A new ‘massive open online course’ (MOOC) which officially launched September 26 is set to showcase productive methods of how augmented reality (AR) technology can help bring learning to life.
Developed in partnership between Canvas Network and the AR app, Zappar, the course was created in response to huge user demand for AR in the classroom, which Zappar reports has increased from 11 to 29 per cent in the last two years.
The MOOC claims to offer an innovative way for teachers and students aged eight and upwards to explore ‘the water cycle’, grounding a theoretical subject in an ‘authentic, tangible and visual way’ and before participation, learners under the age of 13 must submit a signed parent consent form before enrollment.
As schools and colleges are striving to achieve better engagement with their students, science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in particular has been placed under the spotlight, with results in these subjects continuing to lag behind humanities subjects according to the most recent GCSE results. Innovations such as AR can work alongside quality teaching to help motivate students, and to help them apply knowledge to practical problem solving.
Director of Further Education & Schools at Canvas, Sam Blyth, commented: “New innovations offer the chance for teachers to shake up their traditional methods and the Canvas Network is a great tool to help facilitate this.”
She continued: “Augmented reality can bring subjects to life in a way that textbooks can’t, and its ability to deliver contextual and visual learning supports a wider set of priorities for schools – to put the user experience firmly at the heart of teaching and learning.”
Teachers and students are provided with the platform to create their own augmented reality environment, bringing to life a poster of the water cycle by using the ZapWorks online tool. The MOOC helps users through the process of creating the AR poster and no prior coding knowledge is needed. Once finished, the poster comes to life when a smartphone or tablet is pointed at it, with videos, quizzes and animations presented at each step of the cycle.
Learn more about the ‘Zappar Powered STEM Learning Using Augmented Reality’ course here
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