The context.
Augmented and Virtual Reality has lots of uses in educational settings. From higher education to military-training simulations, as well as lower-level primary school education, AR/VR has practical applications to aid in learning and memory.
One paper written for Medical Education Online [4] found that students who used AR programs are more likely to succeed in both theoretical and practical examinations. Meaning not only were their academics improved upon, but as were their professional conduct, practical skills. social skills, and creativity. The paper additionally goes on to discuss the challenges associated with having AR in the context of medicine degree programs, the biggest concern being cost. Universities may not have sufficient funding for a large number of AR devices to cater to a large number of students.
Another study involving comparison between medical students learning with AR versus a traditional textbook method proved a greater gain in knowledge having studied human anatomy using AR in comparison [5]. Below I have shared the collated test results first prior to learning using any method, and then again using either AR or a traditional textbook method. Despite the uneven sample groups, results show that the AR group improved more so than the textbook group did. The study then goes on to suggest further investigations using a greater sample of participants.
Source: Effects of Mobile Augmented Reality Learning Compared to Textbook Learning on Medical Students [5]
References:
[4] Augmented Reality in Medical Education: student’s experiences and learning outcomes. Poshmaal Dhar et al. Available at: Full article: Augmented reality in medical education: students’ experiences and learning outcomes
[5] Effects of Mobile Augmented Reality Learning Compared to Textbook Learning on Medical Students. Urs-Vito Albrecht et al. Available at: Journal of Medical Internet Research - Effects of Mobile Augmented Reality Learning Compared to Textbook Learning on Medical Students: Randomized Controlled Pilot Study
