Woods, T. L., Reed, S., Hsi, S., Woods, J. A., & Woods, M. R. (2016). Pilot Study Using the Augmented Reality Sandbox to Teach Topographic Maps and Surficial Processes in Introductory Geology Labs. Journal of Education, 64(3), 199–214.
A pilot study using the Augmented Reality sandbox (AR sandbox) suggests it can be a powerful tool for bridging the gap between two-dimensional (2D) representations and real landscapes, as well as enhancing the spatial thinking and modeling abilities of students. The authors are from the Department of Geological Sciences, East Carolina University, USA. The AR sandbox was used in undergraduate, physical geology courses to teach topographic maps and surficial features and processes. A typical lab syllabus is compared with one that includes the Sandbox exercises. In the latter, students engaged in model building of coastal and fluvial environments using a virtual water flow model to illustrate water flow dynamics on surface features. With the AR sandbox connected to a computer monitor, students could simultaneously see 3D landscapes in the sandbox and their corresponding 2D images on the monitor. Students used camera phones to capture landscape models they built and submitted them via e-mail for grading. Exit surveys (n=10) indicated students were overwhelmingly positive (97%) in their perception of how the AR sandbox improved their understanding of learning objectives. They also preferred AR sandbox activities when compared to traditional laboratories that used only topographic maps.
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