Augmented Reality as a Complement When In-Lab Is Not Possible
With the onset of Covid-19, a pivot was required to facilitate online labs and distance learning. This posed a significant challenge to our laboratory sessions which are integral to our programs. Laboratory videos were created to show the students what they would have done, with synchronous session narrated by our teaching assistants to create an engaging session. To allow for asynchronous learning we worked to develop augmented reality experiences to allow students to interact with the equipment and have a better idea of what they would have done in the lab.
Augmented reality experiences were created to increase student confidence in lower-level labs but were used quite differently in upper-level labs. In our Chromatography and Spectroscopy courses we are using augmented reality to show the inner workings of the instrumentation. This dispels the black box aspect that modern equipment has. Being able to view the beam path or the working of a quadrupole on a mass spectrometer helps students visualize things that they would never be able to see in the lab.
Key Learning Objectives
- The changes required to reach the modern learner
- How to appropriately deploy training videos
- The process of creating augmented reality experiences (the design side, not the IT side)
- The challenges of remote learning of laboratories
Who Should Attend
- Educators
- Trainers
- Laboratory Managers
- and anyone looking to reach the modern learner.
Presenter: Shawn McFadden (Technical Specialist, Lab Coordinator, Ryerson University)
Presenter: Ann Thayer (Contributing Editor, C&EN Media Group)
