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Publication

Smartglasses as Assistive Tools for Undergraduate and Introductory STEM Laboratory Courses

Martin P. Strzys; Michael Thees; Sebastian Kapp; Pascal Knierim; Albrecht Schmidt; Paul Lukowicz; Jochen Kuhn
In: Ilona Buchem; Ralf Klamma; Fridolin Wild. Perspectives on Wearable Enhanced Learning (WELL). Current Trends, Research, and Practice. Pages 35-58, ISBN 978-3-319-64300-7, Springer Nature, Switzerland, 2019.

Abstract

Learning is known to be a highly individual process affected by learners' individual previous experience and self-directed action. Especially during laboratory courses in university Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education, all channels of knowledge construction become relevant: students have to match their theoretical background with experimental hands-on experience, leading to an intensive interaction between theory and experiment. Realizing augmented reality scenarios with see-through smart glasses allows to display information directly in the user's field of view and creates a wearable educational technology, providing learners with active access to various kinds of additional information while keeping their hands free. The framework presented here describes the use of augmented reality learning environments in introductory STEM laboratory courses aiming to provide students additional information and real-time feedback while sustaining their autonomy and the authenticity of their action. Based on the principles of the cognitive-affective theory of learning with media (CATLM), we hypothesize that this tool can structure students' hands-on experiences and guide their attention to cue points of knowledge construction.