retention when students can touch, interact, and experience rather than just being lectured about the topics. It’s these hyper-immersive learning technologies powered by VR/AR/AI that will enrich and open up a world of cross-cultural learning opportunities, from walking the streets of a foreign country through the Google Earth VR App, to meeting Mona Lisa beyond the glass.
AI Meets VR and AR
By working together, VR, AR, and AI can produce content for whole curriculums and lesson plans -- the AI aspect would account for the technical, nuts and bolts while the VR and AR aspect would formulate the virtual experiences and simulations. These tools, along with augmented reality (AR), can also be very engaging for students. As opposed to typical classroom lectures, the world of VR and AI artificial simulations offer countless opportunities for students to break free of the traditional classroom setting and enter a realistic, virtual experience. This both prepares students by giving them close-to-real-life experiences but also allows for them to enjoy learning about what they’re doing because they get to experience what it would be like in real life.
CoSpaces Edu, a VR/AR tool, not only empowers teachers to develop class curriculum and assignments but also allows students to gain hands-on coding experience with designing virtual 3D worlds. For a more physically-hands-on experience, Merge Cube’s spatial computing technology allows students to interact with 3D digital content (ancient artifacts, plant cells, sculptures, and more) uploaded onto a Merge Cube usable anytime, anywhere. Both teachers and students can create STEM content, develop applications, and bring them to life. Another application that uses VR, AR, and AI is Google Sky Map. It is a hand-held planetarium that allows users to point a phone to the sky and discover and track stars, planets, nebulae, and more.
According to an article by Susan Fourtané on the website Interesting Engineering, researchers have found that using these kinds of technologies in the classroom have many benefits on learners including increased content understanding, long-term memory retention, improved collaboration, increased motivation, and many more.
From STEM to Humanities - Distance Learning Up Close
Image Credit Pixabay
VR/AR enables students to engage through a headset and a teacher can teleport into a virtual classroom providing guidance in a simulated immersive environment. According to ELearning Inside, the cost of VR headsets powered by mobile phones and VR compatible computers have been declining -- offering a more affordable adoption of VR technology in the classroom. The simulations provided by VR, AR and AI make it easier and more accessible to engage in hands-on learning without the hassle of expensive costs or getting resources. For example, at Hamilton College, these technological tools are paving the way for the future of teaching human anatomy. Students can learn about the body via VR which allows for dissections to be performed without a cadaver. This makes it much cheaper to learn necessary procedures. On top of that, virtual tools like this allow for easier accessibility for classrooms and students lacking necessary tools or experience to build these skills.
At the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) Medical students utilize VR to simulate real-life surgery, and learn about the human body by zooming in layer by layer and deconstructing and reconstructing muscles, organs, and bones. This also allows them to reverse back to the skin level and reset all processes and learn a different way. Using VR to simulate medical procedures not only enables repetitive practices helpful for building real-life surgery skills but also “takes anatomy learning and applies it almost immediately”.
VR, AR, and AI also provide a convenient way for people who want to learn foreign languages anywhere and anytime. Some common tools for this include Duolingo and Rosetta Stone, which utilizes AI, where users can practice speaking languages to a device on top of learning to read and write in those languages. Similarly, MondlyAR, the world’s first AR language learning experience, combines aspects of AR and AI to provide an immersive and interactive experience for learning new languages. MondlyAR’s virtual learning assistant offers a lifelike conversational partner in the form of AR who can help users practice and learn languages by simulating real-world situations using interactive objects in AR as well as AI to tailor a personal learning experience. Such Virtual solutions allow students to immerse themselves into a VR-rendered foreign country with a conversation scenario by utilizing AI-powered chatbots, speech recognition, or animated characters without the expense of traveling. By practicing their language skills using VR, AR, and AI, students will likely feel less intimidated by learning a new language and can improve their language skills while receiving real-time feedback.
Overall, VR, AR, and AI are all useful and important tools for the physical or virtual classroom as they can provide a more immersive and interactive experience -- no matter what subject is being taught -- that can engage and educate students more efficiently as if they were in a real world situation.
Machine Learning Algorithms
By emulating the human brain to teach and learn, AI tools can be applied in scientific research and medical diagnoses by developing a neural network to give computers a “vision” helpful for detecting cancer or polyp recognition. Using natural language processing, AI teaching assistants can be helpful in answering students’ questions about assessments or deadlines and other frequently asked questions. Colleges are leveraging AI tools such as Amazon’s voice-enable assistant Alexa in dorm rooms outside of the classroom to enhance campus life and promote student engagement. Furthermore, Alexa will be tailored to answer specific questions about the college and campus in order to create a smarter classroom.
AI is a key tool in the classroom and can be used to generate personalized coursework and resources to aid a student in learning as well as automate lesson plans and test/quiz grading. By analyzing and gathering students’ data and interactions with digital learning systems, AI can provide personalized learning experiences and be able to yield the best ways and methods to help students succeed. With data collection, there are always privacy concerns and potential bias. Advocates believe that AI can improve student outcomes and allow instructors more time to interact and engage with students while others believe it may result in formulaic teaching. Nevertheless, AI technologies can be useful both in and out of the classroom for various tasks.
