Using Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) to Promote Active and Long-Term Engineering Education

Abstract

This study explores the usage of appropriately curated and customised Augmented-Virtual Reality (AVR) infused educational tools to deliver immersive and experiential learning environments to promote active and long-term learning to biomedical engineering (BME) students in a relevant BME module that dealt in the design of medical devices. Such courses are traditionally delivered through lab sessions and are often limited by scheduling, resources, and manpower constraints. Researchers have found that AVR-infused tools may solve those shortcomings and effectively deliver active learning. Both AR and VR were used to explain a fundamental concept pertaining to a medical device and its relevant attributes during a lecture, after which students completed a lecturer-developed feedback questionnaire. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analysed. AVR was shown to improve student engagement, learning motivation, learning effectivity, promote long-term and lifelong learning, and thus this study supports the use of AVR in teaching biomedical engineering. In the future, better systems may be developed, especially to further enhance immersiveness, embodied interactions, and intuitiveness.