2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Abstract

Augmented Reality (AR) allows users wearing special glasses (such as Microsoft HoloLens 2, Apple Vision Pro, Trimble XR-10, Oculus Quest 2, Vuzix Blade, etc.) to see and interact with information generated by a computer overlaid on the real world. AR's interactive, immersive, and engaging features could transform learning experiences, particularly for female students drawn by these features. The problem motivating this paper is that females make up only 34% of the workforce in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). Therefore, as part of this research, Augmented Reality was introduced to female Hispanic high school students with the objective of 1- Identifying students' familiarity with AR, 2- Identifying students' initial impression, 3- Capturing the challenges encountered while using AR, 4- Capturing participants' interest for AR use for an extended period, and 5- Assessing potentials of AR to enhance learning and education among female students. A pre-experimental research design, more specifically, a one-shot case study, was used to introduce STEM using AR (Trimble XR-10 with HoloLens 2) to a group of female Hispanic high school students from rural high schools during a summer camp. After the STEM activity using the AR, the participants completed an online survey with mainly closed-ended questions. The research results are encouraging as all female Hispanic high school students who participated in the activity believed that AR has the potential to enhance their STEM learning and education experiences. The two features that stood out the most were visual quality and interactivity. All participants indicated that AR enhanced their understanding of the topic. The results of this research are vital as there is a growing trend towards the use of AR in STEM fields and STEM education, but limited knowledge exists about the challenges encountered by females when experiencing the AR environment especially when females perceive AR differently than males. The preliminary findings highlight the need for improvements in comfort and user interfaces. AR has the potential to transform education with further research and refinement, which are essential for successful integration into learning environments.

Keywords: STEM, Education, Augmented Reality (AR), Female, Hispanic, High School students