Fighting Inequity in Education
VR, AR, and AI are promising technologies aimed at transforming our learning environments to narrow the digital divide. For example, students who are unable to or cannot afford to travel far distances for a field trip or learning experience are able to do so with VR and even AR. Likewise, with VR & AR immersive and engaging environments now readily accessible, students with learning or physical challenges are able to participate fully in activities and exercises, adapted and tailored to their needs with AI.
Google Cardboards. Image Credit: Pixabay
One thing that may be an issue for equity and equality however, is the cost of it all. Is the rise in AI/VR/AR technologies creating another potential for a digital divide? Buying VR headsets and AR and AI applications or compatible computers can be very costly -- especially for whole schools. Fortunately, mobile headsets paired with smartphones, such as Google’s Daydream View offer a basic VR experience with a hand controller at a reasonable price. Alternatives are the lower-cost Google Cardboards or Google Earth, which is free and accessible. One way to widen the adoption and access to VR/AR apps is to crowdsource VR experiences or experiments and make it available to all students through public hubs such as libraries or technology labs.
The Rise of VR/AR/AI Amidst COVID-19
With the global pandemic and shelter in place orders, the demand for and usage of technologies like VR, AR, and AI have risen. At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Steven King, an associate professor at the Hussman School of Journalism and Media, used VR to enhance virtual and remote learning for his students. King sent out Oculus Go VR headsets to his students and began to interact with his students who built their own avatars such as robots, pandas, ducks and other characters in a 3D version virtual lab class. King allowed students to roam around, collaborate with team-mates in different tables, write on virtual whiteboards, and develop problem-solving skills by navigating the new virtual environment. Beyond learning, King said that when an event or activity happens in a physical place or around a particular object, students remember it better. He built the virtual setting to include tables with a tennis ball, basketball or soccer ball overhead to help his students with memory retention. These tools and resources have proven to be very useful and engaging in the classroom -- especially for remote learning.
Beyond COVID-19 – The New Normal
Many educators are struggling to come up with strategies to return to school safely as children need classroom interaction to build positive social, emotional, and cognitive skills. However, with the recent surge in COVID-19 cases, school districts are opting for 100% virtual classes through video conferencing platforms to keep students, teachers, and school staff members safe. Nevertheless, it is challenging to replicate classroom interactions through remote digital learning. For now, VR/AR/AI presents an opportunity to engage students in virtual learn-by-doing activities at the safety of their own homes. While VR/AR/AI headset, sensors, cameras, and glasses may be costly to purchase for home use, in the not too distant future, VR/AR/AI tools may become ubiquitous and accessible just like smartphones, smart devices, and computers. Experts say that in order to transform our learning into an immersive and smart classroom, we need 5G technology to interconnect our smart devices with increased speed and reliability. Sheltering in place due to COVID-19 has allowed us to embrace a new normal with innovative technology, from cost-effective VR/AR/AI immersive classroom tools to personalized learning and collaborations between humans and AI all powered by 5G.
Works Cited
“MondlyAR - World's First Augmented Reality Language Learning App.” Learn Languages Online for Free with Mondly, www.mondly.com/ar.
Ayers, Ryan. “Will There Be a Boom In Augmented And VR Use Post-COVID?” eLearning Industry, 2 Aug. 2020, https://elearningindustry.com/vr-ar-technology-use-post-covid.
Baker, Mitzi. “How VR is Revolutionizing the Way Future Doctors are Learning About Our Bodies.” ucsf.edu, 19 Sept. 2017, https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2017/09/408301/how-vr-revolutionizing-way-future-doctors-are-learning-about-our-bodies.
Fourtané, Susan. “Augmented Reality: The Future of Education.” Interesting Engineering, Interesting Engineering, 22 Apr. 2019, interestingengineering.com/augmented-reality-the-future-of-education.
Mathawan, Rohan, et al. “What The Future Of AI and VR Has In Store For The World Of Education.” TechStory, 31 Jan. 2020, techstory.in/what-the-future-of-ai-and-vr-has-in-store-for-the-world-of-education/.
Murphy, Kate. “UNC Students Are Learning in Professor's New Virtual Reality Classroom during Pandemic.” Newsobserver, Raleigh News & Observer, 1 Apr. 2020, www.newsobserver.com/news/local/education/article241677001.html.
Schwartz, Natalie. “How Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Reality Are Changing Higher Ed Instruction.” Education Dive, 2 Nov. 2018, www.educationdive.com/news/how-artificial-intelligence-and-virtual-reality-are-changing-higher-ed-inst/541247/.
Shenoy, Rajiv. “VR, AR and AI will Transform Universities. Here’s How.” Unbound, https://unbound.upcea.edu/online-2/online-education/vr-ar-and-ai-will-transform-universities-heres-how/.
Walker, Sherri. “3 Futuristic Technologies to Support Blended Learning: Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, and Augmented Reality.” Imagine Learning, 9 Oct. 2018, www.imaginelearning.com/blog/2018/10/3-futuristic-technologies-support-blended-learning-artificial-intelligence-virtual.
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