SUNY Immersive Augmented Reality Classroom Development and Deployment

Abstract

The advent of affordable Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality solutions (Microsoft Hololens and HTC Vive) prompts us to explore the use of such technologies to enhance pedagogy via immersive room scale simulation. Based on the results of our previous study, we propose to further develop software for our shared virtual classroom space, “SUNY Immersive Augmented Reality Classroom.” The effective use of a shared virtual workspace would increase student engagement, enhance pedagogical methods, and even inspire further student research utilizing these technologies. This space would be shared among multiple users giving a unique perspective for each student in a variety of courses. Our objectives in this project are 1) to explore how VR/AR can enable and improve a student’s engagement and collaboration in a classroom setting through a shared simulation, 2) to further develop our software application that enables our proposed SUNY Immersive Augmented Reality Classroom, and 3) to apply, develop, and disseminate our software and best practices for educators and institutions seeking to employ VR/AR for pedagogy.