Examining the potential of VR and AR technologies for education

This paper delves into such technologies as Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality which have lately seen some significant advancements. These technologies are discussed in the context of education which may greatly benefit from them. Firstly, a brief history of these technologies is given and what these technologies are is explained. Then, the paper explains what kind of issues education faces today and how these technologies may help resolve some of these issues. In addition, the paper describes some of the technologies of this sort that are already being implemented to some extent. Finally, some of the main issues and challenges associated with these technologies are discussed.


Introduction
It is not an exaggeration to say that emerging digital technologies have an unprecedented impact on almost all aspects of our day-to-day life. They are affecting the way we live, communicate, and work. One important area of our lives, among many others, which is being affected by the latest digital technologies, is education. Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) are some of these technologies that are going to transform education. Some experts point out that education today still uses methodologies that are outdated and not as effective as many people believe they are. The main concern is that a big part of teaching revolves around theory and does not give students enough opportunities to apply it anywhere. This is why students are not able to retain that information. Thus, it is believed that AR and VR in education are going to solve some of these issues by making the teaching techniques more engaging [1].
These technologies are usually associated with gaming but they have a wide range of applications. This is understandable because ever since their inception these technologies have mainly been used for gaming and other entertainment purposes. Most of the people who own mobile phones are aware of the game called "Pokemon GO" which had more than 100 million players at some point. The technology behind this game is AR. The purpose of AR is to use computer-generated data to enhance reality. VR, however, is a more complex technology the purpose of which is to completely immerse the user in a computer-generated environment [1].

Augmented Reality
Although AR has become popular in the last couple of years, it is not a recent phenomenon. This technology dates back to the 60s. The first working AR technology was built by Ivan Sutherland, a Harvard computer scientist widely known as the "father of computer graphics". This technology was 2 developed further to include digital displays and wearables and was mainly deployed in the military, aviation, and industrial sector. However, it is important to point that at the time this technology was not known as augmented reality [2].
The next major technology of this kind was developed in the 70s by Myron Krueger (computer researcher known as one of the first VR and AR specialists). The name of the technology was Videoplace that consisted of video cameras and a system of projection. The main capability of this technology was producing shadows on the display. Its purpose was to provide an environment for the user to interact with [3].
It was not until 1990 that the term "Augmented Reality" was introduced by Tom Caudell who was a Boeing researcher.
In 2008, the first commercial AR application was built in Munich for marketing purposes. Its purpose was to allow customers to interact with a model of the BMW Mini [3]. Figure 1 shows what an AR application looks like through the use of a tablet.

Virtual Reality
While the idea of augmented reality has been around for decades, the idea of virtual reality has existed even longer than that, though the term itself is relatively recent. VR technologies that are available at present are based on the ideas that go as far back as the 1800s. The first stereoscope capable of projecting an image by means of two mirrors was invented in 1838. It later became known as the View-Master and was patented in 1939. It has been in production to this day [2]. The term "virtual reality" was coined in the 80s when Jaron Lanier started building the gear necessary for immersing in what he referred to as "virtual reality". The gear consisted of gloves and goggles. However, simulated environments were being developed long before that. One of the most notable earlier examples was the Sensorama that was built in 1956. The purpose of the Sensorama was to allow people to experience a movie as if they were "in" it [4].

AR and VR in education
When it comes to new technologies, education is usually not so quick to adopt them. However, in order for education to be more effective, educational institutions should consider adopting AR and VR. These technologies will give students an opportunity to learn in an interactive way by creating an immersive experience, which will result in better retention than just by learning using textbooks. Of course, this does not mean textbooks will become irrelevant. It just means that textbooks will be facilitated by AR and VR technologies [5]. People are usually good at remembering what they see and do as opposed to what they read and hear. This is where AR comes in to help students visualize information. It will be far more effective to visualize information than just reading. This technology will keep students engaged in learning which has proved to be difficult to do by means of traditional methodologies [6].
One of the main advantages of AR is that it does not usually require any expensive equipment. In order to experience augmented reality, it is enough for students to use their smartphones or tablets. For example, if they have an AR application installed on their smartphones, they can point the camera at a textbook and see how a 2D image transforms into a 3D animation [7].
There is a great potential for improving the learning process by combining AR and smartphones, and since 80% of people have smartphones these days, there does not seem to be many constraints in terms of hardware. The full potential of this technology for education has not been achieved yet but it looks promising because most of the necessary technology already exists [8].
VR also has a great potential to transform education even though it requires more hardware than AR to experience it. The idea is to incorporate VR technologies into education at any level, be it first grade or college. In order to get a good grasp of the subject, students will be able to completely immerse themselves in it by means of VR headsets. In addition, VR provides a 360-degree view of content, which will give students an opportunity to experience that content in a more realistic fashion in a virtual environment [9].

Existing applications
There are some AR and VR applications that have been used in the context of education. Some of them have had some success in this area while others have not been as successful. It is too soon to draw a conclusion on their effectiveness because their usage has been somewhat limited and it requires more extensive studies to obtain sufficient data. Some of the most notable applications will be discussed below [10].

Layar
This application was not developed for the purposes of education but it has great features that can be used in a learning environment. The functionality of this application is simple which consists of scanning printed materials in order to see them come to life. It has great potential to be used in a classroom to make learning more engaging and keep students focused [11].

CoSpaces Edu
CoSpaces Edu allows users to create their own 3D content and then, by means of code, they are able to animate this content in order to explore it through AR or VR. The objects the users create can also be projected onto the surface of a real-life object by using AR. According to the creators, the application is designed for improving digital literacy skills, promoting collaboration, and enhancing the creativity of students [11].

Nanome
Nanome is a scientific educational application based on virtual reality. The purpose of Nanome is to let the user interact with a wide range of proteins and chemicals in a virtual environment. It has the ability to supersize nanotechnology thus allowing students to explore it in greater detail. In addition, it allows students to collaborate in the same environment [11].

Challenges
These technologies are not without challenges that need to be addressed in order for them to be widely and effectively used. One of the challenges is that teachers who have relied on traditional methodologies their whole career find it difficult to adapt to these technologies. In addition, despite the fact that most of the students have smartphones, there is no guarantee that every smartphone is capable of supporting AR. When it comes to VR, however, its biggest challenge has always been its high costs. It costs a lot of money to acquire all the necessary equipment for experiencing virtual reality. For this reason, VR has not yet managed to become an accessible technology in most areas including education [12].
There is also an issue with schools that do not wish to incorporate these technologies because it would require to alter the curriculum in a major way, and they do not want to invest in these technologies until they are completely proven to be efficient. This kind of thinking, however, is considered to be flawed by some experts because this technology cannot be effective if the curriculum is not changed in ways that would facilitate its usage. Waiting for this technology to be proven completely efficient is counter-productive and might lead to a standoff. This issue is mainly caused by the fact that school administrators lack an understanding of how this technology could transform the classroom if it is implemented correctly [11].

Conclusion
It is clear that the existing educational methodologies have some drawbacks which make it harder for students to learn and retain information. Traditional textbook-based teaching methods do not provide many opportunities to visualize difficult concepts in order for them to be more understandable. For these reasons, it is important to incorporate the latest educational advancements into education, and AR and VR technologies promise to be a significant improvement in education. However, the idea is not to completely replace the existing teaching methods but rather to facilitate them. Of course, AR and VR technologies are not a one-size-fits-all solution but they may greatly improve some aspects of education. Thus, it is a good idea for educators to start experimenting with these technologies and find out in which educational setting they fit best.