2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

INTRODUCTION
Considering a connected learning framework (Ito et al., 2013), this fundamental paper shares the findings of a preliminary study conducted March 2022 to investigate the use of XR technology and intergenerational learning workshops as tools to ameliorate the engineering education process and student enthusiasm.
CONTEXT
Social isolation and the absence of a personal community are growing and pertinent social issues. Social isolation especially holds long and short term potential for negative psychosocial impacts if left unaddressed (Usher et al., 2020). As we navigate these impacts and attempt to prevent the dissolution of critical communities, the development of alternative methods of fostering senses of community and eliciting empathy are necessary. Previous evidence for the strength of augmented reality (AR) technologies when developing robust mental models make them a promising technology for doing so (Earle & Leyva-de la Hiz, 2021).

Additionally, in the context of science and engineering learning, a community that often goes unnoticed is student families. The beliefs and perceptions of family members, especially those that are older, concerning a youth’s ability to do STEM impact students’ beliefs in their own ability to gain and practice STEM knowledge (van Aalderen-Smeets & Walma van der Molen, 2018). Intergenerational learning within a family community provides opportunities to research teaching and learning at the convergence of Western STEM knowledge and community-based knowledge.

PURPOSE OR GOAL
The overarching research questions of our study are:
RQ1: How do place-based XR experiences contribute to participants’ social-emotional learning by making them feel part of a larger community and communicating their stories
to others?
RQ2: How and in what ways do participants learn about engineering, physical computing, and craft through participation in this workshop experience?
RQ3: What role does intergenerational learning play in youth’s STEM career aspirations?

APPROACH OR METHODOLOGY/METHODS
Two parental-youth cohorts were observed throughout the workshop. Participants created E-Textile quilt squares and chose or recorded corresponding sounds. Instruction and assistance were provided by facilitators, but parents and youth were encouraged to collaborate with each other in design and fabrication. Participants' quilt squares are uploaded to a central database used to create an interactive AR quilt where participant's sounds are assigned to their squares. Collected data consists of field observations, video recordings of the workshop, semi structured interviews, the quilt squares, and the resultant AR experience.

CONCLUSIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS/SUMMARY
The outcomes of this preliminary study will be utilized to design and refine future intergenerational workshops, inform the development of future AR, XR, and virtual reality (VR) tools for education, and identify the impacts of and best practices for intergenerational learning.