2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Augmented reality (AR) provides engineering and technology education with new and innovative opportunities to engage learners in immersive experiences that are holistic and realistic (Wu, Lee, Chang & Liang, 2013). This, coupled with the advent of education technology that allows us to teach skills-based subjects like three-dimensional solid modeling at a distance, opens up the potential to create intercontinental collaborative learning experiences between STEM institutions. The goal of the ABLE project is to create a short course enhanced-curriculum and AR media for a collaborative project between engineering graphics students at N.C State and engineering students from Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST). The enhanced curriculum will match high performing undergraduate students at State with students from the engineering program at BIUST.
In the ABLE project high performing students will have the opportunity to serve as “consultants” for purposefully selected student groups in the engineering program at the BIUST University. The student consultants at State will support the stand alone short-course curriculum for students in Botswana by answering questions and troubleshooting problem areas in 3-D modeling for the Botswanan students. Using the short course materials students in Botswana will complete a truncated 6-week curriculum where they will learn 3-D modeling skills (up to Basic Assembly Modeling). The stand-alone curriculum will include newly created Augmented Reality media that will help create an immersive experience for the international students. The ABLE project will test the viability of AR-enhanced videos and student consultants to create an immersive learning experience for students.