Augmented Reality for Presenting Real-Time Data During Students' Laboratory Work: Comparing a Head-Mounted Display...

Area of Science:

• Educational Technology
• Cognitive Science
• Electrical Engineering Education

Background:

• Multimedia learning theories advocate for spatial and temporal contiguity of information.
• Augmented Reality (AR) offers potential for integrating virtual information with hands-on science experiments.
• Previous research suggested AR could reduce cognitive load by aligning virtual data with physical objects.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effectiveness of an AR-based presentation format versus a separate display for learning electrical circuits.
• To compare cognitive load and conceptual knowledge acquisition between AR and separate display conditions.
• To examine the impact of visual relevancy and coherence formation on learning outcomes.

Main Methods:

• 107 engineering students participated in six electrical circuit experiments.
• Two groups were formed: one using an AR head-mounted display, the other a separate data display.
• Cognitive load and conceptual knowledge were measured; eye tracking was used during pre- and posttests.

Main Results:

• Contrary to hypotheses, the AR group did not report lower extraneous cognitive load.
• The separate display group demonstrated significantly higher conceptual knowledge gains.
• Eye-tracking data suggested differences in visual attention to circuit diagrams influenced problem completion.

Conclusions:

• The study's findings challenge the assumption that AR inherently reduces cognitive load in this context.
• A separate display format may be more effective for fostering coherence formation and learning in complex experiments.
• Further research is needed to understand the nuanced effects of AR on learning processes, especially regarding coherence.